A Princess of Mars (5 page)

The assembled warriors and chieftains examined me closely, feeling
my muscles and the texture of my skin. The principal chieftain then
evidently signified a desire to see me perform, and, motioning me
to follow, he started with Tars Tarkas for the open plaza.

Now, I had made no attempt to walk, since my first signal failure,
except while tightly grasping Tars Tarkas' arm, and so now I went
skipping and flitting about among the desks and chairs like some
monstrous grasshopper. After bruising myself severely, much to
the amusement of the Martians, I again had recourse to creeping,
but this did not suit them and I was roughly jerked to my feet by
a towering fellow who had laughed most heartily at my misfortunes.

As he banged me down upon my feet his face was bent close to
mine and I did the only thing a gentleman might do under the
circumstances of brutality, boorishness, and lack of consideration
for a stranger's rights; I swung my fist squarely to his jaw and
he went down like a felled ox. As he sunk to the floor I wheeled
around with my back toward the nearest desk, expecting to be
overwhelmed by the vengeance of his fellows, but determined to
give them as good a battle as the unequal odds would permit before
I gave up my life.

My fears were groundless, however, as the other Martians, at first
struck dumb with wonderment, finally broke into wild peals of
laughter and applause. I did not recognize the applause as such,
but later, when I had become acquainted with their customs, I
learned that I had won what they seldom accord, a manifestation
of approbation.

The fellow whom I had struck lay where he had fallen, nor did any of
his mates approach him. Tars Tarkas advanced toward me, holding out
one of his arms, and we thus proceeded to the plaza without further
mishap. I did not, of course, know the reason for which we had come
to the open, but I was not long in being enlightened. They first
repeated the word "sak" a number of times, and then Tars Tarkas made
several jumps, repeating the same word before each leap; then,
turning to me, he said, "sak!" I saw what they were after, and
gathering myself together I "sakked" with such marvelous success
that I cleared a good hundred and fifty feet; nor did I this time,
lose my equilibrium, but landed squarely upon my feet without
falling. I then returned by easy jumps of twenty-five or thirty
feet to the little group of warriors.

My exhibition had been witnessed by several hundred lesser Martians,
and they immediately broke into demands for a repetition, which the
chieftain then ordered me to make; but I was both hungry and
thirsty, and determined on the spot that my only method of salvation
was to demand the consideration from these creatures which they
evidently would not voluntarily accord. I therefore ignored the
repeated commands to "sak," and each time they were made I motioned
to my mouth and rubbed my stomach.

Tars Tarkas and the chief exchanged a few words, and the former,
calling to a young female among the throng, gave her some
instructions and motioned me to accompany her. I grasped her
proffered arm and together we crossed the plaza toward a large
building on the far side.

My fair companion was about eight feet tall, having just arrived
at maturity, but not yet to her full height. She was of a light
olive-green color, with a smooth, glossy hide. Her name, as I
afterward learned, was Sola, and she belonged to the retinue of
Tars Tarkas. She conducted me to a spacious chamber in one of the
buildings fronting on the plaza, and which, from the litter of
silks and furs upon the floor, I took to be the sleeping quarters
of several of the natives.

The room was well lighted by a number of large windows and was
beautifully decorated with mural paintings and mosaics, but upon
all there seemed to rest that indefinable touch of the finger of
antiquity which convinced me that the architects and builders of
these wondrous creations had nothing in common with the crude
half-brutes which now occupied them.

Sola motioned me to be seated upon a pile of silks near the center
of the room, and, turning, made a peculiar hissing sound, as though
signaling to someone in an adjoining room. In response to her call
I obtained my first sight of a new Martian wonder. It waddled in
on its ten short legs, and squatted down before the girl like an
obedient puppy. The thing was about the size of a Shetland pony,
but its head bore a slight resemblance to that of a frog, except
that the jaws were equipped with three rows of long, sharp tusks.

Sola stared into the brute's wicked-looking eyes, muttered a word or
two of command, pointed to me, and left the chamber. I could not but
wonder what this ferocious-looking monstrosity might do when left
alone in such close proximity to such a relatively tender morsel of
meat; but my fears were groundless, as the beast, after surveying me
intently for a moment, crossed the room to the only exit which led
to the street, and lay down full length across the threshold.

This was my first experience with a Martian watch dog, but it was
destined not to be my last, for this fellow guarded me carefully
during the time I remained a captive among these green men; twice
saving my life, and never voluntarily being away from me a moment.

While Sola was away I took occasion to examine more minutely the
room in which I found myself captive. The mural painting depicted
scenes of rare and wonderful beauty; mountains, rivers, lake,
ocean, meadow, trees and flowers, winding roadways, sun-kissed
gardens—scenes which might have portrayed earthly views but for
the different colorings of the vegetation. The work had evidently
been wrought by a master hand, so subtle the atmosphere, so perfect
the technique; yet nowhere was there a representation of a living
animal, either human or brute, by which I could guess at the
likeness of these other and perhaps extinct denizens of Mars.

While I was allowing my fancy to run riot in wild conjecture on the
possible explanation of the strange anomalies which I had so far met
with on Mars, Sola returned bearing both food and drink. These she
placed on the floor beside me, and seating herself a short ways off
regarded me intently. The food consisted of about a pound of some
solid substance of the consistency of cheese and almost tasteless,
while the liquid was apparently milk from some animal. It was not
unpleasant to the taste, though slightly acid, and I learned in a
short time to prize it very highly. It came, as I later discovered,
not from an animal, as there is only one mammal on Mars and that one
very rare indeed, but from a large plant which grows practically
without water, but seems to distill its plentiful supply of milk
from the products of the soil, the moisture of the air, and the rays
of the sun. A single plant of this species will give eight or ten
quarts of milk per day.

