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 FLASH GORDON
ON THE

PLANET MONGO
By
A LEX RAYMOND

WHITMAN PUBLISHING COMPANY

RACINE, WISCONSIN
fW N TC 0

Copyrisbt 19S4 by Kin* Features Syndicate, Inc., New York, N. Y.

Oxoat Britain BiauiU Besorred.
 CHAPTER I

The Wayward Planet

In A frican jungles tom-toms

rolled and thundered incessantly
as the howling blacks awaited their
doom!
The world was coming to an end!
This was no jest, no imaginary
peril, no dreamer’s prophecy. Sci­
entists had warned the people, and
every day confirmed reports. A
7
8 FLASH GORDON

strange, new planet was rushing

madly toward the earth. Collision
was inevitable. Only a miracle
could save the earth from cataclys­
mic catastrophe.
The Arab in the desert, resigned
to the inevitable, turned toward
Mecca and prayed for the salvation
of his soul — to Allah and his
prophet, Mohammed.
Mankind, stricken by a common
danger, could find no escape. A
force greater than science, an ac-
10 PLASH GORDON

cident that would wipe out the

human race and every living thing
on the earth, threatened the world.
In Times Square, New York
City, a huge bulletin board de­
scribed the daily flight of the ap­
proaching planet or comet, and
gave a diagram showing the de­
creasing distance between it and
the earth. A seething mass of hu­
manity surged in the streets, wait­
ing for news reports flashed from
astronomical laboratories. Some
The Great Bulletin Board in New York
12 FLASH GORDON

wept, others were stern, many

were skeptical.
Yet even with the speed with
which the comet was traveling,
weeks had gone by, and more
would yet pass before the collision,
because the wayward body had
come from such remote space.
One great scientist, Dr, Hans
Zarkov, had been working day and
night, perfecting a device with
which he hoped to save the earth
from disaster. But under the terri-
 ,V ' ■'K*'

Dsr. Zarkov Worked Day and Night

14 FLASH GORDON

fic strain of this almost superhu­

man effort, his superior brain was
weakening. At any moment his
sanity might give way to danger­
ous madness.
Aboard an east-bound transcon­
tinental plane, 'two passengers sat
on opposite sides of the aisle. One
was Flash Gordon, graduate of
Yale University, world-renowned
as a polo player. The other was a
young and pretty girl named Dale
Arden.
Two Passengers on a Transcontinental Plane
16 FLASH GORDON

Though both were aware of the

earth’s approaching destruction,
neither seemed to be thinking of it.
Yet their destiny was even more
closely wound up with the end of
the world than simply inevitable
annihilation could make it.
Suddenly, a tiny piece of the ap­
proaching comet broke off and flew
toward the earth at a tangent,
forming a flaming meteor. It
roared toward the plane in which
Flash Gordon and Dale Arden sat
The Meteor Sheared off a Wing
18 PLASH GORDON

— ripped through a wing and was

gone.
The plane floundered helplessly
and dove earthward. But in the
split second after the. wing was
sheared off, Flash took the girl in
his arms, quickly strapped a para­
chute on himself, and bailed out.
Their ’chute opened with a loud
CRACK! They floated towards the
ground gently and safely.
But they struck the ground with
quite an impact, and Flash very
Their ’Chute Opened with a Crack!
20 FLASH GORDON

nearly let the girl fall as the ’chute,

yanked by the wind, pulled him
along the ground. He released her
as gently as he could, and got to
his feet to struggle for a moment
with the parachute in detaching
it.
“What a weird place to land!”
The girl spoke for the first time.
She was looking at the housing of
a giant telescope, and other appur­
tenances of Dr. Zarkov’s great ob­
servatory. They had come to earth
 M l

‘What a Weird Place to Land!”

22 PLASH GORDON

near the work rooms of a scientist

whom the problem of the comet
had driven insane.
As they walked toward the ob­
servatory, a disheveled, wild-eyed
figure confronted them, leveling a
revolver at them threateningly.
“What’s the idea?” Flash de­
manded. “Put up that gun! We’re
friends—”
“Friends, bah!” Zarkov scoffed.
“You’re spies! You’ve come to
make my secret known to the
24 FLASH GORDON

world! They shall never know.

Come with me!”
Keeping the pair covered with
his revolver, Zarkov indicated the
strange-looking apparatus stand­
ing upright on the greensward out­
side his observatory. He insisted
that they climb a small steel ladder
and get inside.
“This is my highspeed rocket,”
Zarkov told them. “Get in. I intend
to shoot this vehicle at the comet
which is headed for the earth. The
He Forced Them into the Rocket
26 FLASH GORDON

impact of my ship will be just

enough to deflect the comet from
its course so that it will miss the
earth. By a hair’s breadth, but it
will be enough!”
The girl gasped.
“Good heavens, man!” Flash
cried. “ Y ou’re crazy!”
“We three shall die!” Zarkov
hissed. “We shall be martyrs to
science — to save the world! We
start NOW!”
Flash and Dale were at the mad-
The Rocket Shot Skyward
28 PLASH GORDON

man's mercy. They watched him

climb in after them, close the her­
metically sealed door, and begin to
operate the controls.
With a deafening roar, the rock­
et ship shot skyward, with Zarkov,
Dale Arden, and Flash Gordon
aboard. At a terrific speed it
shrieked through the earth's at­
mosphere and hurtled sickeningly
into outer space.
Zarkov stood grimly at the con­
trols, directing the course of the
Heading Straight for the Onrushing Comet
30 FLASH GORDON

rocket ship straight at the ap­

proaching planetoid, which loomed
larger and brighter every hour
as they shot dizzily nearer it.
Dale Arden clung to Flash Gor­
don in mute terror.
“Poor girl,” Flash murmured.
“But just remember that if we
stayed on earth we’d be wiped out
anyway. This is better—we have a
chance of saving our fellow human
beings!”
“I’m not afraid,” Dale whispered.
32 FLASH GORDON

“ Except that the man’s out of his

mind. See — he’s losing his nerve!”
Zarkov, shaking as though with
palsy, suddenly released the guide
wheel and staggered back, his bulg­
ing eyes alight with fiery gleams
from the approaching gigantic me­
teor.
“I can’t do it!” Zarkov ex­
claimed in a husky voice. “I can’t
do it! We’ll all be KILLED !”
The madman tried to wet his dry
lips with a moisture-less tongue.
Zarkov Staggered Back from the Controls
34 FLASH GORDON

Seeing how the man had gone to

pieces, Flash leaped for the con­
trols.
“We can’t stop now,” Flash stat­
ed grimly. “We must save the earth
—it’s the only chance!”
“If he was mad before, the man’s
a gibbering idiot now,” Dale mur­
mured, cringing away from Zar-
kov.
But in the next instant, Dale
Arden forgot her repulsion. She
seized a heavy monkey wrench and
Dale Seized a Monkey Wrench
36 FLASH GORDON

dashed across the control room

aiming her weapon at Zarkov.
The mad scientist had seized
Flash by the shirt, almost ripping
it from his back, and then clutched
the young man’s throat with his
long fingers, crying:
"Yah! I will not die! You cannot
make me? You hear?”
"STOP!” Dale cried. "You’re
killing him—”
But Flash desperately tore him­
self loose and lunged heavily at the
Flash’s Powerful Right Slammed Home
38 FLASH GORDON

doctor, swinging his two fists like

trip hammers. Flash’s powerful
right slammed into. Zarkov’s jaw
and the doctor crashed to the floor,
knocked out!
"Just in time,” Flash gasped out
breathlessly, as he grabbed the
control wheel. "We almost missed
it — why, look, girl, look!”
The rocket ship had come so dose
to the rugged surface of the new
planet that they could see the tow­
ering spires and pinnacles of a
A City Sparkling Like a Diamond
40 FLASH GORDON

beautiful city, sparkling like a

huge diamond in the middle of a
blinding light.
“Isn’t it wonderful?” Dale whis­
pered.
“Our last glimpse of beauty,”
Flash reminded her. “What’s your
name — before we die? Mine’s
Flash Gordon.”
“I’m Dale Arden,” she said
steadily.
“We can’t save ourselves now
even if we wanted to,” Flash point-
Dragged Down by Gravitational Force
42 PLASH GORDON

ed out. “The gravitational force of

this planet is exerting its influence,
drawing us downward. We’re go­
ing to crash!”
As he spoke, a mountain blotted
out the view ahead. The nose of the
rocket ship crumpled with the im­
pact — a deafening detonation de­
molished the vessel as it struck.
The Crash of the Rocket
 CHAPTER H

Stranger and Stranger

When Flash picked himself out

of the wreckage, his first thought
was of the girl who had crashed
with him. Swell kid! She had not
whimpered once.
“Dale! Dale!” he called.
Then he spied her, lying uncon­
scious, her head hanging in a sadly
lax position over a steel support.
44
Dale Lay Unconscious
46 FLASH GORDON

“Say something — speak to me!”

