Wauwatosa news. [volume] (Wauwatosa, Wis.) 1900-1948, 1921-05-06
AT he was making overtures

Stretching my hand toward him
advanced and took the armlet from
MS open palm, clssping it about my
arm above the elbow; smiled at him
aad stood waiting, His wide mouth
spread into an answering smile, and
locking one of his intermediary arms
ID mine we turned and walked back
toward his mount. At the same time
he motioned his followers to advance.
He exchanged few words with his
men, motioned to me that would ride
behind one of them. and then mounted
his own animal The fellow desig-
mated reached down two or three
hands and lifted me up behind him on
the glossy back of his mount, where
] hung on as best I could by the belts
and straps which held the Martian's
weapons and ornaments.
The entire cavalcade then turned
and galloped away toward the range
Of hills in the distance.
In a short time we gained the foot
| of the mountains, and after traversing
a narrow gorge came to ans open val
ley, at the far extremity of which was
a low tableland upon which beheld
an enormous city. Toward this we
galloped, entering it by what appeared
to be a ruined roadway leading out
from the city. but only to the edge of
| the lakeland, where it ended abrupt
| ly in a flight of broad steps.
Upon closer observation / saw as
we passed them that the buildings
were deserted, and while not greatly
decayed had the appearance of not
| having been tenanted for years, pos
| sibly for ages. Toward the center of
| the city was large plaza, and upon
| this and in the buildings Immediately
surrounding it were camped some nine
or ten hundred creatures of the same
breed as my captors, for such now
considered them, despite the suave
manner in which had been trapped.
With the exception of their orna-
ments all were naked. The women
varied in appearance but little from
the men, except that their tusks we're
much larger in proportion to their
height, in some instances curving near
ly to their high-set ears. The adult
females ranged in height from ten to
twelve feet.
The children were light in color.
! even Fighter than the women, and all
looked precisely alike to me, except
| that some were taller than others;
older, presumed.
I saw no signs of extreme age among
them. nor is there any appreciate diff
ference In their appearance from the
age of maturity, about forty, until. at
about the age of one thousand years
they go voluntarily upon their last
strange pilgrimage down the river ISIS
which leads no living Marian knows
whittier and from whose bosom no
Marian has ever returned, or would
be allowed to live did he return after
once embarking upon it's cold. dark
waters.
Only about one Marian in a thou
sand dies of sickness or disease, and
possibly about twenty take the volun-
tary pilgrimage. The other nine hun
dred and seventy-nine die violent
deaths in duels, in hunting, in aviation
and in war; but perhaps by far the
greatest death loss comes during the
age of childhood, when vast numbers
Of the little Martians fall victims to
the great white apes OF Mars.
AS we neared the plaza and my
presence was discovered we were inn
mediately surrounded by hundreds Of
the creatures, who seemed anxious to
pluck me from my seat behind the
guard. A word from the leader Of the
party stilled their clamor, and we pro-
ceeded at trot across the plaza to the
entrance of as magnificent an edfice
as mortal eve has rested upon.
The building was low. but covered
an enormous area. It was CONSTRUCTED
of cleaning white marble inlaid with
gold and brilliant stones which spar
killed. and scintillated In the sunlight.
There was no stairway, but a gentle
incline to the first floor Of the building
opened into an enormous chamber en-
cireied by galleries.
On the floor of this chamber, which
was dotted with highly carved wooden
desks and chairs. were assembled
about forty or fifty male Martians
around the steps Of a rostrum. on
me platfbrm proper squatted an enor-
nous warrior heavily loaded with
metal ornaments, gay-colored feathers
and beautifully wrought leather trap
pings ingeniously set with precious
stones.
What struck me as most remarkable
about this assemblage and the hall in
which they were congregated was the
fact that the creatures we're entirely
out of proportion to the desks. chairs.
and other furnishings. these being Of
a size adapted to human beings such
as I, whereas the great bulks Of Inc
Martians could scarcely have squeezed
into the chairs. nor was there room
beneath The desks for their long legs.
Evidently. then. there were other denl-
zens on Mars than the wild and gro
tesque creatures into whose hands /