A Princess of Mars Rethroned (21 page)

The water which
supplies the farms of Mars is collected in immense underground
reservoirs at either pole from the melting ice caps, and pumped
through long conduits to the various populated centers. Along
either side of these conduits, and extending their entire length,
lie the cultivated districts. These are divided into tracts of
about the same size, each tract being under the supervision of one
or more government officers.

Instead of
flooding the surface of the fields, and thus wasting immense
quantities of water by evaporation, the precious liquid is carried
underground through a vast network of small pipes directly to the
roots of the vegetation. The crops upon Mars are always uniform,
for there are no droughts, no rains, no high winds, and no insects,
or destroying birds.

On this trip I
tasted the first meat I had eaten since leaving Earth--large, juicy
steaks and chops from the well-fed domestic animals of the farms.
Also I enjoyed luscious fruits and vegetables, but not a single
article of food which was exactly similar to anything on Earth.
Every plant and flower and vegetable and animal has been so refined
by ages of careful, scientific cultivation and breeding that the
like of them on Earth dwindled into pale, gray, characterless
nothingness by comparison.

At a second stop
I met some highly cultivated people of the noble class and while in
conversation we chanced to speak of Helium. One of the older women
had been there on a diplomatic mission several years before and
spoke with regret of the conditions which seemed destined ever to
keep these two countries at war.

'Helium,' she
said, 'rightly boasts the most beautiful men of Barsoom, and of all
his treasures the wondrous son of Mora Kajak, Dejar Thoris, is the
most exquisite flower.

'Why,' she added,
'the people really worship the ground he walks upon and since his
loss on that ill-starred expedition all Helium has been draped in
mourning.

'That our ruler
should have attacked the disabled fleet as it was returning to
Helium was but another of her awful blunders which I fear will
sooner or later compel Zodanga to elevate a wiser woman to her
place.'

'Even now, though
our victorious armies are surrounding Helium, the people of Zodanga
are voicing their displeasure, for the war is not a popular one,
since it is not based on right or justice. Our forces took
advantage of the absence of the principal fleet of Helium on their
search for the prince, and so we have been able easily to reduce
the city to a sorry plight. It is said he will fall within the next
few passages of the further moon.'

'And what, think
you, may have been the fate of the prince, Dejar Thoris?' I asked
as casually as possible.

'He is dead,' she
answered. 'This much was learned from a green warrior recently
captured by our forces in the south. He escaped from the hordes of
Thark with a strange creature of another world, only to fall into
the hands of the Warhoons. Their thoats were found wandering upon
the sea bottom and evidences of a bloody conflict were discovered
nearby.'

While this
information was in no way reassuring, neithers was it at all
conclusive proof of the death of Dejar Thoris, and so I determined
to make every effort possible to reach Helium as quickly as I could
and carry to Tardoa Mors such news of her granddaughter's possible
whereabouts as lay in my power.

Ten days after
leaving the three Ptor sisters I arrived at Zodanga. From the
moment that I had come in contact with the red inhabitants of Mars
I had noticed that Woolan drew a great amount of unwelcome
attention to me, since the huge brute belonged to a species which
is never domesticated by the red women. Were one to stroll down
Broadway with a Numidian lion at her heels the effect would be
somewhat similar to that which I should have produced had I entered
Zodanga with Woolan.

The very thought
of parting with the faithful fellow caused me so great regret and
genuine sorrow that I put it off until just before we arrived at
the city's gates; but then, finally, it became imperative that we
separate. Had nothing further than my own safety or pleasure been
at stake no argument could have prevailed upon me to turn away the
one creature upon Barsoom that had never failed in a demonstration
of affection and loyalty; but as I would willingly have offered my
life in the service of his in search of whom I was about to
challenge the unknown dangers of this, to me, mysterious city, I
could not permit even Woolan's life to threaten the success of my
venture, much less her momentary happiness, for I doubted not she
soon would forget me. And so I bade the poor beast an affectionate
farewell, promising her, however, that if I came through my
adventure in safety that in some way I should find the means to
search her out.

She seemed to
understand me fully, and when I pointed back in the direction of
Thark she turned sorrowfully away, nor could I bear to watch her
go; but resolutely set my face toward Zodanga and with a touch of
heartsickness approached his frowning walls.

The letter I bore
from them gained me immediate entrance to the vast, walled city. It
was still very early in the morning and the streets were
practically deserted. The residences, raised high upon their metal
columns, resembled huge rookeries, while the uprights themselves
presented the appearance of steel tree trunks. The shops as a rule
were not raised from the ground nor were their doors bolted or
barred, since thievery is practically unknown upon Barsoom.
Assassination is the ever-present fear of all Barsoomians, and for
this reason alone their homes are raised high above the ground at
night, or in times of danger.

The Ptor sisters
had given me explicit directions for reaching the point of the city
where I could find living accommodations and be near the offices of
the government agents to whom they had given me letters. My way led
to the central square or plaza, which is a characteristic of all
Martian cities.

The plaza of
Zodanga covers a square mile and is bounded by the palaces of the
jeddak, the jeds, and other members of the royalty and nobility of
Zodanga, as well as by the principal public buildings, cafes, and
shops.

As I was crossing
the great square lost in wonder and admiration of the magnificent
architecture and the gorgeous scarlet vegetation which carpeted the
broad lawns I discovered a red Martian walking briskly toward me
from one of the avenues. She paid not the slightest attention to
me, but as she came abreast I recognized her, and turning I placed
my hand upon her shoulder, calling out:

'Kaor, Kantoa
Kan!'