Flash begged, bending over her.
He was relieved to perceive that
she was still breathing. Acting up­
on his natural impulse to seek
medical aid, he lifted her in his
arms and climbed out of the tan­
gled mass of twisted metal which
ha^ once been Zarkov’s great
rocket ship.
Flash had no eyes for the strange
landscape around him. He looked
only toward the gleaming diamond
Flash Climbed out Carrying Dale
48 FLASH GORDON

city, now a considerable distance

away. He was thinking of Dale,
and it did not occur to him just then
that he was on another planet,
where perhaps doctors were un­
known — or unneeded!
Carrying his precious burden as
gently as possible, Flash staggered
toward the distant city. Weeds as
tall as he grew in the crannies of
odd rocks, but he did not see them.
The city looked like no metropolis
he had ever beheld on earth, but he
He Hoped to Get Medical Aid
50 PLASH GORDON

did not realize it. Before his eyes

was a vision of Dale’s appealing
features, a picture which had grip­
ped his emotions as never before in
his twenty-odd years.
Suddenly, out of the darkness be­
hind F l a s h a horrible figure
emerged, rising on its haunches, its
ghastly jaws dripping poisonous
saliva as it leaned hungrily toward
the man and girl. Flash did not see
his new peril at first, but staggered
forward without looking back.
A Horrible Figure Emerged
62 PLASH GORDON

But the monster swung its head

so close behind Flash that the man
suddenly became aware of a hot
breeze blowing on his neck. It was
the great dragon’s fiery breath!
Since he was walking forward,
Flash Gordon knew that such a
breeze on his neck was most un­
usual. He wheeled around and
jumped in astonishment as he
faced this appalling demon.
Almost dropping Dale in his
haste to defend himself — for he
Hash Turned to Defend Himself
54 FLASH GORDON

was helpless with the girl in his

arms — Flash drew his clasp knife
and stood awaiting the monster’s
attack.
Reaching out a forepaw armed
with filthy talons, the demon
clutched Flash around the waist
and lifted him off the ground. Blow
after blow was rained on the beast
by Gordon’s powerful arm, yet in
vain, for the blade could not pierce
the animal’s tough hide.
Slowly but surely the goblin
In the Monster’s Clutches
56 FLASH GORDON

drew the helpless man toward his

gaping, dripping jaws. Flash Gor­
don would have been devoured
alive had it not been for a terrified
scream that just that moment cut
through the air.
Startled, the great beast dropped
Gordon for a fall of about ten feet.
As Flash looked in the direction
from which the scream had come,
his blood froze at what he saw.
A second monster, if anything
more hideous than the first, was
The Monster Turned at the Scream
58 FLASH GORDON

poised over the prostrate figure of

Dale Arden. She had regained con­
sciousness to find herself in a situa­
tion worse than the worst of night­
m ares. No wonder she had
screamed!
With a head like the ugliest gar­
goyle on earth, and a single, vicious
horn above his four, sharp fangs,
this monster was big enough to
swallow the poor girl at a gulp.
Flash ran to Dale. Both he and
the girl would have been destroyed
It Would Have Swallowed the GW
60 FLASH GORDON

had it not been for animal jealousy.

The first beast leaped on the second
in a wild burst of anger!
The ground trembled as the
giant monsters fought to the death
over the possession of their horri­
fied prey. Dale and Flash crawled
hastily out of the way, lest they be
trampled to pulp.
With growls like rumbles of
thunder, hisses like steam from
mighty engine vents, and a thump­
ing of tails like massive pile driv-
The Battle of die Brutes
62 FLASH GORDON

ers, the two leviathans fought

their great beastly combat of this
other world.
Dale Arden and Flash Gordon
could only watch, standing at a
safe distance. They were so fasci­
nated by the spectacle, unlike even
the wildest imaginings of earthly
story tellers, that they did not
think to run or hide. What good
would it have done them to hide in
this unreal place?
Out of the air suddenly a mighty
A Mighty Armada Roared into View
64 FLASH GORDON

armada roared into view. Rocket

ships of marvelous workmanship
and strange, unfamiliar design.
One of the vessels swooped down
over the battling monsters and shot
two electrical jets at them. Amid
a crackling of sparks and an odor
of ozone, the great beasts toppled
over dead.
The special design of the ship
which had nosed downward indi­
cated that it might be the flagship
or leader. In a moment it had
66 FLASH GORDON

slowed to a graceful landing, and

three strangely attired figures got
out.
Two were incased in metal suits,
head and all. The third, seemingly
the commander, wore an exotic
suit of armor, with the narrow
features of the face visible. In his
right hand he held a gun different
from any ever seen on earth.
“Gee,” Flash burst out, “I don’t
know how to thank you, sir, for
saving our lives!”
Three Strangely Attired Figures
68 FLASH GORDON

“Stand back!” the stranger or­

dered. “You are both my prisoners.
I shall bring you in custody to the
presence of Ming, the Emperor of
the Universe!”
Flash Gordon resisted capture,
but in vain. One of the figures in
all-metal suits held him helpless
with ease. Thus struggling, but un­
able to prevent it, Flash and Dale
were taken before the Emperor of
the Universe.
The monarch was Oriental in ap-
“ Take Him to the Arena!”
72 FLASH GORDON

ed a snaky forefinger at the girl,

and decreed:
“The beauty of the female
pleases me. She shall be my wife.
The young man shall be slain, as
he does not come up to the physical
requirements set for my army.”
“So that’s your game, is it?”
Flash Gordon retorted. “I’ll show
you! I’ll— !”
“The youth seems to desire phys­
ical combat,” the Emperor ob­
served with oily guile in his tone.
The Red Monkey Men ©f Mongo Watted
74 FLASH GORDON

“Very well. Take him to the arena,

where the red monkey men of
Mongo wait.”
“I’ll come back!” Flash shouted
defiantly. “When I do—watch out!”
At the top of a long flight of
steps, Flash looked down and saw
the evil monkey men whom he had
to face. Their bodies were as red
as boiled lobsters.
Setting his jaw, and never flinch­
ing, Flash slowly walked down to
meet these four deadly fighters.
 CHAPTER III

The Hole of Horrors

At the bottom of the flight of

steps leading into the arena, where
the deadly monkey men of Mongo
were waiting, Flash Gordon, true
to his name, leaped suddenly into
action. Taking the first monkey
man completely by surprise, he
felled him with a terrific blow of
his right fist.
76
 CHAPTER III

The Hole of Horrors

At the bottom of the flight of

steps leading into the arena, where
the deadly monkey men of Mongo
were waiting, Flash Gordon, true
to his name, leaped suddenly into
action. Taking the first monkey
man completely by surprise, he
felled him with a terrific blow of
his right fist.
76
Flash Leaped into Action
78 PLASH GORDON

