Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-01-20

only. You are eleventh, there are bu
ten ehieftains In this community VIII
rank you in prowess."
"And If / should kill LorQuas Pto
mel?" asked
you would be first, John Carter
but you may only win that honor b.
the win Of the entire council that Lor
quas Pfomel meet you in combat, o
should he attack you, you may kin hin
In self-defense, and thus win frs
place"
laughed and changed the subject
| had no particular desire TO XIII Lor
quas Ptomel, and less to be q JeC
among the Thanks.
accompanied Sofa and Dejah Thor
is in a search for new quarters, which
we found In a building near the audi
ence chamber and of far more preten
tious architecture than our former
habltation We also found in this
building real sleeping apartments with
ancient beds Of highly wrought metal
swinging from enormous gold chains
depending from the marble ceilings
The decoration Of the walls was most
elaborate and, unlike the frescoes I'm
the other buildings | had examined,
portrayed many human figures I'm the
compositions. These were Of people
like myself, and Of much lighter col.
or than Dejah Thorls. They were clad
In graceful, flowing robes highly orna-
mented with metal and jewels. and
their luxuriant hair was of beautiful
golden and reddish bronze. The men
were beardless and only n few wore
arms. The scenes depicted for the
most part a fair-skinned, falr-halred
people at play.
Deiah Thoris elasped her hands
with an exclamation of rapture as she
gazed upon these magnificent works Of
art, wrought by people long extinct /;
while Sofa, on the other hand, appar-
emily did not see them.
We decided to use this room, on the
second floor and overlooking the plaza.
for Dejah Thoris and Sofa. and an
other room adjoining and in the rear
for cooking and supplies. ! then dis
patched Sofa TO bring the bedding and
such food and utensils as she might
need, telling her that would guard
Dejah Thoris until her return.
AS Sofa departed Dejah Thorls
turned TO me with a faint smile.
And to where, then, would your pris
oner escape should you leave her. un.
less it was to follow you and crave
your protection, and ask your pardon
for the cruel thoughts she has har-
bored against you these past few
days?"
"You are right" l answered, there
is no escape for either of us unless we
go together"
Il heard your challenge to the crea-
ture you call Tars Tarkas, and ! think
understand your position among
these people. but what cannot fathom
is your statement that you are not of
BarsoOm.
in the name of my first ancestor,
then" she continued, where may you
be from? You are like unto my peo-
pie, and yet so unlike. You speak my
language, and yet / heard you tell
Tars Tarkas that you had but learned
1t recently. All Barsoomlans speak the
same tongue from the ice-clad south to
the ice-clad north, though their written
languages differ. Only in the valley
Dor, where the river Iss empties Into
the lost sea of Korus, Is there supposed |
to be different language spoken and,
except in the legends Of our ancestors,
there Is no record Of n Barsoomlan re
turning up the river ISIS, from the
shores of KOrus In the valley of Dor.
Do not tell me that you have thus re-
turned They would kill you horribly
upon the surface of Barsoom
If that were true; tell me It is noti"
Her little hands, reached up upon
my breast, were pressed against me
as though to wiring a denial from my
very heart.
81 do not know your customs. DeJah
Thoris, but in my own Virginia a gen
tleman does not lie to save himself;
am not of Dor; have never seen
The mysterious Iss; the lost sea Of
Korus is still lost. so far as / am con
Do you believe mer
And then 1t struck me that was
very anxious that she should believe
ne. looked down at her her beauti-