Iron County record. [volume] (Cedar City, Utah) 1893-1982, 1921-07-01


Martians consists solely in teaching
them to talk, and TO use the weapons
of warfare, with which they are load.
ed down from the very first year OF
their lives. Coming from eggs In which
they have lain for Ave years, the
period Of incubation. they step forth
into the world perfectly developed ex.
cept I'm size. Entirely unknown to
their own mothers. who, in turn. would
have difficulty In pointing out the IA.
theirs with any degree Of accuracy,
they are the common children Of the
community. and their education de.
wolves upon the females who chance
10 capture them as they leave the In
cubator.
BY careful selection the Martians
rear only the hardest specimens Of
each species. and with almost super
natural foresight they regulate the
birth rate to merely Offset the loss by
death. Each adult Marian female
brings forth about thirteen eggs each
year, and those which meet the size,
weight and specific gravity tests are
hidden In the recesses Of some subter.
ranean vault where the temperature
is too low for incubation. Every year
these eggs are carefully examined by
a council Of twenty chieftaIns. and all
but about one hundred OF the most
perfect are destroyed out of each
yearly supply. At the end OF Ave
years about Ave hundred almost per-
feet eggs have been chosen from the
thousands brought forth. These are
tAen placed In the almost alright In
cubators to be Matched by the suns
rays after period Of another Ave
years.
The incubators are built In remote
Businesses, where there is little or no
likelihood Of their being discovered
by other tribes. The result of such a
catastrophe would mean no children
In the community for another Ave
years. was later to witness the re-
suits Of the discovery Of an alien incu.
bator.
Sola's duties were now doubled. as
she was compelled to care for the
young Marian as well as for me, but
neither one OF us required much at
tention, and as we were both about
equally advanced In Marian educa
ton, Sofa took II upon herself to train
us together.
Her prize consisted In q male about
four feet tall, very strong and phys
ica)ly perfect; also, he learned quick
ly. and we had considerable amuse
ment at least did, over the keer
rivalry We displayed. The Martiar
language, as have said, is extremely
simple, and In week I could make
all my wants known and understand
nearly everything that was said to me
Likewise under Sola's tutelage, de
veloped my telepathlc powers so tina
shortly could sense practically every
thing that went on around me.
The third day after the Incubator
ceremony we set forth toward home
but scarcely he'd the head Of the pro
cession debouched into the oper
ground before the city than orders
were given for an immediate ant
hasty return. AS though trained fol
years in this particular evolution, thu
green Martians melted like mist Int
the spacious doorways Of the near-b!
buildings, until. In less than three
minutes. the entire cavalcade o
chariots, mastodons and mounted war
rlors was nowhere to be seen.
Sofa and had entered building
upon the trent Of the city, In fact, tn,
sane one I'm which had had my en-
counter with the apes, and, wishing t.
see what had caused the sudden re
treat, mounted to an upper floor ant
peered from the window out over tn,
valley and the hills beyond and their
I saw the cause of their sudden sour
rying to cover. huge craft, long
low and gray painted, swung slowl.
over the crest Of the nearest hill. Fol
lowing II came another, and another
and another, until twenty OF them
swinging low above the ground, sale,
slowly and majestically toward us.
Each carried strange banne
upper works, and upon the prov o
each was painted some odd device tina
cleaned In the sunlight and Shove,
plainly even at the distance at whicl
we were from the vessels. could SCI
figures crOwdng the forward deck
and upper works of the aircraft
Whether they had discovered us o.
simply were looking at the deserted
city I could not say, hut In any even
they received Il rude reception, 70
suddenly and without warning IN,
green Marian warriors fired terrific
vOlley from the windows of the build
ings facing the little valley acros
which the great ships were so peace
fully advancing.
Instantly the scene changed as b!
magic; the foremost vessel swunj
broadslde toward us, and bringing he
guns into play returned our fire, at th'
same time moving parallel TO our from
for a short distance and then turning
back with the evident intention O
completing a great circle which would
bring her up TO position once NOR,
opposite our firing line the other YES