Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-07-22

"a difficult for me to interpret them.
have seen but two people, weep In
all my life. other than Dejah Thoris;
one wept from sorrow, the other from
bafiied rage. The first was my moth
err, years ago, before they killed her;
the other was Sarkoja, when they
dragged her from me today"
"Your mother" I exclaimed, but,
Sofa, you could not have known your
mother, child"
"But did. And my father ALSO"
abe added. "If you would like to hear
the strange and un-Barsoomian story
come to the chariot tonight. John Car
ter, and will tell you that OF which !
have never spoken In all my life be
fore" M
II will come tonight. Sola," prom
ised. BE sure to tell Dejnh Thoris !
am alive and well. IL she would speak
with me but await her command"
Sofa mounted the chariot. which was
swinging into its place in line, and
FASTENED to my waiting thoat and gal.
ioped to my station beside Tars Tar.
/ nus az tbC EtdT VI tnt COtuibu.
We made most imposing and awe
| inspiring spectacle as we strung out
across the yellow landscape; the two
hundred and fifty ornate and brightly
colored chariots, preceded by an adj
vance guard OF some two hundred
| mounted warriors and chieftains rid
ing five abreast and one hundred yards
apart, and followed by like number
In the same formation, with score or
more Of fiankers on either side; the
fifty extra mastodons, or heavy
draught animals, known as zitidars,
and the five or six hundred extra
thoats of the warriors running loose
within the hollow square formed by
the surrounding warriors The gleari-
ing metal and Jewels Of the gorgeous
ornaments OF the men and women. du-
plicated in the trappings Of the ziti-
dars and thoats. and interspersed with
the flashing colors of magnificent silks
and furs and feathers, lent a barbaric
splendor to the caravan which would
have turned an East Indian potentate
! green with envy.
The enormous broad tires Of the
chariOts and the padded feet of the
animals brought forth no sound from
the moss covered sea bottom; and so
we moved In utter silence, like some
huge phantasmagoria, except when the
stiffness was broken by the cultural
growing of a goaded ztidar. or the
squealing of fighting thoats. The green
Martians converse but little, and then
usually I'm monosyllablcs, low and like
the faint rumbling of distant thunder.
We traversed a trackess waste Of
moss which, bending to the pressure Of
broad tire or padded foot, rose up
again behind us. leaving no sign that
we had passed. We might indeed have
been the wralths of the departed dead
upon the dead sea of that dying planet
for all the sound or sign we made in
passing. II was the first march OF n
large body of men and animals / had
ever witnessed which raised no dust
and left no spoE; for there Is no dust
upon Mars except in the cultivated dis
trlcts during the winter months, and
even then the absence of high winds
renders 1t almost unnotlceable.
We camped that night at the foot
of the hills we had been approaching
for two days and which marked the
southern boundary of this particular
sea. Our animals had been two days
without drink, nor had they had water
for nearly two months, not since
shortly after leaving Thank; but, as
Tars Tarkas explained to me, they re-
qulre but little and can live almost in
definitely upon the moss which covers
BarsOom. and which, he told me. holds
In its tiny stems sufficient moisture
to meet the limited demands Of the
animals.
After partaking of my evening meal
of cheese-like food and vegetable milk
I sought out Sofa, whom found work
ing by the light of torch upon some
OF Tars Tarkas' trappings. She looked
up at my approach, her face lighting
with pleasure and with welcome.
81 am glad you came" she said
"Dejah Thoris sleeps and I am lonely
promised to tell you my story, oil
rather the story Of my parents, From
what l have learned of you and the
ways of your people | am sure tha
the tale will not seem strange to you
but among green Martians 1t has NJ
! parallel within the memory of the old
est living Thark, nor do our legends
hold many similar tales.
my mother was rather small, II
fact too small to be allowed the re
sponslbilities of maternity, as on
chieftains breed principally for size
she was also less cold and cruel thar
most green Marian women, and caring
little for their society, she Offer
roamed the deserted avenues of Thar
alone, or went and sat among the wilt
flowers that deck the nearby hills
thinking thoughts and wishing wishe
which I believe I alone among Thank
Ian women today may understand. TO
= am l not the child of my motherf
"And there among the hills she me
a young warrior. whose duty II was I
guard the feeding zitidars and thoat
!, and see that they roamed not beyon
the hills. She trusted him and told o
| tho auf,,I ranuOnanca aha felt for III