Elbert County tribune and Elbert County banner. (Elizabeth, Colo.) 1920-1921, 1921-05-06

knows the geography, and much con-
ceiniug the fauna and fora, as well
as the history OF your planet fully as
well a. of his own. Can we not see
everything which takes place upon
Earth, as you call 1t; is 1t not hang
ing there In the heavens In plain
sightf"
This bafied me, / must confess,
fully as much as my statements had
COMPOUNDED her; and / told her 80.
She then explained In general the In
struments her people had used and
been perfecting for ages, which per-
NIT them to throw upon a screen
perfect image of what is transpiring
upon any planet and upon many of
the stars
IF. then, you are SO familiar with
earthly things" asked, why is II
that you do not recognize me as iden-
teal with the Inhabitants of that plan
ctr
She smiled again as one might in
bored indulgence Of questioning
child.
Because, John Carter" she replied,
nearly every planet and star having
atmospheric conditions at all APP
preaching those Of Barsoom, shows
forms of animal life almost identical
with you and me; and. further. Earth
men. almost without exception, cover
their bodies with strange, unsightly
pieces of cloth, and their heads with
hdeous contraptions the purpose of
which we have been unable to con-
ceive; while you, when found by the
Tharkian warriors, were entirely I'M
disfigured and unadorned."
l then narrated the details of my
departure from the Earth, explain
ing that my body there lay fully
clothed in all the. to her, strange gar
ments of mundane jewellers. At this
point Sofa returned with our meager
belongings and her young Marian
protege, who. of course, would have
to share the quarters with them.
Sofa asked us II we had had Wis
itor during her absence, and seemed
much surprised when we answered
in the negative. 1t seemed that as
she had mounted the approach to the
upper floors where our quarters were
located. she had met Sarkoja descend
ing. We decided that she must have
been housekeeping, but as we could
recall nothing of Importance that had
passed between us we dismissed the
matter as of little consequence.
Dejah Thoris and l then fell to ex-
amining the architecture and decora-
tons of the beautiful chambers Of the
building we were occupying. She told
me that these people had presumably
nourished over 4 hundred thousand
years before. They were the early
progenitors of her race. but had mixed
with the other great races of early
Martians. who were very dark. almost
black. and also with the reddish yell
low race which had nourished at the
same time.
These three great divisions of the
higher Martians had been forced in
to a mighty alliance as the drying up
Of the Marian seas had compelled
them to seek the comparatively few
and always diminishing fertile areas,
and TO defend themselves, under new
conditions of life, against the wild
hordes of green men.
The ancient Martians had been a
highly cultivated and literary race,
but during the vicissitudes of those
trying centuries of reimbursement to
new conditions, not only did their ad-
vancement and production cease en-
tirely, but practically all their archives,
records. and literature were lost
We had been so engrossed in explor-
ati nf ha hnit6in0 and in
versation that 1t was late In the after
noon before we realized 1t. We were
brought back to a realization of our
present conditions by n messenger
bearing summons from Lorquas
Ptomel directing me to appear before
him forthwith. Bidding Dejah Thor
is and Sofa farewell, and command
ing Woolc to remain on guard, l hast
ened to the audience chamber, where
found Lorquas Ptomel and Tnrs Tar.
kas seated upon the rostrum.
AS / entered and saluted, Lorquas
Ptomel signaled me to advance and.
fixing his great, hideous eyes upon
me, addressed me thus:
You have been with us few days.
vet during that time you have by
your prowess won high position
among us. Be that as 1t may, you are
not one of us; you owe us no allegi.
ance.
Your position Is peculiar one, -
he continued; "you are a prisoner
and yet you give commands which
must be obeyed; you are an alien and
yet you are Tharkian chieftain
you are midget and yet you can kill
mighty warrior with one blow OF
your fist. And now you are reported
to have been plotting to escape with
another prisoner of another race: q
prisoner who, from her own admission
half believes you are returned from
the valley of Dor Either one of these