One out!
Stooping quickly, Flash grasped
the fallen and unconscious monkey
man under the armpits. Using him
as a flail, Flash whirled him around
so that the brute’s heels struck the
second monkey man on the point of
the jaw.
Two out!
Never was a fighter faster on his
feet, or quicker in putting thought
into action, than Flash Gordon,
fighting as he now had to fight
Using One of Them as a Flail
80 FLASH GORDON

against odds that only brawn aided

by brain could overcome. Like a
streak of lightning, Flash Gordon
darted about the arena.
As the third monkey man ap­
proached him, arms hung low for
grappling, Flash dove at him like
a battering ram. The brute’s head
cracked against the wall and he
sank to the floor with a groan!
Three out!
Streaking across the arena like a
loosed beam of light, Flash was
The Brute’s Head Cracked on the Wall
82 PLASH GORDON

ready for his next and last brutal

antagonist. Never would it be said
that Flash Gordon gave up without
trying to get out of a tight spot!
The fourth monkey man, taking
a cue from this white superman,
sprang at Flash’s knees. But, in­
stantly bracing himself with a
hand on the monkey man’s back,
Flash hurdled the outstretched
arms just as he would leap over a
low fence.
Having escaped the monkey
Flash Hurdled the Outstretched Arms
84 FLASH GORDON

man’s tackle, Flash still had to dis­

pose of the fellow. Before the
brute could recover his balance,
Flash was alertly afoot and behind
him.
Pushing an arm under the mon­
key man’s armpit on either side,
Flash brought his hands up behind
the brute’s thick neck. Thus he
pinioned the monkey man in a
deadly grip that could not be
broken or loosened.
The red brute’s muscles writhed
86 FLASH GORDON

and rippled under his scarlet skin

as he struggled to escape. But
Flash only exerted more and more
pressure, lifting up under the arm-
pits, forcing down on the back of
the head.
When Flash released the fourth
monkey man, the brute was ap­
parently lifeless. He sank in a hud­
dled heap on the floor.
Turning and looking up the
flight of the steps, from the top of
which the Emperor of the Universe
Hash Raised His Arm in Triumph
88 PLASH GORDON
had watched the combat, Flash
raised his right arm in token of
his amazing victory.
Only a stunned silence greeted
him. No applause, no cheers, no
smiles. Flash Gordon had done
what no one had ever done before
—beaten four monkey men single-
handed.
Shaking with rage, the Emperor
tottered to his feet.
“Shoot him I Shoot him down in
his tracks!” the Emperor com-
“Shoot Him Down in His Tracks!”
90 FLASH GORDON

manded in an apoplectic shout.

“That man cannot make a fool of
me. Destroy him!”
A soldier leveled a gun, aimed,
and fired.
But again Plash was too quick.
He dashed to the far end of the
arena and leaped high into the air
just as the bolt from the soldier’s
ray gun shattered the wall behind
him.
When F lash leaped up, he
grabbed hold of one of the sup-
92 FLASH GORDON

ports of a balcony or box in which

gat the daughter of the Emperor,
who had watched, with the admir­
ing eyes of a woman, Flash Gor­
don’s magnificent battle.
In a feat that would have taxed
the powers of many an acrobat,
Flash pulled himself up and over
the railing into the box.
When she saw the white hero ap­
pear thus beside her, the Emper­
or’s daughter acted on impulse —
the impulse of a primitive woman.
94 FLASH GORDON

She flung herself in front of him!

“Stop!” the girl cried. “Stop, I
say! If you kill this man, you must
also kill me!”
Behind the princess, a wily escort
knew his duty and did it without
a moment’s hesitation. Before
Flash knew what was happening, a
trap door opened beneath his feet
and plunged him into dark space
somewhere below.
The princess screamed shrilly.
“Who did that?” she cried.
A ^ P D ro T o p e n e d
96 FLASH GORDON

But she did not wait for an

answer. She stepped to the edge of
the trap door.
Realizing what she was about to
do, the escort grabbed her cloak to
hold her back. But the princess was
determined not to be held back.
She twisted herself out of the cloak
and free of the clutching hands of
her escort.
Then she leaped into the opening
and vanished from sight as Flash
Gordon had vanished.
The Girl Leaped After Him
98 FLASH GORDON

The escort snarled in futile rage

at his discomfiture. The Emperor
railed at his guards for their poor
marksmanship. But the fact re­
mained that the princess had
leaped after the fierce white hero
whom they wished to destroy.
There was her empty cloak in the
hands of her escort as silent testi­
mony to the fact. The princess had
voluntarily leaped into the Hole of
Horrors!
Down, down a rounded shaft
Down, Down They Fell
100 FLASH GORDON

with walls of masonry, the princess

hurtled after Flash Gordon.
But even as he fell, turning and
twisting every split second, Flash
Gordon’s quicksilver brain was at
work with darting thoughts. In a
glance of his sharp eyes he per­
ceived something jutting out from
the wall into the sh aft
It was a drain pipe, or a water
pipe of some kind. Flash hoped that
it would be strong enough to bear
the weight of two persons!
Flash Made a Grab for the Pipe
102 FLASH GORDON

At any rate, he took a chance

on it. As he was about to fall past
the pipe, Flash grabbed hold of it
and hung on!
In a swift glance upward, Flash
caught sight of the princess falling
right down after them. Bracing
himself, and gripping the pipe
firmly with his left hand, he held
out his right arm.
As the princess was about to fall
past him, Flash caught her in the
crook of his powerful right arm.
He Caught the Girl as She Fell
104 PLASH GORDON

But for once he had attempted

almost too much! He gasped with
pain as the shock almost tore his
arm from the socket!
“You are very strong,” the prin­
cess whispered softly.
But Flash said nothing. He saved
his breath for physical exertion.
In a titanic exertion of strength,
Flash managed to haul himself up­
ward, still holding the princess, to
a standing position on the drain
pipe. So great was his effort in this
He Managed to Stand Upright
106 FLASH GORDON

feat of muscular power that beads

of perspiration glistened on his
body.
The perspiration chilled into the
cold globules caused by instinctive
terror when suddenly from the
black water at the foot of the shaft
emerged the writhing forms of the
hideous water dragons of Mongo!
The pipe kept them just beyond
reach of the monsters.
At that moment, Flash spotted,
across the pit, an inclined passage-
Leaping Over the Water Dragons
108 PLASH GORDON

way leading upward out of the

water. He estimated the distance
and made up his mind.
“Put your arms around my
neck,” he said to the princess.
Tensing himself, Flash sprang
toward the incline, jumping right
over the heads of the hissing drag­
ons below. Perilous though the leap
was, he made it, and he and the
princess stood safely just beyond
the deadly fangs.
But not to be cheated, the great
The Monsters Hesitated
110 FLASH GORDON

Leasts surged forward in a vicious

charge. The princess raised her
arm. The monsters paused.
Fearlessly, the princess rushed
toward the dragons.
“Back!” she ordered. “ Back, I
say! Princess Aura of Mongo com­
mands you.”
At her word, the dragons began
to slide back into the water. She
was majestically beautiful, and
though her skin was also yellow, it
was a pale primrose tint.
112 FLASH GOBDON

“Marvelous,” Flash said, “but I

suppose they’re pets of yours.”
The princess declined to answer
this sally. Taking Flash by the
hand, she led him to the wall at the
far end of the passage. When she
pressed against a particular stone,
the wall rolled back, revealing an
elevator.
“Enter!” she commanded.
“ E nter!” She Commanded
 CHAPTER IV

The Air Battle

Obeying Princess Aura’s com­

mand to enter the elevator revealed
in the wall of the Hole of Horrors,
Flash Gordon found himself in a
vertically speeding vehicle unlike
any he had ever ridden in else­
where. The princess merely touched
a button, and up they shot, far
above the city!
114
They Shot Upward
116 FLASH GORDON

They stopped on the edge of a

curving ribbon incline, on which
rested, as though parked, a shining
gold rocket ship.
“Please get in this ship,” the
princess urged Flash. “Then you
will be secure against the wrath of
my father, the Emperor.”
Without a word of protest, Flash
Gordon did as she asked him — but
he regretted it the next instant.
For Princess Aura slammed the
door and bolted it.
“Now You Are Mine!” She Said
118 FLASH GORDON

“Now you are mine!” Princess

Aura cried happily. “Dale Arden
shall not have you! I shall hold you
here until she becomes my father’s
bride!”
Exploring the inside of the rock­
et ship, Flash found himself secure­
ly imprisoned. There apparently
was no way out. At any rate, he
found some clothes and put them
on, which made him feel more pre­
pared for any emergency.
Suddenly he heard an ear-split-
Flash Found Him self a Prisoner
120 FLASH GORDON

ting crash. He ran to a window and

peered out.
“Great Scott!” he cried invol­
untarily. “This is awful!”
What he saw was enough to
shake the credulity of the most
hardened traveler or adventurer.
A squadron of deadly space-
gyros were spinning like huge tops
over the city and bombarding it!
With guns that shot downward
from underneath, the space-gyros
directed rays of tremendous de-
122 FLASH GORDON

structive force, under the impact

of which great buildings crumbled
to dust.
Flash Gordon was thinking of
the peril of Dale Arden, who must
still be a prisoner in the palace.
Hoping to save her by driving off
the space-gyros, or at least helping
to do so, Flash Gordon sprang to
the controls of his rocket ship and
sent it whistling to the attack.
Meanwhile, Princess Aura, hav­
ing returned to the palace after im-
W histling to the Attack
124 FLASH GORDON

prisoning F lash Gordon, w as

brought before her irate father,
the Emperor, and asked to explain
her astonishing behavior in leaping
down into the Hole of Horrors
after the unmanageable white
man.
“I am sorry, father,” Aura apolo­
gized, “but I loved him the moment
I saw him! I will not tell you where
I have hidden him.”
“So you defy me!” the Emperor
whined through his long thin nose
126 FLASH GORDON

— a habit with him, apparently.