After I had eaten I was greatly invigorated, but feeling the need
of rest I stretched out upon the silks and was soon asleep. I must
have slept several hours, as it was dark when I awoke, and I was
very cold. I noticed that someone had thrown a fur over me, but it
had become partially dislodged and in the darkness I could not see
to replace it. Suddenly a hand reached out and pulled the fur over
me, shortly afterwards adding another to my covering.

I presumed that my watchful guardian was Sola, nor was I wrong.
This girl alone, among all the green Martians with whom I came in
contact, disclosed characteristics of sympathy, kindliness, and
affection; her ministrations to my bodily wants were unfailing, and
her solicitous care saved me from much suffering and many hardships.

As I was to learn, the Martian nights are extremely cold, and as
there is practically no twilight or dawn, the changes in temperature
are sudden and most uncomfortable, as are the transitions from
brilliant daylight to darkness. The nights are either brilliantly
illumined or very dark, for if neither of the two moons of Mars
happen to be in the sky almost total darkness results, since the
lack of atmosphere, or, rather, the very thin atmosphere, fails to
diffuse the starlight to any great extent; on the other hand, if
both of the moons are in the heavens at night the surface of the
ground is brightly illuminated.

Both of Mars' moons are vastly nearer her than is our moon to Earth;
the nearer moon being but about five thousand miles distant, while
the further is but little more than fourteen thousand miles away,
against the nearly one-quarter million miles which separate us from
our moon. The nearer moon of Mars makes a complete revolution
around the planet in a little over seven and one-half hours, so that
she may be seen hurtling through the sky like some huge meteor two
or three times each night, revealing all her phases during each
transit of the heavens.

The further moon revolves about Mars in something over thirty and
one-quarter hours, and with her sister satellite makes a nocturnal
Martian scene one of splendid and weird grandeur. And it is well
that nature has so graciously and abundantly lighted the Martian
night, for the green men of Mars, being a nomadic race without
high intellectual development, have but crude means for artificial
lighting; depending principally upon torches, a kind of candle, and
a peculiar oil lamp which generates a gas and burns without a wick.

This last device produces an intensely brilliant far-reaching white
light, but as the natural oil which it requires can only be obtained
by mining in one of several widely separated and remote localities
it is seldom used by these creatures whose only thought is for
today, and whose hatred for manual labor has kept them in a
semi-barbaric state for countless ages.

After Sola had replenished my coverings I again slept, nor did I
awaken until daylight. The other occupants of the room, five in
number, were all females, and they were still sleeping, piled high
with a motley array of silks and furs. Across the threshold lay
stretched the sleepless guardian brute, just as I had last seen him
on the preceding day; apparently he had not moved a muscle; his eyes
were fairly glued upon me, and I fell to wondering just what might
befall me should I endeavor to escape.

I have ever been prone to seek adventure and to investigate and
experiment where wiser men would have left well enough alone. It
therefore now occurred to me that the surest way of learning the
exact attitude of this beast toward me would be to attempt to leave
the room. I felt fairly secure in my belief that I could escape him
should he pursue me once I was outside the building, for I had begun
to take great pride in my ability as a jumper. Furthermore, I could
see from the shortness of his legs that the brute himself was no
jumper and probably no runner.

Slowly and carefully, therefore, I gained my feet, only to see that
my watcher did the same; cautiously I advanced toward him, finding
that by moving with a shuffling gait I could retain my balance as
well as make reasonably rapid progress. As I neared the brute he
backed cautiously away from me, and when I had reached the open he
moved to one side to let me pass. He then fell in behind me and
followed about ten paces in my rear as I made my way along the
deserted street.

Evidently his mission was to protect me only, I thought, but when we
reached the edge of the city he suddenly sprang before me, uttering
strange sounds and baring his ugly and ferocious tusks. Thinking to
have some amusement at his expense, I rushed toward him, and when
almost upon him sprang into the air, alighting far beyond him and
away from the city. He wheeled instantly and charged me with the
most appalling speed I had ever beheld. I had thought his short
legs a bar to swiftness, but had he been coursing with greyhounds
the latter would have appeared as though asleep on a door mat. As I
was to learn, this is the fleetest animal on Mars, and owing to its
intelligence, loyalty, and ferocity is used in hunting, in war, and
as the protector of the Martian man.

I quickly saw that I would have difficulty in escaping the fangs
of the beast on a straightaway course, and so I met his charge by
doubling in my tracks and leaping over him as he was almost upon me.
This maneuver gave me a considerable advantage, and I was able to
reach the city quite a bit ahead of him, and as he came tearing
after me I jumped for a window about thirty feet from the ground
in the face of one of the buildings overlooking the valley.

Grasping the sill I pulled myself up to a sitting posture without
looking into the building, and gazed down at the baffled animal
beneath me. My exultation was short-lived, however, for scarcely
had I gained a secure seat upon the sill than a huge hand grasped
me by the neck from behind and dragged me violently into the room.
Here I was thrown upon my back, and beheld standing over me a
colossal ape-like creature, white and hairless except for an
enormous shock of bristly hair upon its head.

The thing, which more nearly resembled our earthly men than it did
the Martians I had seen, held me pinioned to the ground with one
huge foot, while it jabbered and gesticulated at some answering
creature behind me. This other, which was evidently its mate,
soon came toward us, bearing a mighty stone cudgel with which it
evidently intended to brain me.

The creatures were about ten or fifteen feet tall, standing erect,
and had, like the green Martians, an intermediary set of arms or
legs, midway between their upper and lower limbs. Their eyes were
close together and non-protruding; their ears were high set, but
more laterally located than those of the Martians, while their
snouts and teeth were strikingly like those of our African gorilla.
Altogether they were not unlovely when viewed in comparison with
the green Martians.