NORTTI PLATTE SEMI-WEEKLY TRIBUNE.
A : T"RIJVCESS
OF M A. US J
Copyright, A. 0. McCIur d Company
"I AM HAPPY HERE."
BynoinlH. Tlio author tells of hln
acquaintance with the hero of one
ot the mont remarkable adventure
ever recorded. I'Yom a ninnuftcrlnt
left by hln friend he has vividly net
out the strange happrnlngs which
nroii-cht tof-ether a brave Vlwlnliin
gentleman and a Prlncen of Mara.
In the Arizona hills John Carter,
mining proHpcctor and ax-Confed-erato
soldier, tlcilng from a war
party n( Apuchna, taken refuge In
a. cave the atmosphere of which
has n remarkable effect on him,
Yleldlne to Its Influence he sink
Into unconnclouHticsR, hln last
thoughts centered on the glow from
the planet Mum. Awuklnx. Carter
realizes that he Iuih, In Home In
comprehensible manner, been trans
ported to Mars. He Is captured by
Tars Tarltus and u party of Mar
tian warriors. He Is conveyed, a
prisoner, to a Martian city. Three
days later a fleet of nlrdhlps from
the neighboring state of Helium Is
attacked by Carter's captors, the
groon Martians. One of the air
ships Is captured. Among the pris
oners Is u young woman of a 'rum
different from the green MarlliuiB
and closely resembling the women
of the eurth. Carter usrertultiH
that the fair prisoner's nunio Is
Dejah Thoris, granddaughter of the
jeddak, or ruler, of Helium. Ac
cording to custom she Is doomed to
dlo by torture. He rights fur her
and huatires hor of his Sympathy.
John learns the lunguugp and be
comes a chieftain, though still a
iioiiilnul prisoner. Uejali Is put In
chargn of Bola, a frlundly woman.
The two prlsoneis plan to escape
before Dojuh Thoris la taken be
fore the supreme ruler of the Orecu
Martians, Tal UiOus.
CHAPTER VII Continued.
0
On the evening before our departure
I .saw them upprouchliu along one of
the great avenues which lend Into the
plaza from the east. 1 advanced to
meet thcin, mid telling Sola ttmt I
would take the responsibility for De
tail Thoris' safe keeping, I directed
her to rot urn to her quarters on some
Ulvlnl errand. I liked and trusted
Holn, hut for some reason I desired
in be alone with Dejuli Thoris, who
represented to mo nil that I had left
lichlud upon JCurlh In aijreeable and
oniiKoiilnl companionship,
Thnt she shared my sentiments In
this rcApect I was positive, for on my
approach the look of pitiful hopeless
ness left her sweet countenunee to he
replaced liy u stullo of Joyful welcome.
as she placed her little right hand up
on my left shoulder In true red Mar
Hun sftlute.
"I think they have been trying to
heep uk apart," she said, "for when-
'cr you htivc been off duty one of
the older women of Tars Tarkas' ret
inue tins always arranged to trump
up some excuse to eel Sola and nie
out of sight. They have had me down
In the pits below the buildings help
ing them mix their awful radium pow
der, and make their terrible projectiles,
vou know that these have to bo man-
Rw in evte.
The Touch of My Arm Upon Her
Naked Shoulder Had Spoken to Me
In Words I Could Not Mistake
ufnclured by artificial light, ns expos
ure to sunlight nlwuys results In tin
explosion, You have noticed that their
bullets explode when they strike an
object? Well, the opaque, outer coat
dig Is broken by the Impact, exposing
u itluss cylinder, n linos t solid. In the
foi ward end of which Is a minute pur-
Hole of radium powder. The moment
the sunlight, even though diffused,
xtilkes this powtler It explodes with
ii violence which nothing can with-
ttiuud."
While I was much Interested In
in lull Thoris1 explanation of this won
derful adjunct to Martian warfare, I
vas more concerned by the Immediate
problem of their treatment of her,
5.'hat they wero keeping her nway front
p34s was not n matter for surprise, but
tliut they should subject her lo dun-
Kcrous nnd nrduous labor tilled me
wltli raiie.