“It is not enough that you should
make a fool of me before my sol­
diers, when I ordered that man’s
death!”
“My purpose,” Aura explained
patiently, “was to save the man,
whom I love—not to make a fool
of you, as you say.”
“Enough,” Ming commanded.
“You shall be taken by these two
warrior women—,” he indicated
two girls in armor who stood wait-
Two Armored Warrior Women
128 FLASH GORDON

ing—, “to their country of ice and

snow and bitter cold! There, for
six months, you shall serve as a
common soldier in their army. Per­
haps that will bring you to your
senses.”
“Oh, my father,” Aura begged.
“Anything but that! I cannot stand
the intense cold!”
“Away with her!” the Emperor
ordered mercilessly. “I must attend
to Dale Arden.”
He went to a room filled with
180 FLASH GORDON

weird instruments, where Dale Ar­

den was pinioned to the wall by
confining bands. Chuckling fiend­
ishly, the Emperor spoke:
“Dale Arden, as you know, we
on this planet have progressed far
beyond you earthlings. The reason
for our success is that we possess
none of the human traits of kind­
ness, mercy, or pity. We are coldly
scientific and ruthless! You are to
be one of us!”
Dale’s eyes widened with fear of
He Spoke Fiendishly to Dale
132 FLASH GORDON

the unknown as she listened to the

words of this sinister, repulsive
creature. She wondered w h a t
might be the purposes of the
strange lights, and the great box­
like apparatus confronting her.
Was it some sort of camera, or
X-ray machine? What would it do
to her?
“Therefore/’ the Emperor’s nas­
al voice droned on, “you must un­
dergo the ordeal of this Dehuma­
nizing Machine. If you survive, you
Explaining the Dehumanizing Machine
134 FLASH GORDON

shall be ready to become my wife.

You may proceed with the dehu­
manizing process, doctor.”
But an attendant interrupted
just then in an excited voice.
“Look, Your Excellency!” he
cried. “Look into this spaceograph
just a moment, if you will.”
Emperor Ming stepped over to
look into the spaceograph, in which
could be seen what was happening
in other places.
“Our city is being bombarded by
136 FLASH GORDON

space-gyros!” the attendant ex­

plained, though his words were not
needed, for all could see the attack.
“Quick!” the Emperor com­
manded. “Order my entire space
fleet into the air immediately!’
At that moment, Flash Gordon
was fearlessly sending his rocket-
ship prison whizzing at the invad­
ers, darting destructive rays at the
space-gyros with deadly accuracy.
The leader of the gyros careened
to meet the unknown defender, re-
138 FLASH GORDON

turning ray for ray in a terrific

contest of concentrated propulsions
of force.
But the ray Flash was using was
an acetylene beam of ponderous
power. Under its disintegrating
effect, the space-gyro leader was
sent to the ground like a plummet,
screaming like a siren as its atoms
were ripped apart, and gleaming
red and white like a meteor landing
on the earth.
Another space-gyro came at the
Sent to the Ground Like a Plummet
140 FLASH GORDON

rocket fighter, and got a surprise.

Slashing through the air like a de­
mon of the wind, the defender
zoomed up and over, belching with­
ering fire from rear rocket tubes.
The space-gyro buckled under the
volley and collapsed helplessly in
mid-air.
Two more gyrating ships came
at Flash, and he prepared to smite
them also, when he felt strangely
sick and dizzy. His rocket ship wob­
bled drunkenly as his hands slipped
Slashing Through the Air
142 FLASH GORDON

momentarily from the controls.

Flash shook his head, rubbed his
eyes, and struggled manfully to
clear his head.
“ Gas rays!” he gasped. “I’m
choking— !”
Clutching at his throat, unable
to realize what he was doing, Flash
staggered away from the controls,
vaguely searching for relief and
not knowing where to find it.
With no one to steady it, the
rocket ship lurched like a bird that
H e Clutched at H is Throat
144 FLASH GORDON

has been wounded, and dove nose

first to the ground, twirling down­
ward through the air so rapidly
that a sound like the high humming
of a giant mosquito was heard.
The rocket ship crashed! The
cabin was torn open and Flash was
flung clear, face down, unconscious.
At that instant a man-like figure,
with heavy hair and beard, came
out of the wreckage of a space-
gyro nearby, and raised a mighty
sword to behead the fallen Flash.
 CHAPTER V

The Two-Headed Monster

Just as the sword of the bearded

figure was about to end his life,
Flash Gordon groaned and rolled
over on his back so that his face
was turned upward to his assail­
ant.
“By the great god T ao!” the
swordsman exclaimed aloud. “A
mere youth—and WHITE !”*
146
Flash Groaned and Rolled Over
148 FLASH GORDON

The man with the sword was one

of the lion men of Mongo—he had
a great mane of hair, and a long
tail with a tuft of hair on the end.
The lion man stooped down and
lifted Flash in his powerful arms.
“No broken bones,” the lion man
murmured. “Ah, his eyelids are
fluttering. He is regaining con­
sciousness.”
Flash opened his eyes. When he
saw the weird countenance staring
into his, he got to his feet in alarm.
150 FLASH GORDON

But the lion man showed that he

had abandoned his sword.
“Are you an ally of those yellow
rats?” the lion man simply asked.
Flash Gordon was indignant.
“Those yellow men my friends?
They are my enemies. Their em­
peror is forcing the girl I love to
become his bride. He has tried to
kill me. I attacked your space-
gyros to save my girl. If one of
your rays struck the palace, she’d
have been killed!”
Flash Gordon Was Indignant

\
152 FLASH GORDON

The lion man smiled at Flash.

“I am Prince Thun of the lion
men of Mongo,” he said. “I believe
what you say and wish to have you
regard me as your friend.”
At that instant the war fleet of
the emperor, made up of dozens
of rocket ships, roared out of the
diamond city and pursued the
space-gyros, which were already in
flight when they saw the emperor’s
fighters coming after them.
The fleeing gyros, with the em-
The W ar Fleet o f die Emperor M ing
154 FLASH GORDON

peror’s rockets right behind them,

thundered over the heads of Flash
and Prince Thun. The lion man
shook his head sadly at the rout of
his own allies, and said to the white
man he had spared:
“Our cause is lost. In fact, it is
hopeless. But your cause may not
be hopeless.”
“What do you mean?” Flash
asked.
“Come with me to what is left
of my space-gyro,” Prince Thun
“ O ur Cause Is Hopeless/ 5 H e Said
156 FLASH GORDON

urged. “Perhaps all of its appar­

atus is not destroyed.”
Inside the space-gyro, Prince
Thun showed Flash a remarkable
device. He bade Flash sit before it,
with an outlandish helmet strapped
on his head.
“That is a thought-projector,”
Prince Thun explained. “Concen­
trate your thoughts toward the
girl. We may be able to save her
while the emperor is away, leading
his rocket ships.”
Using the Thought-Projecto
158 FLASH GORDON

Racing through Flash’s brain

w e r e the following thoughts:
“Dale! Dale! This is Flash. Are you
all right? We are coming to save
you! Let me know the best way
to reach you.”
In her prison chamber, Dale
awoke from a nap to find Flash’s
thoughts hammering insistently in
her brain. Instantly, involuntarily,
she thought back to him this re­
ply:
“Oh, Flash, is that really you? I
160 FLASH GORDON

thought you were dead! Don’t try

to save me! It is futile. Every gate
to the city is guarded. The tunnel
south of the city is impassable.
Don’t try, I beg you!”
Flash, at the thought-projector
in the lion man’s wrecked gyro,
leaped to his feet while he was re­
ceiving Dale’s reply.
“What’s the matter, my boy?”
Prince Thun asked.
“Her thoughts have stopped!”
Flash cried. “Her mind is no longer
102 FLASH GORDON

working. Something has happened

to her. Come on! We can’t waste a
second!”
“What are you going to do?” the
lion man wanted to know.
“I’m going to find that tunnel
south of the city,” Flash asserted
grimly. “We’ll see whether it’s real­
ly impassable!”
After some little search, they
found an entrance into a rocky in­
cline, flanked by two golden images
of winged dragons.
Two Winged Golden Dragons on Guard
164 FLASH GORDON

“This must be it,” Flash said.

