All that night we raced through the Barsoomian void, passing over
low hills and dead sea bottoms; above long-deserted cities and
populous centers of red Martian habitation upon the ribbon-like
lines of cultivated land which border the globe-encircling waterways,
which Earth men call the canals of Mars.
Dawn showed that I had gained appreciably upon the flier ahead of
me. It was a larger craft than mine, and not so swift; but even
so, it had covered an immense distance since the flight began.
The change in vegetation below showed me that we were rapidly
nearing the equator. I was now near enough to my quarry to have
used my bow gun; but, though I could see that Dejah Thoris was not
on deck, I feared to fire upon the craft which bore her.
Thurid was deterred by no such scruples; and though it must have
been difficult for him to believe that it was really I who followed
them, he could not very well doubt the witness of his own eyes;
and so he trained their stern gun upon me with his own hands, and
an instant later an explosive radium projectile whizzed perilously
close above my deck.
The black's next shot was more accurate, striking my flier full
upon the prow and exploding with the instant of contact, ripping
wide open the bow buoyancy tanks and disabling the engine.
So quickly did my bow drop after the shot that I scarce had time
to lash Woola to the deck and buckle my own harness to a gunwale
ring before the craft was hanging stern up and making her last long
drop to ground.
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