"Have they ever subjected you to to nccompany Ijjcr, I turned dlsconso
uelty and Ignominy, Dejah Thoris?" lately and entered my own house. 1
cruc
I asked, feeling the hot blood of my
fighting ancestors lenp In my veins
ns I iiwnlted her reply.
"Only In little ways, John Carter,"
she answered. "Nothing that can
harm me outside my pride. At heart
they hute their horrid fates, mid so
wreak their poor spite on me who
stands for everything they have not,
nnd for all they most crave and never
en n attain. Let us pity them, my
ehleflnln. for even though we die at
their hands we can afford pity, since
we are grenter than they and they
know It."
i presume It Is the better part of
wisdom that we bow to our fate with
as good grace as possible. Dejah Thor
is; bu I hope, nevertheless, that 1 may
he present the next time that any
Martian, green, red, pink, or violet,
hub the temerity -to even so much as
frown on you, my princess."
Dejah Thoris caught her breath tit
my last words, and gazed upon me
with diluted eyes and qulckenl'i-
breath, and then, with an odd little
laugh, which brought roguish dim
ples to fhe corners ofhor mouth, she
shook her head and cried :
"What a child! A great warrior
and yet a stumbling child."
"What have I done now?" I asked,
In sore perplexity.
"Some day you shall know, John
Carter, If we live; but I may not tell
you. And I, the daughter of Mors
Kajak, son of Turtlos Mors, have
listened without auger," she solilo
quized In conclusion.
Then she broke out again Into one
of her gay, happy, laughing moods;
Joking with mo on my prowess as a
Tluirk warrior as contrasted with my
soft heart nnd natural kindliness.
I "was very curious to know what
I had said or done to cause her so
much perturbntlon n moment before
and so I continued to Importune her
to enlighten me.
"No." she exclaimed. "It Is enough
that you have said It and thnt I have
listened. And when you learn, John
Carter, and If I be dead, as llkeiy
enough I shall be ere the further moon
has circled Ilursooui another twelve
times, remember that I listened and
that I smiled."
It was all CSrcck to me, but the more
I begged her to explain the more pos
itive became her denials! of my re
quest, and. so, In very hopelessness,
I desisted.
The chill of the Mnrtlan night was
upon us, and removing my silks I threw
them across the shoulders of Dejah
Thoris. As my arm rested for an In
stant upon her I felt n thrill pass
through every fiber of my being ns
such a contact with no other mortal
had ever produced; and It seemed to
me thnt she had leaned slightly to
ward me, but of that I was not sure.
I loved Dejah Thoris. The touch
of my arm upon her naked shoulder
had spoken to mo In words I could
not mistake, nnd I knew that I had
loved her since the first moment thnt
my eyes had met hers that llrst time
In the plaza of, tho dend city of kor
ad.
My first Impulse was to tell her of
my love, and then I thought of the
helplessness of her position wherein
I alone could lighten the burdens of
her captivity, and prote-t her In my
poor way against the thousands of
hereditary enemies she must face up
on our arrival at Tlmrk. I could not
chance causing her additional pnln or
sorrow by declaring a lovo which, In
all probability she did not return.
"Why nre you so quiet, Dejah Thor
is?" 1 asked. "Possibly you would
rather return to Sola and your quar
ters."
"No," shomurmured, "I am happy
here. I do not know why It Is that
I should always bo happy and con
tented when you, John Carter, a
stranger, nre with mo; yet lit such
times It seems that I am safe ami
that, with you, I shall soon return to
my father's court and feel his strong
arms about me and my mother's tears
and kisses on my check."
'Do people Idas, then, upon Hnr-
soom?" I nsked, when sho had ex
plained tbo word sho used, In nnswer
to my Inquiry as to lis meaning,
"Parents, brothers, nnd sisters, yes;
and," she ndded In a low, thoughtful
tone, "lovers.
"And you, Dejah Thoris. have par
cuts nnd brothers nnd sisters r
"Yes."
"And a lover?"
She was silent, nor could I ven
ture to repent the question.
"The man of Barsootn." sho finally
ventured, "does not ask personal
questions of women, except his mother,
and the woman he has fought for and
won."