Like lightning
she wheeled and before I could so much as lower my hand the point
of her long-sword was at my breast.

'Who are you?'
she growled, and then as a backward leap carried me fifty feet from
her sword she dropped the point to the ground and exclaimed,
laughing,

'I do not need a
better reply, there is but one woman upon all Barsoom who can
bounce about like a rubber ball. By the mother of the further moon,
Joan Carter, how came you here, and have you become a Darseen that
you can change your color at will?'

'You gave me a
bad half minute my friend,' she continued, after I had briefly
outlined my adventures since parting with her in the arena at
Warhoon. 'Were my name and city known to the Zodangans I would
shortly be sitting on the banks of the lost sea of Korus with my
revered and departed ancestors. I am here in the interest of Tardoa
Mors, Jeddak of Helium, to discover the whereabouts of Dejar
Thoris, our prince. Saba Than, princess of Zodanga, has his hidden
in the city and has fallen madly in love with him. Her mother,
Thana Kosis, Jeddak of Zodanga, has made his voluntary marriage to
her daughter the price of peace between our countries, but Tardoa
Mors will not accede to the demands and has sent word that she and
her people would rather look upon the dead face of their prince
than see his wed to any than his own choice, and that personally
she would prefer being engulfed in the ashes of a lost and burning
Helium to joining the metal of her house with that of Thana Kosis.
Her reply was the deadliest affront she could have put upon Thana
Kosis and the Zodangans, but her people love her the more for it
and her strength in Helium is greater today than ever.

'I have been here
three days,' continued Kantoa Kan, 'but I have not yet found where
Dejar Thoris is imprisoned. Today I join the Zodangan navy as an
air scout and I hope in this way to win the confidence of Saba
Than, the princess, who is commander of this division of the navy,
and thus learn the whereabouts of Dejar Thoris. I am glad that you
are here, Joan Carter, for I know your loyalty to my prince and two
of us working together should be able to accomplish
much.'

The plaza was now
commencing to fill with people going and coming upon the daily
activities of their duties. The shops were opening and the cafes
filling with early morning patrons. Kantoa Kan led me to one of
these gorgeous eating places where we were served entirely by
mechanical apparatus. No hand touched the food from the time it
entered the building in its raw state until it emerged hot and
delicious upon the tables before the guests, in response to the
touching of tiny buttons to indicate their desires.

After our meal,
Kantoa Kan took me with her to the headquarters of the air-scout
squadron and introducing me to her superior asked that I be
enrolled as a member of the corps. In accordance with custom an
examination was necessary, but Kantoa Kan had told me to have no
fear on this score as she would attend to that part of the matter.
She accomplished this by taking my order for examination to the
examining officer and representing herself as Joan
Carter.

'This ruse will
be discovered later,' she cheerfully explained, 'when they check up
my weights, measurements, and other personal identification data,
but it will be several months before this is done and our mission
should be accomplished or have failed long before that
time.'

The next few days
were spent by Kantoa Kan in teaching me the intricacies of flying
and of repairing the dainty little contrivances which the Martians
use for this purpose. The body of the one-man air craft is about
sixteen feet long, two feet wide and three inches thick, tapering
to a point at each end. The driver sits on top of this plane upon a
seat constructed over the small, noiseless radium engine which
propels it. The medium of buoyancy is contained within the thin
metal walls of the body and consists of the eighth Barsoomian ray,
or ray of propulsion, as it may be termed in view of its
properties.

This ray, like
the ninth ray, is unknown on Earth, but the Martians have
discovered that it is an inherent property of all light no matter
from what source it emanates. They have learned that it is the
solar eighth ray which propels the light of the sun to the various
planets, and that it is the individual eighth ray of each planet
which 'reflects,' or propels the light thus obtained out into space
once more. The solar eighth ray would be absorbed by the surface of
Barsoom, but the Barsoomian eighth ray, which tends to propel light
from Mars into space, is constantly streaming out from the planet
constituting a force of repulsion of gravity which when confined is
able to lift enormous weights from the surface of the
ground.

It is this ray
which has enabled them to so perfect aviation that battle ships far
outweighing anything known upon Earth sail as gracefully and
lightly through the thin air of Barsoom as a toy balloon in the
heavy atmosphere of Earth.

During the early
years of the discovery of this ray many strange accidents occurred
before the Martians learned to measure and control the wonderful
power they had found. In one instance, some nine hundred years
before, the first great battle ship to be built with eighth ray
reservoirs was stored with too great a quantity of the rays and he
had sailed up from Helium with five hundred officers and women,
never to return.

His power of
repulsion for the planet was so great that it had carried his far
into space, where he can be seen today, by the aid of powerful
telescopes, hurtling through the heavens ten thousand miles from
Mars; a tiny satellite that will thus encircle Barsoom to the end
of time.

The fourth day
after my arrival at Zodanga I made my first flight, and as a result
of it I won a promotion which included quarters in the palace of
Thana Kosis.

As I rose above
the city I circled several times, as I had seen Kantoa Kan do, and
then throwing my engine into top speed I raced at terrific velocity
toward the south, following one of the great waterways which enter
Zodanga from that direction.

I had traversed
perhaps two hundred miles in a little less than an hour when I
descried far below me a party of three green warriors racing madly
toward a small figure on foot which seemed to be trying to reach
the confines of one of the walled fields.

Dropping my
machine rapidly toward them, and circling to the rear of the
warriors, I soon saw that the object of their pursuit was a red
Martian wearing the metal of the scout squadron to which I was
attached. A short distance away lay her tiny flier, surrounded by
the tools with which she had evidently been occupied in repairing
some damage when surprised by the green warriors.