“Are you willing to go in with me?”
“This is folly,” Prince Thun com­
mented, “but I will go with you.
Lead on, my boy!”
Together, Flash and the lion man
entered the cave. They resolutely
pressed onward in the general di­
rection of the diamond city, every
muscle quivering and every sense
alert to detect the first sign of dan­
ger.
“I have heard that this cave con-
They Entered the Tunnel of Terror
166 PLASH GORDON

tains perils undreamed of by those

who have not seen them,” the lion
man said. “I have been told of
Tsak.”
“Who or what is Tsak?” Flash
demanded.
“A piebald monster with two
fierce heads,” Prince Thun replied.
Turning a corner, Flash found
his next words stopped in his
throat. Face to face with the living
proof of Prince Thun’s incredible
words, Flash recoiled a step or two
Flash Recoiled at What He Saw
168 FLASH GORDON

and put up his hands to shield his

face both from the sight and from
the fire that was breathed at him
from TWO pairs of flaming nos­
trils !
For there stood Tsak, the mon­
ster with two heads, guarding the
first approach to the Tunnel of
Terror!
Fortunately for those who did
not enter the Tunnel of Terror,
Tsak was chained to his place, so
that he could not roam abroad. But
Tsak the Two-Headed Monster
170 PLASH GORDON

his chains were long enough and

loose enough to let him lunge at
Flash, who was unprepared for the
sudden attack.
Flash slipped and fell, quite with­
in reach of Tsak’s fiery fangs. But
Prince Thun leaped to the rescue!
In a sledge-hammer plunge, the
lion man pushed Tsak’s right head
back from the prostrate white
man’s body — just in time.
But Tsak was not so easily de­
prived of his victim. He reached
The Lion Man Leaped
172 FLASH GORDON

out a clutching claw and caught

the lion man right out of the air, by
the right leg. Lifting Thun high
above both his heads, Tsak swung
him down and dashed him terrifi­
cally against the wall of rock!
Flash had had time to scramble
out of Tsak’s reach. He snatched
up the lion man’s sword, and with
the mighty weapon u praised,
rushed at Tsak.
Having disposed of his first an­
tagonist, Tsak turned to the white-
T he Beast Knocked Thun Out
174 FLASH GORDON

skinned creature who now dared

attack him. He opened the dripping
jaws of both of his heads wide, and
a duet of snarls issued forth as
Flash fearlessly advanced.
Avoiding t h e tw o yawning
mouths, and the sharp talons which
clawed convulsively at him, Flash
dove under the beast with the agil­
ity of the well-trained athlete.
Aiming Thun’s sword at the spot
where Tsak’s heart should be,
Flash thrust inward mightily.
H e Thrust with A il H is M ight
176 FLASH GORDON

Tsak felt that blow! The crea­

ture bellowed in pain, and his roars
echoed through the tunnel like a
howling wind from the bowels of
the planet.
Determined to crush his attack­
er, Tsak clutched at Flash and
caught him. The two gaping heads
swung round and made for Flash’s
head and feet at the same time!
Still struggling, Flash lifted
Thun’s sword and struck again and
again. Every blow cut into Tsak’s
The Head® Came Closer and Closer
178 FLASH GORDON

flesh, and his foul blood gushed

forth in dark red streams.
Just at the moment when Flash
felt his strength ebbing away, and
knew that he could not struggle
much longer, Tsak collapsed and
sank to the ground like a punc­
tured balloon.
Flash wiped his forehead, pant­
ing from his exertion.
“Boy, that was certainly a dose
shave,” Flash murmured. “I’m
shaking like a leaf!”
 CHAPTER VI

The Sacred Droks

Tsak disposed of for good and

all, Flash rested only a moment. He
turned his attention to the uncon­
scious form of the lion man who
had befriended him. Picking him
up, Flash swung his limp body over
his shoulder, and strode onward
through the Tunnel of Terror.
In one place he had to cross a
180
He Picked His Way Carefully
182 FLASH GORDON

stream of black water full of

some of those same water dragons
he had escaped in the Hole of Hor­
rors. He had to tread most care­
fully — one false step and he and
Prince Thun would be goners!
Passing still farther on, Flash
came to a water channel between
high walls of rock. There was no
other path. He must risk whatever
terrors its depths might contain
and wade through it.
The worst of this water passage
Wading Through the Whirlpools
184 FLASH GORDON

was that the channel was torn at

intervals by small and fast whirl­
pools.
Eventually, Flash found himself
in a vaulted underground cham­
ber. Here, two great monsters
promenaded on their thick, hind
feet. They had pointed snouts,
teeth with edges like saws, and
sharp scales of bone down the mid­
dle of their backs. The fimbriated
ends of their tails looked like the
four fingers of a glove.
186 FLASH GORDON

Though Flash did not know what

they were, he realized they were
dangerous. He tried to sneak past
them, but they spied him and
turned to the attack.
“Great guns!” Flash cried invol­
untarily. “They’ve seen me!”
He hastily deposited Prince
Thun near the entrance to the
chamber, and lifted his sword to
defend himself.
At that instant an opening ap­
peared in the wall of the chamber
A Man Was Thrown In
188 FLASH GORDON

and the body of a man was thrown

in. Also through the opening came
the sound of the mocking laughter
of Ming, Emperor of Mongo.
“A juicy morsel for you, my two
sacred Droks!”
That voice drove Flash Gordon
to uncontrollable fury. Ju st as the
giant Droks rushed to gobble up
their victim — the man who had
just been thrown into the chamber
— Flash leaped to the attack with
the fearlessness of a god.
Flash Leaped to the Attack
190 FLASH GORDON

Interrupted in their meal, the

Droks growled at Flash and swung
their heads toward him hungrily.
“Hah, several juicy morsels for
you, my two sacred Droks !” came
the voice of Ming again, this time
purring with oily pleasure.
“Sacred or not, they’re not going
to eat me!” Flash cried.
Again Flash Gordon Was going
to pit his brain and agility against
mere brute strength.
In the space of a split second,
192 FLASH GORDON

Flash leaped on the back of the

nearest Drok. He braced himself
with his feet between the great
bony scales of the creature’s back.
Then he slashed viciously with the
sword of Prince Thun, which had
an edge like the sharpest razor.
Growing weaker, and bellowing
with pain, the Drok staggered
around the room trying to shake
Flash off his back. But the man
stuck fast and continued to wield
his sword.
Flash Leaped on Its Back
194 FLASH GORDON

At last the Drok sank to the

floor, worn out from its wounds
and exertion. The other Drok hov­
ered over its fallen comrade and
immediately snatched up Flash
Gordon in its forepaws. The point­
ed talons sank cruelly into Flash’s
soft flesh, making him wince with
pain.
Unable to twist himself around
to slash at the second Drok, Flash
thought that his end had come.
But at this instant Thun, the
The Beast Sank to the Floor
196 FLASH GORDON

giant lion man, recovered conscious­

ness and rose from the spot where
Flash had laid him near the cham­
ber entrance.
Getting to his feet, the lion man
crouched for a spring. Yelling to
attract the beast’s attention, he
hurled himself through the air
straight at the throat of the snarl­
ing, sacred Drok!
The monster dropped Flash Gor­
don to meet the onslaught of the
new antagonist. Hastily, Flash
Thun Recovered Consciousness
198 FLASH GORDON

inched himself along the floor out

of the way, so that he might be
ready to help the lion man if he
could. But he had a suspicion that
the powerful physique of Prince
Thun might be just about a match
for the brute strength of the hide­
ous Drok.
The ferocity of Thun’s attack
threw the beast off its balance. In­
stantly, the lion man encircled the
Drok’s throat with his great hands,
tightening his grip around the neck
200 FLASH GORDON

with the tensing of his sinews of

steel.
In a few seconds it was all over.
The second Drok lay dead. Thun
went to the aid of the man who had
been thrown into the chamber as a
juicy morsel for the Droks.
“Poor fellow!” the lion man mur­
mured. “Another victim of the em­
peror’s cruelty.”
“He’s all right, Thun,” Flash
said. “He fainted from fright.
Come on. We can’t waste any more
Choking It in His Giant’s Grip
202 PLASH GORDON

time if we’re going to rescue Dale.”