"Hut I have fought" I started, and
then I wished my tonguo bad been cut
from my mouth; for she turned even
ns I caught myself and ceased, and
drawing my silks from her shoulder
sViu held them out to me. and without
a word, nnd with head held high,
sho moved with the carriage of the
queen sho was toward the plaza and
the doorway of lier quarters.
I did not attempt to follow her,
other than to see that she reached the
building In safety, but, directing W'ooln
sat for hours cross-legged, and cross-
tempered, upon' my silks meditating
upon the queer freaks chance plays
upon us poor devils of mortals.
I was a fool, but I was In love, nnd
though 1 wns suffering tiie greatest
misery I find ever known I would not
have had It otherwise for all the
riches of Hareoom. Such Is love, and
such are lovers wherever iove Ik
known.
To me Dejah Thoris wan all thnt
was perfect ; alt that was virtuous
and beautiful and noble nnd good.
I Sought Out Dejah Thoris in the
Throng of Departing Chariots.
I believed that 'from the bottom of
my heart, from the depth of my soul
on that night In Korad as 1 sat cross-
legged upon my silks, nnd I believe
It today as I sit nt my desk In the
little study overlooking the Hudson.
L'wcnty years have Intervened ; for ten
of them I lived and fought for Dejah
Thoris and her people, and for ten
I have lived upon her memory.
The rmrning of our departure for
Thark I souiir out Dejali Thoris In
the throng of departing chariots, but
sho turned her shoulder to me, nnd 1
could see the red blood mount to her
cheek. With the foolish Inconsistency
of love I held my peace when I might
have pleaded Ignornnce of the nnture
of my offense, or nt least the gravity
of It, and so have effected, at worst,
a half conciliation.
My duty dictated thnt .1 must see
that she wns comfortable, and so 1
glanced Into her chnrlot nnd re
arranged her silks and furs. In doing
so I noted with horror that she was
heavily chained by one tinkle to the
side of the vehicle.
"Whnt does this mean?" I cried,
turning to Soln.
"Sarkoja thought It best." she an
swered, her fnce betokening her dis
approval of the procedure.
I turned nnd sought out lars Tar
kits, to whom I vehemently objected to
the unnecessary humiliations anil
cruelties, ns they seemed to my lover's
eyes, that were, being heaped upon
Dejah Thoris.
John Carter," ho answered, "if ever
vou and uojan Maoris escape me
Thnrks It will be upon this Journey.
We know that you will not go with
out her. You hnvo shown yourself
n mighty tighter, nnd wo do not wish
to mnnaclo you, so wo hold you both
In tbo easiest wny that will yet ensure
security. I hnvo spoken,"
I saw the strength of his reason
lug nt a flash, and knew thnt It were
futile to appeal from ids decision
"This much, Tars Tarkas, you tuny
do for too In roturn for the friend
ship that, I must confess, I feel for
you."
"1-Mendshln?" ho replied. "There
Is no such thing, John Carter; but
hnvo your will. I shnll direct that
Sarkoja censo to nnnoy the girl, and
1 myself will tnke the custody of the
key."
That night as we were making camp
I saw him unfasten Dejah Thoris'
fetters himself.
As 1 wno approaching Dejah Thoris'
chnrlot I passed Sarkoja, nnd the
black, venomous look sho accorded
me wits the sweetest bnlm I had felt
for many hours.
A few moments Inter I saw her deep
In conversation with n warrior named
'ad; n big, hulking, powerful hrute,
but one who hnd never made a kill
among his own chieftains, and so was
still an "o niad." or man with one
name; he could win n second nnme
only with the metnl of some chief
tain. .It was this custom which en
titled mu to the names of either of
EDGAR RICE
BURROUGHS
Author of
Tarzan of the
Apes
the chieftains I had killed; In fact,
some of the warriors addressed me
ns Dotar Hojat, a combination of the
surnames of the two warrior chieftains
whose metul I hnd taken, or. In other
words, whom I hnd slain In fair light.
As Sarkoja talked with Zad be cast
occasional glonces In my direction,
while she seemed to be urging him
very strongly to some action.' I pnld
little attention to.lt at the time, hut
the next day I had good reason to re
call the circumstances, nnd nt the
same time gain a slight insight Into
the dppths of Sarkoju's haired and the
lengths to which she was capable of
going to wreak her horrid vengeance
on me.
