Giants on the Earth | Page 7

he dared, assume the name for himself. It was Glavour,
Viceroy of the Earth."
The blood surged back into Damis' face and he raised a hand in a
dramatic gesture.
"Now I vow that I will never rest until he lies low in death and this be
the hand that brings him there!"
A murmur of applause greeted Damis' announcement and Turgan went
on with his tale.
"With the kind and just Hortan dead, Glavour assumed the throne of
power, for none dared oppose him. Once secure, he gave way to every
brutal lust and vice. Your mother was Hortan's only wife and he
honored her as such, and meant that the Nepthalim should in time rule
the Earth, but Glavour had no such ideas. To him, the Daughters of
Man were playthings to satisfy his brutal lusts. By dozens and by
scores he swept the fairest of them into his seraglio, heeding not the
bonds of matrimony nor the wishes of his victims. Only the fact that

my daughter has been kept from his sight until to-day has spared her.
"The Earthmen who had been content to live under Hortan's rule,
rebelled against Glavour but the rebellion was crushed in blood. Time
and again they rose, but each time the mighty weapons of the Jovians
stamped out resistance. At last we realized that craft and not force must
win the battle. This chamber had been built when Hortan erected his
new capital and none of the Jovians knew of its location, so it was
chosen as our meeting place. To-day, Damis, I have twenty thousand
men sworn to do my bidding and to rise when I give the word. Many
thousands more will rise when they see others in arms and know that
again the Sons of Man stand in arms against the Sons of God."
* * * * *
"There are less than a thousand Jovians and perhaps twice that number
of Nepthalim on the Earth, yet that handful would stand victorious
against all the Earthmen living," said Damis thoughtfully. "Even I, and
I am a Nepthalim, do not know the secret weapons in the arsenal of
Glavour, but I know that they are more powerful than anything we have
ever seen. Forget not, too, that a radio message to Jupiter will bring
down ships with hundreds, nay, thousands, of her fighting men with
weapons to overwhelm all opposition."
"Such was the case but it is so no longer since we number you among
us," replied the Kildare. "Earthmen are employed in the
communications net which the Jovians have thrown around the Earth
and it is but a step from those machines to the huge one with which
they talk to their mother planet. My spies have been busy for years and
our plans are all laid. There is one planet which all the forces of Jupiter
have never been able to conquer; from which their ships have ever
retreated in defeat."
"Mars!" exclaimed Damis.
"Exactly," replied Turgan. "The Martians are a peaceful and
justice-loving people, yet they know that peace is given only to those
who are ready and able to fight for it. Ages ago they perfected weapons

before which the Jovians fly, if they are not destroyed. I have
communicated with the Grand Mognac of Mars and laid our plight
before him. He has pledged his aid and has promised us enough of his
weapons to not only destroy the Jovians and the Nepthalim on the Earth,
but also to prevent other Jovian ships from ever landing. The only
problem has been how to get them here. The Martians, not desiring
conquest and content with their own planet, have never perfected space
flyers. They have promised us the weapons, but we must go to Mars
and bring them here. Enough can be transported on one of the Jovian
ships."
"How will we get a ship?" asked Damis.
"That also has been solved. There are two Jovian ships kept on the
Earth, ready for instant flight to Jupiter. They are loosely guarded for
the Sons of God believe that we have no idea of how to operate them.
We can capture one of them whenever we desire, but so far such action
would have been useless. Little by little we have gathered bits of
information about the flyers, but we had expected to wait for years
before our venture would have a chance of success. We dared not try
prematurely, for one attempt will be all that we will ever get. Now we
are ready to strike. You can fly the ship to Mars and back and with the
Martian weapons, we can sweep the Jovians from the Earth."
* * * * *
Damis' eyes lighted as Turgan spoke.
"Your plans are good," he cried, "and