The emperor’s voice did not snarl
at them. The opening in the wall
above had been closed. Whether
Ming had waited to see them de­
stroy his Droks, they did not know.
But they pressed on into the tunnel
head in a mad dash to reach the
palace.
As they hurried on, suddenly
two shouting soldiers rushed out at
them.
“Ambushed!” Flash cried. “All
Prince Thun W as Sorry for the Man
204 PLASH GORDON

right, Thun. We’ll give them a fight

if that’s what they’re looking for!”
Using Thun’s sword, Flash en­
gaged the two soldiers in a fencing
match. The ring of steel on steel
filled the hollow tunnel with a deaf­
ening clamor.
Gradually, Flash maneuvered
around so that the soldiers had
their backs to Prince Thun, who
waited for just this opportunity to
seize the two guards unexpectedly
from behind.
Two Shouting Soldiers Rushed at Them
206 FLASH GORDON

The soldiers paid no attention to

the lion man, since they had seen
that he was unarmed. Besides,
F la sh ’s superb swordsmanship
really occupied the attention of
both of them.
At the right moment, Thun
reached out his two hands, and took
a soldier in each — by the neck.
His great muscles then closed his
fingers tightly around those necks,
and the two hapless guards sank
unconscious to the ground in a mo-
208 FLASH GORDON

tionless pile. Thun had overpow­

ered them easily.
“Great w o r k , Thun!” Flash
praised.
“You are doing fairly well your­
self,” Thun replied, grinning.
A few steps farther on, they
came to a great door. This seemed
to be at the end of the Tunnel of
Terror.
“This door is not locked,” Flash
announced. “Those two guards
were thought sufficient protection,
The Lion Man Caught Them from Behind
210 FLASH GORDON

I suppose. Well, let’s enter. This

may be the door which will take
us into the emperor’s palace.”
Followed by the lion man, Flash
went through the massive door,
which swung easily on its heavy
hinges.
They Found a Door
 CHAPTER VII

Into Open Jaws

Stepping through the door at the

end of the Tunnel of Terror, Flash
and Prince Thun found themselves
standing behind the great iron
armchair of a huge graven image
— the idol of the Mongo people.
The head of the idol had pointed
ears and sharp features, similar to
those of Ming, the Emperor.
212
Hiding Behind the Idol
214 FLASH GORDON

Stealthily, keeping Thun’s sword

ready, Flash peeked around one
side of the idol. What he saw made
his heart sink sadly within his
breast.
It was a wedding procession.
A high priest stood on the top­
most step, at the idol’s feet, wait­
ing with folded arms for the lead­
ers of the procession to reach a
position in front of him. The couple
marching at the head of the col­
umn was Ming and Dale Arden!
What Flash Gordon Saw
216 FLASH GORDON

Dale was garbed in a Mongo cos­

tume similar to that which Prin­
cess Aura had worn. Her white
skin gleamed like the white of a
boiled egg against the yolk, as con­
trasted with her yellow-skinned
companion and the column of his
henchmen behind them.
Prince Thun grasped Flash’s arm
to keep him from dashing insanely
to Dale’s side. But Flash twisted
out of Thun’s restraining arms and
pounced on the high priest.
218 FLASH GORDON

As the high priest went sprawl­

ing down the steps, Flash struck
out and caught Ming on the sharp
point of his yellow jaw.
"Quick, Dale,” Flash called. "Get
behind the idol. The lion man there
is our friend.”
Flash followed Dale in her dash
behind the great stone god.
“Let’s push it over,” Flash sug­
gested, pushing against it with all
his might.
Dale lent her small strength, but
Thun Threw His Great Strength to Help
220 FLASH GORDON

the deciding factor was the colos­

sal force that the lion man put into
his pushing, with his back to the
idol.
Out in front, on the steps before ,
the stone image, the emperor’s offi- /
cers drew their swords and crowd- j
ed upward. But suddenly they;
stopped. (
“Back! Back!” they warned to j
the others. “The idol is tottering—
it is falling from its pedestal!”
Howling with fear they dashed).
“ The Idol Is Tottering!”
222 FLASH GORDON

away down the steps—but not all

of them were in time to escape the
idol’s descent.
With a deafening crash, followed
by a moment of silence, and then
by the screams and groans of the
injured, the idol toppled over on
the stairs and crushed many of the
men of Mongo. The head of the idol
separated from the stone neck and
flew through the air after one of
the fleeing officers.
Those who escaped were wild
224 FLASH GORDON

with rage and frustration. Now

they wished not only to avenge the
insult given to the royal bride­
groom, but also the insult and in­
jury done to them and their com­
rades.
Meanwhile, Flash noticed that
on the spot where the idol had
stood, there was a trap door. Open­
ing it, he discovered a rope ladder
leading downward.
“This is our only chance,” Flash
decided. “Gome on, Dale.”
Their Only Chance to Escape
226 FLASH GORDON

“Oh, Flash,” Dale said, trembling

ling violently. “It’s — it’s awful.”
She was looking down the steps at
the havoc the idol had wrought
in its terrific fall.
Holding Dale in his strong arm,
Flash descended the rope ladder
rung by rung. The lion man accom­
panied them.
“Flash, dear,” Dale whispered,
“you shouldn’t have done this for
me. Emperor Ming will never stop
until he has taken his revenge.”
Down the Rope Ladder
228 PLASH GORDON

"I’ll risk his revenge,” Dale re­

plied grimly. “It’s worth risking—
for your safety.”
But already dire peril was on
their trail. One of the injured sol­
diers above had managed to drag
his crippled body up the steps to
to the trap door. He had seen the
three enemies of Mongo disappear
down the ladder.
Drawing his dagger, the soldier
began painfully to saw away at the
two ropes supporting the ladder.
A Soldier Began to Cut the Rope
230 PLASH GORDON

The ropes were drawn taut by the

weight of the three escaping down
below, and the strands parted eas­
ily under the soldier’s steady cut­
ting.
“We’re falling!” Dale suddenly
screamed.
The last strand of rope had part­
ed. The crippled soldier smiled at
the thought of having done his
duty, and collapsed on the edge of
the trap door.
Prince Thun fell first, for he was
The Last Strand Parted
232 FLASH GORDON

lower on the ladder. After him

came Flash Gordon, still holding
on to Dale Ardan.
Fortunately for them, water was
at the bottom of the shaft and not
a solid bottom.
The three plunged into what
proved to be an underground riv­
er, and were immediately swept
along by the swift current toward
they knew not what.
The three companions kept afloat
very easily, but the current was so
They Splashed into W ater
234 FLASH GORDON

swift that they could not escape

being carried along with it whether
they wished to be or not.
“I guess we’re all going to die
together,” Dale said pessimistical­
ly-
“Well, we’re not dead yet,” Flash
reminded her. “While there’s life,
there’s hope.”
“Especially with such a powerful
and resourceful friend as your
Flash Gordon,” Prince Thun gra­
ciously told her.
Flash Pointed Ahead
236 FLASH GORDON

“Great Scott!”
Flash had made the exclamation,
and he extended his arm ahead,
pointing.
Dale Ardan gasped in horror at
what awaited them down the
stream a little way. The lion man
set his jaws firmly as he prepared
to face the worst.
Caught in the irresistible cur­
rent, they were being drawn into
the open black jaws of a great
stone monster.
Great Open Jaw s Gaped at Them
 CHAPTER Vm

The Shark Men

Struggling against the fierce

current, but to no avail, the three
were swept through the vast open
jaws, and along a dark under­
ground passage. After a time they
saw the farther end, and it was
light, growing larger and larger.
Suddenly they were carried out
and over a boiling waterfall. Prince
238
240 FLASH GORDON

Thun was knocked unconscious by

a crack on the head, but Flash
pulled him out of the water safely.
“Here, Dale, give me your hand,”
Flash said.
“Gee, for a minute I thought we
were all doomed,” Dale said, reach­
ing up to grasp F la sh ’s out­
stretched hand. “What a weird
place this is—all these yellow rocks,
and pink mushrooms with roots
like trees, and—help, help!”
Before Dale grasped Flash’s
242 FLASH GORDON

hand, she began to disappear in the

water. Two horrid green arms
reached up from the depths and
pulled her down!
“Dale, Dale!” Flash called. “Try
to grab my hands.”
But it was too late. The green
hands pulled her beyond Flash’s
reach and she disappeared beneath
the surface. Her last words were:
“Flash! Help me! Save me!”
Her final scream of terror was
cut short by a gurgling sound as
Two Green Arms Reached for Her
244 FLASH GORDON

her open mouth filled with water.

