? ? ? ? The great Thark's long-sword leaped from its scabbard; Thuvia shrank shuddering to my side.
? ? ? ? "What is it?" I asked of the girl.
? ? ? ? For answer she pointed to the sky.
? ? ? ? I looked, and there, above us, I saw shadowy bodies flitting hither and thither high over temple, court, and garden.
? ? ? ? Almost immediately flashes of light broke from these strange objects. There was a roar of musketry, and then answering flashes and roars from temple and rampart.
? ? ? ? "The black pirates of Barsoom, O Prince," said Thuvia.
? ? ? ? In great circles the air craft of the marauders swept lower and lower toward the defending forces of the therns.
? ? ? ? Volley after volley they vomited upon the temple guards; volley on volley crashed through the thin air toward the fleeting and illusive fliers.
? ? ? ? As the pirates swooped closer toward the ground, thern soldiery poured from the temples into the gardens and courts. The sight of them in the open brought a score of fliers darting toward us from all directions.
? ? ? ? The therns fired upon them through shields affixed to their rifles, but on, steadily on, came the grim, black craft.
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