The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1921-03-25

: men, almost without exception, cover
their bodies with strange, unsightly
/ pieces of cloth, and their heads with
/ hideous contraptiOns the purpose of
/ which we have been unable TO con-
ceive; while you. when found by the
4 Tharkian warriors, were entirely I'M
/ disfgure6 and unadorned"
| | then narrated the details of my
! departure from the Earth. explain
\ ing that my body there lay fully
ments of mundane dwellers 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 If we had had a 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 eavesdropping. but as we could
recall nothing of Importance that had
passed between US we dismissed the
Dejah Thoris and then fell to ex-
amining the architecture and decOra-
tions of the beautiful chambers of the
building we were occupying She told
me that these people had presumably
flOurished over a 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 vel
low race which had fiourished 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 adj
vancement and production cease en-
tirely, but practically all their archives,
records. and literature were lost.
We had been so engrOssed in explor-
alton of the building and in our CON
versation that~it was late in the after
noon before we realized it. We were
brought back to a realization of our
present conditions by a messenger
bearing a summons from Lorquas
PtOmel directing me to appear before
him forthwith. Bidding Dejah Thor
is and Sofa farewell and command
ing Woola to remain on guard, I hast
ened TO the audience chamber, where
I found Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tar
kas seated upon the rostrum.
As 1 entered and saIuted, Lorquas
Ptomel signaled me to advance. and
fixing his great. hideous eyes upon
me, addressed me thus:
you have been with US a few days /
yet during that time you have by /
your prowess won a high position
among US. Be that as it may, you are
not one of US; you owe US no allegi- /
ance
your position is a peculiar one" I
he continued; you are a prisoner +
and yet you give commands which /
must be obeyed; you are an alien and I
yet you are a Tharkian chieftain /
you are a midget and yet you can kin T
a 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
accusations. if proved. would be. suffi-
cient grounds for your execution. but
we are a just people and you shall
have a trial on our return to Thark,
If Tai Hajus so commands.
But" he continued, in his fierce
cultural tones, eff you run off with
the red girl it is I who shall have to
account to Tai HajUs; it is l who shall
nave TO face Tars Tarkas, and either
demonstrate my right TO command.
Or the metal from my dead carcass
Will go to better man, for such is
he custom of the Thanks.
81 have no quarrel with Tars Tar
1as; together we rule supreme the
greatest of the lesser communities
among the green men; we do not wish
o fight between ourselves; and so
f you were dead, John Carter. should
,e glad. Under two conditions only,
may you be killed by US with
tut orders from Tai Haius; in person
Il combat In self-defense, should you
ttack one of US, or were you appre-
lended in an attempt to escape.
''As a matter of justice l must warn
'ou that we only await one of these
wo excuses for Kidding ourselves of
o great a responsibility. The safe
delivery of the red girl to Tai Hajus
5 of the greatest importance. Not
n a thousand years have the Thanks
aade such capture; she is the grand
laughter of the greatest of red jed !
axis, who is also our bitterest en-
my / have spoken. The red girl
old US that we were without the ,
otter sentiments of humanity, but we
re a just and truthful race. You may
c."
Turning, 1 left the audience chain
err So this was the beginning of ,
persecution! l knew that !
one other could be responsible for
his report which had reached the
4