Without a moment’s hesitation,
Flash dove in at the spot where the
girl vanished from view. Forgotten
was the lion man—forgotten his
own safety—for he had but one
thought, and that was to save Dale
from what looked like a mysteri­
ous and terrible fate.
Swimming under water, Flash
discovered that the liquid was
crystal clear. He looked about him,
but not in time to escape the agon-
Flash Dove in After Her
246 PLASH GORDON

izing grip of two green shark men

who swam toward him with the
speed and skill of great fish. Their
heads were protected by helmets of
transparent metal. Their green
bodies were naked except for yel­
low bracelets and loin cloths.
A third shark man swam up and
put one of the transparent metal
helmets over Flash’s head. Flash
found himself suddenly able to
breathe, and he took into his lungs
deep gusts of the fresh oxygen.
Battling with the Shark Men
248 FLASH GORDON

The shark men took him to the

bed of the stream, where he saw
Dale, already a prisoner, also wear­
ing one of the transparent metal
helmets.
Stunned by the incredible and
mysterious thing which had now
happened to them, Flash and Dale
permitted themselves to be led to
a gaudy rocket submarine—which
was colored bright red and bright
yellow. It was certainly a rainbow
world into which their adven-
A Gaudy Submarine
250 FLASH GORDON

tures had directed them this time!

Inside the submarine, Dale and
Flash were carried along at high
speed for more than an hour. They
left the river and entered a sea of
some kind. Then the ship suddenly
nosed down toward a magnificent
city under the water. The oddly
shaped turrets and roofs colored
reds and yellows and greens and
blues, made the city sparkle like a
huge jewel on the bed of the sea.
Never had Dale or Flash seen
They Nosed Downward
252 FLASH GORDON

anything to compare with this city.

It looked like the senseless imagin­
ing of some insane person, so utter­
ly different was it from anything
ever beheld on the earth they had
left.
“Oh, I wonder what’s going to be
done with us now,” Dale wailed to
Flash in a forlorn whisper.
“Just keep your courage up, dear
girl,” Flash said, with all the con­
viction he could muster.
The submarine landed, and they
A City Like a Rainbow
254 FLASH GORDON

were led inside what they took to

be the palace. The structure was
built with sealed doors, and no
water filled the rooms. They passed
in through locks similar to those
used by divers passing from the
sea to the inside of a submerged
submarine.
They were led before a green
shark man who sat on what looked
like a throne. He wore red slippers
and a red and white crown. This,
they were told, was Kala, the
They W ere Led Before Ka!$
256 FLASH GORDON

mighty ruler of the shark men.

“His supreme intelligence, Ming
the Merciless, ruler of the uni­
verse,” Kala announced, “has or­
dered that you, Dale Arden, shall
be returned to him. His orders
shall be obeyed.”
Flash leaped forward.
“So you, too, tremble at the name
of Ming the Merciless! And you
call yourself a king. Why, you
aren’t even worthy of the name of
man; if you were, you would let
Take Him to the Under*W ater A rena!”
258 FLASH GORDON

me fight honorably for the girl!”

“Silence, youth!” Kala command­
ed. “I could have you killed on the
spot for such insolence, but I pre­
fer to break your pretty body with
my own two hands. Take him to
the under-water arena.”
Provided with a transparent
metal helmet once more, Flash
faced the green king of the shark
men in an arena under the sea.
They advanced toward each other,
each seeking an advantage.
The Fight with Kala
260 FLASH GORDON

Snarling with rage at the effron­

tery of this earthling who had
dared to challenge him to combat,
Kala rushed at Flash and pinned
him down with his powerful arms.
He then tried to tear Flash’s hel­
met off, so that he might be
drowned!
“So anything is fair in this
fight!” Flash murmured.
With a mighty heave of his
shoulders, Flash shook himself
loose from Kala’s death grip.
Kala Rushed at Flash
262 FLASH GORDON

Jumping to his feet, Flash caught

Kala from behind. Holding him
with his right arm, he twisted the
air tube of Kala’s helmet with his
left hand, shutting off the air sup­
ply. An expression of agony over­
spread Kala’s green face as he
found himself unable to breathe.
Struggle though he did, and
mightily, Kala could not shake off
Flash Gordon. The green king be­
came weaker and weaker from lack
of life-giving air, until at last he
Flash Seized the Air Tube
264 PLASH GORDON

sank to the floor of the arena in

an unconscious heap of green flesh.
Flash then released his grip and
stepped back.
The referee bent over the pros­
trate ruler of the shark men, a
strange expression of alarm min­
gled with wonderment on his face.
Evidently he had not expected this
result of the combat. No doubt it
had been quite otherwise on all pre­
vious occasions.
Flash was taken away and the
Kata Sank into Unconsciousness
266 FLASH GORDON

king was taken to his own cham­

bers. There his two personal physi­
cians worked hard to revive their
defeated monarch.
“ Close call for Kala,” said one
doctor.
“I should say so,” the other
agreed.
Abruptly King Kala sat up, and
gave voice to a strange command:
“Where is the youth who de­
feated me in single combat? Bring
him to me at once !”
Revived by His Doctors
268 FLASH GORDON

When Flash was brought before

him, Kala, king of the shark men,
made the following little speech:
“Earthling, you are the first man
ever to defeat me in physical com­
bat. Therefore, I salute you. Cap­
tain,” Kala went on, turning to the
head of his royal guards, “take this
youth to the south chamber and in
the morning see that he and the
girl, Dale Arden, are released.”
Flash could hardly conceal his
surprise and joy at these amazing
Pi

Flash Was Pleased to Hear It

270 FLASH GORDON

words coming from the king.

Stepping jauntily along, feeling
that his troubles were nearly over,
Flash permitted himself to be
escorted to the south chamber.
Imagine his surprise, when the
door was opened, to behold a closed
and empty room. Curiously, too,
the floor of it was moist and
showed pools of water.
Before Flash could step into the
room, he was given a shove from
behind, and the door clanged shut.
They Shoved Him into the Room
272 FLASH GORDON

Beyond the door he heard the

sound of raucous laughter. The
guards were amused at his pre­
dicament! Flash accused himself of
all kinds of folly.
“What a fool I was,” he said, “to
trust that king. The treacherous
dog! Great Scott, this room is fill­
ing with water!”
That was what was happening—
the room was filling with water.
Flash’s ankles were already cov­
ered. The water was coming in at
Water Began to Rush In
274 FLASH GORDON

a fast rate. It would not be long

before Flash was drowned like a
rat, unable even to have a chance
to swim for his life.
Desperately, frantically, Flash
rushed around the room, seeking
some hidden exit. Just about as he
had decided that it was all over
with him, a panel in the wall
opened, above the level of the ris­
ing water, and a YELLOW arm
was thrust in, holding a transpar­
ent metal helmet, a sword, and a
A Yellow Arm Offered H elp
276 FLASH GORDON

note! Flash stared in surprise.

