The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-03-18
CHAPTER iV-continued.

They removed their prisoner to the
ground and then commenced a sys-
tematic rifling of the vessel This op-
GRAFTON required several hours. during
which time a number Of the chariots
were requisitioned to transport the
loot. which consisted of arms, ammu-
milton, silks, furs, jewels. strangely
carved stone vessels. and a quantity
of solid foods and liquids, including
many casks of water. the first I had
seen since my advent upon Mars.
After the last load had been re-
moved the warriors made lines fast
to the craft and towed her far out into
the valley in a sOuthwesterly direc-
ton. A few of them then boarded her
and were busily engaged in what APP
peared from my distant position, as
the emptying of the contents of vari-
Gus carbOys upon the dead bodies of
the sailors and over the decks and
works of the vessel.
This operation concluded they
hastily clambered over her sides, slid
ing down the guy ropes to the ground
The last warrior to leave the deck
turned and threw something back
upon the vessel. waiting an instant to
note the outcome of his act AS faint
squirt of flame rose from the point
where the missile struck he swung
over the side and was quickly upon
the ground. Scarcely had he alighted
than the guy ropes were simultaneous
ly released. and the great warship
lightened by the removal of the loot,
scared majestically into the air. her
decks and upper works a mass of
roaring flames.
The sight was awe-inspiring in the
extreme as one contemplated this
mighty floating funeral pyre, drifting
unguided and unnamed through the
lonely wastes of the Marian heavens (;
a derelict of death and destruction.
IMPLYING the life story of these
strange and ferOciOus creatures into
whose unfriendly hands fate had car
ried it,
Much depressed, and, to me, unac-
countably so. l slowly descended TO
the street. The scene / had witnessed
seemed to mark the defeat and ami
hilation of the forces of a kindred peo-
pie. rather than the routing by our
green warriors of a horde of similar.
though unfriendly, creatures. / could
not fathom the seeming hallucination.
nor could I free myself from it: but
somewhere in the innermost recesses
of my soul | felt a strange yearning
toward these unknown foemen, and
mighty hope surged through me that
the fleet would return and demand
reckoning from the green warriors
who had SO ruthleSsly and wantonly
attacked it,
Lorquas Ptomel was too astute an
old warrior to be caught upon the open
plains with a caravan of chariots and
children. and so we remained at the
deserted city until danger Of a reprisal
attack seemed passed.
As Sofa and / entered the plaza a
sight met my eye which filed my
whole being with Il great surge of
mingled hope, fear, eXultation and de
presssion. and yet most dominant was
subtle sense of relief and happiness
for just as we neared the throng of
Martians I caught glimpse of the
prisoner from the battle craft who was
being roughly dragged into a nearby
building by a couple of green Marian
females.
And the sight which met my eyes
was that OF a slender, girlish figure
similar in every detail to the earthly
women of my past life. She did not
see me at first. but just as she was
disappearing through the portal of
the building which was to be her
prison she turned and her eyes met
mine. Her face was oval and beauti- |
full in the extreme. her every feature |
was finely chiseled and exquisite, her
eyes large and lustrous and her head
surmounted by mass of coal-black, |
waving hair, caught loosely into a |
strange yet becoming couture. Her
skin was of n light reddish copper /
color. against which the crimson glow /
Of her cheeks and the ruby of her
nodded lips shone with a /
strangely enhancing effect.