Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-17
CHAPTER XIII
Tho Old HIin,nr

| l. SHIPS the community remained within
the city for several days, abandoning the
homeward march until they could feel
reasonably assured that the ships would
! not return.
To be caught on the open plains with n
| cavalcade of chariots and children was far
! from the desire OF even so warlke a peo-
! pie as the green Martians.
During our period Of inactivity Tars
| Tarkas had instructed me in many of the
| customs and arts of war familiar to the
| Tharks, including lessons in riding and
| guiding the great beasts which bore the
/ warriors. These creatures. which are
! known as thoats are as dangerous and
| vicious as their masters; but when once
| subdued are sufficiently tractable for the
| purposes of the green Martians.
| Two Of these animals had fallen to me
| from the warriors whose metal l wore,
| and In short time / could handle them
! quite as well as the native warriors.
The method was not at all complicated.
| II the thoats did not respond with suf-
| ficient celerity to the telepathic instruc-
| tions OF their riders they were dealt a ter
! rifle blow between the ears with the butt
! of pistol, and II they showed fight this
! treatment was continued until the brutes
! either were subdued or had unseated their
riders, often with fatal results.
! In the latter event It Immediately be-
came life and death struggle between,
the man and the beast If the warrior
| were quick enough with his pistol, he
| might live to ride again, though upon
some other beast; II not, his torn and
mangled body was gathered UP by his
| women and burned in accordance with
| the Tharlian custom.
My experience with woola determined
| me TO attempt the experiment of kindness
in my treatment Of my thoats. First 1
| taught them that they could not unseat
me, and even raped them sharply be-
4 tn ifYtV,F fh,V,,
authority and mastery.
Then, by degrees | won their confidence
In much the same manner as | had
adopted countless times with my many
mundane mounts | was always a good
hand with animals, and by inclination, as
well as because 1t brought more lasting
and satisfactory results, 1 was always
kind and humane in my dealings with the
lower orders. could take human life
IL necessary. with far less compunction
than that of poor, unreasonlng, irrespon-
sible brute.
In the course of n few days my thoats
were the wonder of the entire community,
They would follow me like dogs rubbing
their great snouts against my body In
awkward evidence of affection. and re-
spond to my every command with an alac-
rity and docillty which caused the Martian
warriors to ascrbe to me the possession
of some earthly power unknown on Mars
Tars Tarkas one afternoon, when he had
seen me run my arm far between the
great jaws of one of my thoats which
had wedged piece of stone between two
Of his teeth while feediIs.
by Kindness" 1 replied you see
Tars Tarkas, the softer sentiments have
their value even to warrior In the
height of battle. as well as upon the
march, 1 know that my thoats will obey
my every command, and therefore my
fighting efficiency is enhanced, and 1 am
better warrior for the reason that l am
n kind master.
Your other warriors would find It to
the advantage of themselves as we'll as of
the community. to adopt my methods in
this respect Only few days since you.
yourself. told me that these great brutes.
by the uncertainty Of their tempers. often
were the means of turning victory into
defeat since at crucial moment they
might elect to unseat and rend their
riders"
"Show me how you accomplish these
results" was Tars Tarkas's only rejolner
to my remarks.
And so l explained as carefully as
could the entire method of training | had
s1opted with my beasts, and later ne had
N "epeat IL before LorquaS ptomel and
the assembled warriors.
That moment marked the beginning of
a new existence for the poor thoats, and
Ptomel 1 hsa the satisfaction of observ-
ing regim" of as tractable and docile
mounts as one might care to see.
The effect on the precision and celerity
of the military movements was so remark
able that Lorquas Ptomel presented me
with massive anllet of gold from his
own leg, as n sign of his appreciation.
on the seventh day following the battle
with the aircraft we again took up the
march toward Thark, all probability of a
counter-attack being deemed remote By
Lorquas PtOmel
During the days just preceding our de-
parture l had seen but little Of Dejah |
Thoris, as l had been kept very busy by
Tars Tarkas with my lessons in the art |
of Martan warfare, as well as in the |
training of my thoats.
The few times | had visited her quarters |
she had been absent. walking upon the |
streets with Sola or investigating the |
buildings in the near vicinity of the plaza. |
On the evening before our departure 1 |
saw them approaching along one of the |
great avenues which led to the plaza from |
the east l advanced to meet them, and |
telling Sola that l would take the respon- |
sibilty for Dejah ThOrls' safe keeping, |
directed her to return to her quarters on !
some trivial errand.
/ liked and trusted Sola, but for some
reason l desired to be alone with Dejah |
Thoris, who represented to me all that |
had left behind upon Earth in agreeable |
companionship. There seemed bonds of |
mutual interest between us as powerful |
as though we had been born under the |
same roof rather than upon different plan
cts that hurtled through space some 4S.-
900 900 miles apart
That she shared my sentiments In this
respect was positive, for on my approach |
the look of pitiful hopelessness left her
sweet countenance TO be replaced by a
smile of welcome, as she placed her little
right hand uDOn NV left shoulder in truA
red Marian salute.
"Sarkoja told Sola that you had become
a true Thark," she said. ''and that would