Kantos Kan and I were confined together in one of the cages. In theothers were ferocious calots, thoats, mad zitidars, green warriors, andwomen of other hordes, and many strange and ferocious ferocious beasts ofBarsoom which I had never before seen. The din of their roaring,growling and squealing was deafening and the formidable appearanceof any one of them was enough to make the stoutest heart feel graveforebodings.

Kantos Kan explained to me that at the end of the day one of theseprisoners would gain freedom and the others would lie dead aboutthe arena. The winners in the various contests of the day would bepitted against each other until only two remained alive; the victorin the last encounter being set free, whether animal or man. Thefollowing morning the cages would be filled with a new consignmentof victims, and so on throughout the ten days of the games.

Shortly after we had been caged the amphitheater began to filland within an hour every available part of the seating space wasoccupied. Dak Kova, with his jeds and chieftains, sat at thecenter of one side of the arena upon a large raised platform.

At a signal from Dak Kova the doors of two cages were thrown openand a dozen green Martian females were driven to the center of thearena. Each was given a dagger and then, at the far end, a packof twelve calots, or wild hounds were loosed upon them.

As the brutes, growling and foaming, rushed upon the almostdefenseless women I turned my head that I might not see the horridsight. The yells and laughter of the green horde bore witness tothe excellent quality of the sport and when I turned back to thearena, as Kantos Kan told me it was over, I saw three victoriouscalots, snarling and growling over the bodies of their prey.The women had given a good account of themselves.

Next a mad zitidar was loosed among the remaining hounds, and so itwent throughout the long, scorching, horrible day.