Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-17
UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS
BURROUGHS


finally chose a front room on the third
floor, because this brought me nearer to
| Dejah Thoris who was quartered on the
! second floor of the adjoining building.
Near my sleeping room were baths
| dressing rooms and other sleeping and
living apartments, in ALL some dozen
! rooms.
The windows In the rear overlooked an
enormous court which formed the centre
Of the square made by the buildings which
/ faced the four contiguous streets, and
which was now given over to the quarter
! ing of the various animals belonging to
/ the warriors occupying the adjoining
buildingsy
while lhe court was entirely overgrown
/ with thckellow moss-lile vegetation which
/ hlanllctSl VIRTUALLY the entire surface of
! Mars, yd numerous fountains statuary
/ benches and pergola-lilSe constructions bore
witness to the beauty which the court
must have presented I'm bygone times, when
| graced by the fair-haircd laughing people
| whom stern and unalterable cosmic laws
| had driven not only from their homes, but
from all except the vague legends OF their
! descendants.
one could easily picture the gorgeous
! foliage Of the luNuriant Martian vegeta-
| tion which once filled this scene with life
and color, the graceful figures of the beau
| tiful women. the straight and handsome
| sunlight, happiness and peace
It was difficult to realize that they had
| Cone-down through ages of darkness,
cruelty and Ignorance, until their heredi-
| tary instincts of culture and humanitarian
| ism had risen ascendent once more In the
final composite race which now are domi-
uant upon Mars.
My thoughts were cut short by tho ad-
vent of several young females bearing
loads of weapons silks, furs, jewels, cook
ing utensils, and casks of food and drink,
| including considerable loot from the air
craft. All this, it seemed, had been the
property of the two Chicftains l had slain,
and now by the customs of the Tharks, II
had become mine.
At my direction they placed the stun in
one of the back rooms, and then departed
only to return with second, load, which
they advised me constituted tho balance of
my goods. on the second trip they were
accompanied by ten or 10 other women
and youths, who, 1t seemed, formed the
retinues Of the two chicftains.
They were not their families nor their
wives, nor their servants the relationship
was peculiar. and so unlike anything
known to us that II is most difficult to
describe All property among the green
Mattians Is owned i'm common by the
community, except the personal weapons,
ornaments and sleeping silks and furs of
the individuals.
These alone can one claim undsputed
right to, nor may he accumulate more of
these than are required for his actual
needs. The surplus he holds merely as
custodian, and il is passed on to the
younger members of the community as
necessity demands.
The women and children of a mans
retinue may be lkened to n military unit,
for which he is responsible in various
ways, as in matters of instruction, disc-
pline, sustenance and the eXigencles of
their continual roamings and their unend-
ing strife with other communities and with
the red Martians.
Finding that | must assume RESPONSE
bility for these creatures whether | would
or no, made the best of it, and directed
them to find quarters on the upper floors,
leaving the third floor to me
one of the girls I charged with the
duties of my simple cuisine, and directed
the others to take up the various activities