Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1916-04-10
UNDER THE MOONS OF MARS


| At this time the ceremony and tn
words they uttered meant nothing to me
but later 1 came to know that this wa
| the customary greeting between greer
Martians.
Had the men been strangers and there
| fore unable TO exchange names, they
] would have silently exchanged ornament!
had their missions been peaceful; other
| wise they would have exchanged shots
or have fought out their introduction
with some other Of their various
| weapons.
| My captor, whose name was Tars Tar.
| kas. was virtually the Vice chieftain oil
| the community, and man of great abil
| ity as a statesman and warrior. lie evil
| IDENTIFY explained briefly the Incident.
| connected with his expedition, including
: my capture, and when he had concluded
the chieftain addressed me at some length.
I replied in our good old English
tongue merely to convince him that
neither of us could understand tine other
but I noticed that when l smiled slightly
on concluding he did likewise.
This fact, and the similar occurrence
during my first talk with Tars TarlSas
convinced me that we had at least some.
thing in commons the ability to smile
therefore TO laugh; denoting n sense OF
humor. But was to learn that the Mar
the Martlan laugh is q thing to cause
strong men TO blanch in horror.
The ideas of humor among the green
men Of Mars are widely at variance with
our conception of incitants to merriment.
The death agonies of fellow being
are, TO these strange creatures, provoca-
tive of the widest hilarty, while their
chief form of commonest amusement Is
TO inlct death on their prisoners Of war
in various ingenious and horrible ways.
The assembled warriors and chieftains
examined me closely, feeling my muscles
and the texture of my skin. The princi-
pal chleftain then evidently signifed a
desire to see me perform, and motion
ing me TO follow, he started with Tars
Tarkas for the open plaza.
Now, 1 had made no attempt TO walk
since my first signal failure, except while
tightly graspng Tars Tarkas' arm. and
so | now went skipping and fitting about
among the desks and chairs like some
monstrous grasshopper.
After bruising myself severely, much
to the amusement of the Martians, l
again had recourse TO creeping, but this
did not suit them, and | was roughly
jcrked to my feet by n towering fellow
who had laughed most heartily at my
misfortune.
As he banged me down upon my feet
N'S'N ~
the only thing a gentleman might do under
the circumstances of brutality, boorsh-
ness and lack OF consideration for n stran-
gers rights; l swung my fist squarely to
his jaw and he went down like felled
OK
As he sank to the floor I wheeled round
with my back toward the nearest desk,
expecting to be overwhelmed by the ven-
geance Of his fellows, but determined TO
give them as good a battle as the unequal
odds would permit before 1 gave up my
life.
My fears were groundless, however, as
the other Martians, Mt first struck dumb
with wonderment, finally broke forth into
wild peals of laughter AMI applause
did not recognize the applause as SUCH
but later, when / had become acquainted
with their customs, 1 learned that I had
won what they seldom accord, n mani
festation of appreciation.
The fellow whom had struck lay where
he had fallen, nor did any of his mates
approach him.
Tars Tarkas advanced toward me, hold
ing out one of his arms and we thus pro-
ceeded to the plaza without further mis-
hap. did not, of course. know the reason