Mountain Home Republican. [volume] (Mountain Home, Idaho) 1915-1946, 1923-01-13
CHAPTER ".
Child Raising on Mars.

After breakfast, which was an ex-
act replica Of the meal OF the proceed
Ing day and an index of practically
every meal which followed while j.
was with the green men of Mars,
Sofa escorted me TO the plaza, wherel
found the entire community engaged
in watching or helping at the harness
ing of huge mastodonlan animals to
great three-wheeled eharlots.
The charlots were large, CONNIE
dious and gorgeously decorated InI
each was seated a female Martianl
loaded with ornaments OF metal, With
Jewels and silks and furs, and upon
The back of each Of the beasts which
drew the chariot was perched a youngI
Marian driver. Like the animals up-l
On which the warriors We're mounted,
the heavier draft animals wore neitherl
bit nor bride, but were guided entire
~ by telepathic means. This power
is wonderfully developed in all Mar
tians and accounts largely for the
simplicity OF their language and the
relatively few spoken words exchanged
even in long conversations.
AS the cavalcade took up the line
of march in single file, Sofa dragged
me into an empty chariot and we pro-
ceeded with the procession toward the
point by which had entered the city
the day before.
Irtrn,-,, ,po hat xUOrnQn
and children-were heavily armed,
and at the tail OF each chariot trotted
a Marian hound, my own beast fol-
lowing closely behind ours; In fact, the
faithful creature never left me volun-
tarlly during the entire ten years
spent on Mars.
The incubator, as It proved, was the
terminal point of our journey this day
and, as the entire cavalcade broke in
to mad gallop as soon as we reached
the level expanse OF sea bottom, we
we're soon within sight Of our goal.
On reaching IT, half score of war
riors, headed by the enormous chief
tain and including Tars Tarkas and
several other lesser chiefs, dlsm0unted
and advanced toward It. l could see
lars Tarkas explaining something to
The principal chieftain, whose name
was, by the way, as nearly as can
translate 1t into English, Lorquas Pto-
mel, Jed; jed being his title.
I was soon appraised of the subject
If their conversation, as, calling to
Sofa, Tars Tarkas signed for her to
send me to him. l had by this time
the intricacles Of walking
Inder Marian conditions and quickly !
to his command advanced
o the side Of the incubator where the
warriors stood.
AS 1 reached their side a glance
howed me that all but a very few
,ggs had Matched, the incubator being
'airly alive with the hideous little
Ievils. They ranged In height from
hree to four feet, and were moving
about the enclosure as
hough searching for food
l was permitted to remain close and
watch their operations, which consist
a IN breaking an opening IN the wan
f the incubator large enough to per-
ait of the exit Of the young Martians.
On either side of this opening the
women and the younger Marhans,
10Th male and female, formed two
old walls leading out through the
hariots and quite away into the plain
eyond. Between these walls the lit
lie Martians scampered, wild as deer
,eing permitted to run the full lengtn
+ the aisle where they were cap
ured one at q time by the women and
,lder children; the last In the ilne
spturing the first little one TO reaeh
he end Of the gauntlet. her opposite
n the line capturing the second, ano
o on until all the little fellows hao