midnight
In three days we were on the march toward Zodanga , one hundred thousand strong , as Tars Tarkas had been able to enlist the services of three smaller hordes on the promise of the great loot of Zodanga . At the head of the column I rode beside the great Thark while at the heels of my mount trotted my beloved Woola . We traveled entirely by night , timing our marches so that we camped during the day at deserted cities where , even to the beasts , we were all kept indoors during the daylight hours . On the march Tars Tarkas , through his remarkable ability and statesmanship , enlisted fifty thousand more warriors from various hordes , so that , ten days after we set out we halted at midnight outside the great walled city of Zodanga , one hundred and fifty thousand strong . The fighting strength and efficiency of this horde of ferocious green monsters was equivalent to ten times their number of red men . Never in the history of Barsoom , Tars Tarkas told me , had such a force of green warriors marched to battle together . It was a monstrous task to keep even a semblance of harmony among them , and it was a marvel to me that he got them to the city without a mighty battle among themselves .