Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-24
UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS
By EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS


Mars is collected in immense undersround
, reservoirs at either pole from the melting
| ice caps, and pumped through lonE con-
| duits to the various populated centres.
Along either side OF these conduits. and
| extending their entire length, lie the cul-
tivated districts. These are divided into
| tracts of about the same size, each tract
being under the supervision of one or
more government officers
Instead of flooding the surface of the
fields, and thus wasting immense quanti-
| ties of water by evaporation, the precious
liquid is carried underground through q
| vast network Of small pipes directly to
the roots of the vegetation. The crops
upon Mars are always uniform, for there
are no drafts no rains, no high winds.
and no insects, or destroying birds.
| on this trip tasted the first meat
| had eaten since leaving earth. Large.
juicy steaks and chops from the well-fed
domestic animals of the farms Luscious
fruits and vegetables but not a single
| article of food which was exactly similar
to any thing on earth.
Every plant and flower and vegetable
| and animal has been 80 refined by ages
| of careful, scientific cultivation and breed
ing that the like Of them on earth dwin-
died into pale, gray, characterless nothing
ness by comparison
At second stop I met some highly
cultivated people Of the noble class, and
|
| of Hellum.
One of the older men had been there
| on a diplomatic mission several years
before, and spoke with regret of the con-
| ditions which seemed destined ever to
keep these two countries at war.
'Hellum," he said, rightly boasts the
| most beautiful women of Barsoom, and of
| all her treasures the wondrous daughter
of Mors Kajak, Dejah Thoris, is the most
exquisite flower.
why" he added, "the people really
Worship the ground she walks upon and
since her loss on that ill-starred expedi-
ton, all Helium has been draped in
mourning.
THAT our ruler should have attacked
the disabled fleet as II was returning to
Helium was but another of his awful
blunders, which fear will sooner or later
compel Zodanga to replace him.
Even now, though our victorious
armies nFe surrounding Helium, the peo-
pie of zodanga are voicing their displeas-
ure, for the war is not popular one,
since 1t is not based on right or Justice
| "Our forces took advantage of the alb
| sence Of the principal fleet of Helium on
their search for the princess, and so we
have been able easily to reduce the city
| to sorry plight. 1t Is said she will
fall within the next few passages of the
| further moon"
|
the fate of the princess Dejah Thoris? ??
/ asked as casually as possible.
| She Ia dead" he answered. "This
much was learned from a green warrior
recently captured by our forces in the
south, She escaped from the hordes OF
| TharlC with n strange creature of another
world. only to fall into the hands of the
| Warhoons. Their thoats were found wan
| dering upon the sea bottom and evidences
OF bloody conflict were discovered near
| by"
While this information was in no way
reassuring, neither was II at all conclusive
proof of the death of Dejah Thoris, and
30 determined to make every effort pos.
sible to reach Helium as quickly as
could and carry to Tardos Mors such news
Of his granddaughter's possible where
| abouts as lay In my power.
Ten days after leaving the three Ptor
| brothers arrived at Zodanga. The letter
bore from them gained me immediate
entrance to the vast walled city.
1t was still very early in the morning