“Who are you? What is all this?”
Flash asked, but he got no answer.
Since he had nothing to lose, he
took the articles, and the yellow
arm was withdrawn.
Flash’s first act was to put on
the helmet as a much-needed pre­
caution, for the water was already
up to his neck. Then, kneeling down
in the water, he unfolded the note
and read:
“Tap the panel opposite the
H e Read the N ote
278 FLASH GORDON

door. The panel will open and re­

lease you from the room. Swim
down to the third floor of the
building, and at the fourth window
you will see Dale Arden. She is
waiting for you!”
Flash followed these instruc­
tions and found that they worked
exactly as stated. He swam down
to the third floor of the tall build­
ing, of which the windows looked
like port-holes of a ship, counted
along to the fourth window.
Swimming Down to the Third Floor
280 FLASH GORDON

Imagine his horror to see that

the window had been torn away
from the outside! The room was
filled with water and Dale Arden
was missing!
Dale Was Gone
 CHAPTER IX

Rescued

What had happened to Prince

Thun, the lion man, in the inter­
val? When he regained conscious­
ness after the shark men had cap­
tured Dale and Flash, he discovered
one of the green shark men stand­
ing watch at a little distance. With­
out a sound, Thun sneaked up be­
hind the guard.
282
A Shark Man on Guard
284 FLASH GORDON

Catching the green guard un­

aware, Thun compressed his head
in a vise-like grip, saying:
“Tell me what you and your cut­
throat companions did with Flash
Gordon and Dale Arden, or I’ll snap
your neck in two just as though
it were a dry piece of wood!”
The shark man gurgled with ter­
ror as he replied:
“I — I’ll tell. They were taken to
our city. Dale Arden is to be re­
turned to our ruler, Ming the
Thun Caught Him Unawares
286 FLASH GORDON

Merciless. Flash Gordon is to be

killed. They are coming back for
you. Let me go.”
Having secured the information
he wanted, Thun let the fellow go,
but he took his transparent metal
helmet for himself. Putting it on,
and strapping the shark man’s
knife around his own waist, Thun
plunged into the water to go in
quest of Dale and Flash.
To Prince Thun, the strange
denizens of this watery deep were
Swimming for the Undersea City
288 FLASH GORDON

no spectacle, for he had seen or

heard of them before. But sudden­
ly he saw ahead of him what looked
like a sea monster.
It turned out to be a small
vehicle for under-water transpor­
tation, known as a hydrocycle.
Through its forward panel, which
was made of transparent metal,
Prince Thun could see a couple of
green heads. Those must be shark
men coming to take the lion man to
their undersea city.
A Hydrocyde Shot Past
290 FLASH GORDON

Thun took the precaution of hid­

ing behind a huge sea plant until
the hydrocycle had passed by. But
the sight of it had given him a bril­
liant idea.
When the hydrocycle had skid­
ded to a stop on the slimy sea bot­
tom, and three shark men emerged
and swam to the surface, Prince
Thun stealthily crept up and pos­
sessed the under-water craft for
his own purposes.
“They’ll be surprised when they
Thun Watched His Chance
292 PLASH GORDON

find I’m not up above,” Thun

chuckled to himself, “and they’ll be
more surprised when they come
back and find their hydrocycle
gone.”
Getting into the vessel, which he
knew how to drive, Thun handled
the controls with such skill that he
quickly reached a speed of three
hundred miles an hour. At this ter­
rific velocity he headed for the city
beneath the sea, of which he knew
the probable location.
294 FLASH GORDON

“It’s practically certain that

Dale is imprisoned in the royal pal­
ace, if she hasn’t already been sent
back to Ming,” Thun told himself,
in making his plans.
Arriving at the undersea city,
Thun took an extra helmet from
the supply in the hydrocycle, and
also a heavy war club. Then he
swam to the palace of Kala and
watched the windows closely. After
a time he was rewarded by seeing
the familiar face of Dale Arden.
Thun Looked for Dale’s Room
296 FLASH GORDON

Bracing himself against the wall,

Thun took the war club and began
to batter the frame of the window.
The transparent metal was abso­
lutely unbreakable, so that he knew
it would be futile to pound it. But
he battered in the wall until he
could remove the window entirely!
Quickly thrusting the extra hel­
met over Dale’s head, he grabbed
her hand and pulled her after him
—in the nick of time!
Swimming over the towers of the
He Battered in the Wall
298 FLASH GORDON

city came a corps of shark police,

swords drawn, ready to avenge the
release of their royal prisoner.
“Here they come!” said Thun,
heading for his parked hydrocycle.
“In a minute the whole city will be
aroused. I hope the motors start
right away. If they don’t, we’re
done for!”
Dale breathlessly took her place
beside Prince Thun in the forward
seat of the undersea vehicle, and
she bit her lip anxiously as he spun
They Were Just in Time
300 FLASH GORDON

the starting mechanism. The craft

was in good working order, for the
motors started with a roar.
The corps of police had had time,
however, to catch up with the ship,
and swam around the hydrocycle
just as Prince Thun raised it from
the sea bottom.
Whipping the vessel around in
mid-water, Thun headed straight
into the little group of shark men,
bowling them to the right and left
like tenpins. Those who were not
Knocking the Shark Men About
302 FLASH GORDON

stunned by the impact of the speed­

ing hydrocycle swam desperately
away to get out of range. They
were not eager to have the snappy
little hydrocycle knock them about
if they could help it!
“ Oh, Thun,” Dale begged, “we’ve
got to go back. Please — we must
save Flash.”
“ Don’t worry, Dale,” Prince
Thun answered soothingly. “We’re
out of the water now. We’re speed­
ing through a tunnel which will
Dale Pleaded to Go Back
304 FLASH GORDON

lead us out into the open. We’ll fly

to my country and check up on the
situation. If nothing has been heard
of Flash, we’ll organize a fleet of
space-gyros and hundreds of lion
men will go to your sweetheart’s
rescue.”
With that promise, Dale was con­
tent.
Meanwhile, Flash, having found
Dale gone, decided to go back and
look for Thun. He was telling him­
self that he and Thun would come
Flash Decided to Look for Thun
306 FLASH GORDON

back and tear the undersea city

apart, if necessary, to find and
rescue Dale Arden.
A tall pink spiral plant waved
its branches at Flash as he passed,
but he had no eyes for the beauties
of nature on Mongo just then.
Aware of a movement in the
water behind him, Flash whirled
and thought he beheld a shark man
approaching. But this creature was
not green — it was yellow! Then
he recognized who it was.
He Saw Something Approaching
S08 FLASH GORDON

The swimmer was Princess Au­

ra, daughter of Ming the Merciless.
“Well, what in blazes are you do­
ing down here?” Flash asked, a lit­
tle annoyed at the young woman’s
intrusion. “I thought your father
sent you away with the warrior
women.”
“He did,” Aura answered, “but
I escaped and came here in time to
save your life, Flash Gordon. I
handed you that helmet and saved
you from drowning when the shark
She Told Him What Had Happened
310 FLASH GORDON

men threw you in their notorious

immersion chamber. By the way, it
may interest you to know that
Prince Thun came and smashed the
wall from around Dale’s window,
and rescued her. They are on the
way to Prince Thun’s city of lion
men now.”
“That’s great!” Flash exclaimed.
“I’m overjoyed to hear it.” Sud­
denly Flash pointed. “Good heav­
ens, Aura! Look! The city of the
shark men is rising from the sea!”
The City Rose from the Sea Bottom
312 FLASH GORDON

“That means they’ve discovered

the disappearance of you and
Dale!” Aura answered. “They’re
going to the upper regions to pur­
sue you everywhere.”
“Let’s get out of here,” Flash
suggested.
She led the way, and soon they
were out of the water. Discarding
their helmets, they ran along a
tunnel to daylight once more.
Aura and Flash were reaching
the upper regions, too, for they
Aura Led the W ay Out
S14 FLASH GORDON

scrambled up a mountainside in
time to see the shark men’s city
rise right to the top of a mountain
— and then, with a blinding flash,
suddenly disappear into thin air
with a deafening explosion!
With the shark men’s city gone,
Dale safely in Thun’s hands, and
Aura ready to lead him to her,
Flash drew a deep breath of relief.
Before long now, he and Dale
would be back on earth!
The City Vanished in an Explosion
The Big Little Books
in t h is se rie s™
Dick Tracy and the Stolen Bonds
Mickey Mouse in Blaggard Castle
Little Orphan Annie with the Circus
Kayo and Moon Mullins
Buck Rogers in the City Below the Sea
The Story of Skippy
Tailspin Tommy
Cowboy Stories
Men of the Mounted
Smitty, Golden Gloves Tournament
Uncle Ray’s Story of the United States
Reg’lar Fellers
Wash Tubbs in Pandemonia
The Story of Johnny Weissmuller
Chester Gump Finds the Hidden Treasure
 (Continued)
Walt Disney’s Silly Symphonies
Erik Noble and the Forty-Niners
Prairie Bill and the Covered Wagon
Buffalo Bill and the Pony Express
Betty Boop in Snow-white
Alley Oop %
Treasure Island
Once Upon a Time
Adventures of Tiny Tim
Hairbreadth Harry in Department Q T
Robinson Crusoe
fla sh Gordon on the Planet Mongo
Dan Dunn, Secret Operative 48
12f *VHI
mimi