We broke camp the next day at an
early hour and marched with only a
single halt until just before dnrk. Two
Incidents broke the tcdiousncss of the
march. About noon we espied fur to
our right what wa evidently an Incu
bator, and Lorqnas I'tomel directed
Tars Tnrkas to Investigate It. The
latter took a dozen wnrrlors. Includ
ing myself, and we raced ucrois the
velxety cnrpetlng of moss to the little
enclosure.
Tars Tarkas dismounted and exam
ined the lnclosuro minutely, finally an
nouncing thnt It belonged to the green
men of Wnrlnon and that the cement
was senrcely dry where It Irnd been
walled up.
"They cannot be n day's march
ahead of us," he exclaimed, the light
of bnttle leaping to bis fierce face.
The work at the Incubutor was short
indeed. The warriors tore open the
entrance and a couple of them, crawl
ing In, soon demolished all the efjus
with their short-swords Then re
mounting we dashed bnck to join the
cnvnlcade. During the ride I took
occasion to ask Tnrs Tnrkns if these
"Wnrhoons whose eggs we "had de
stroyed were a smaller people than
his Thurks.
"I noticed that their eggs were so
much smaller than those I saw hatch
ing In your Incubator," 1 added.
He explained that the eggs hatLJust
been placed there; but, like all green
Martian eggs, they would grow dur
ing the five-year period of Incubation
until they obtained the size of those
I had seen batching on the day of my
arrival on Barsoom. This was Indeed
an Interesting piece of Information,
for It hnd always seemed remurknhle
to me that the green Martian women,
large as they were, could bring forth
such enormous eggs as I had seen
the four-foot Infants emerging, from.
As n matter of fact, the new-lald egsr
Is but little larger than an ordinary
goose egg, and as It does not com
mence to grow until fjubjected to the
light of the sun the chieftains have
little, difficulty In transporting sev
eral hundreds of them nt one time
from the storage vault to the Incubat
ors.
Shortly after the Incident of the.
Wnrhoon eggs we halted to rest the
nulmnls. and It was during this halt
that the second of the day's Interest
ing episodes occurred. 1 was engaged
In changing my riding cloths from
one or my tnoats to tne oiner. ior i
divided the day's work between them,
when Zad approached me, nnd with
out a word struck the animal a ter
rific blow with his long-sword.
I did not need a manual of green
Mnrtlan etiquette to know whnt reply
to make," for, in fact, I was so wild
with anger that I could scarcely re
frain from drawing my pistol nnd
shooting down the brute he was; but
he stood waiting with drawn long
sword, and my only choice was to
draw my own and meet htm lu fair
fight with his choice ot weapons or
n lesser one.
I chose the same weapon he had
drawn because ho prided himself upon
his ability' with It. and I wished, If I
worsted him at all, to do It with Ids
own weapon. The entire community
surrounded us, leaving a clear space
nbout one hundred feet In diameter
for our battle.
Zad llrst attempted to rush me down
as a bull might a wolf, hut I was much
too quick for him, nnd each time I
side-stepped his rushes he would go
lunging past me, only to receive a
nick from my sword upon Ids' arm ot
bnck. He wns soon strenmlng blood
from n half dozen minor wounds, hut
I could not obtain nn opening to de
liver nn effective thrust. Then he
changed his tactics, and lighting warily
and with extreme dexterity, he tried
to do by science what he wns unable
to do by brute strength.
We circled for some time without
doing much damage on either side, the
long, straight, needle-like swords Hash
Ing In the sunlight, nnd ringing out
upon the stillness as they crashed to
gether with ench effective pnrry.
Finally Zad, renllzlng thnt he wns tir
ing more thnn I. evidently decided to
close In and end the bnttlo In a final
blaze of glory for himself; just ns he
rushed me a blinding flash of light
struck full In my eyes, so that I could
only leap blindly to one side In nn
effort to escape the mighty blade thnt
It seemed I could already feel In my
vitals. I was only partially success
ful, iih n sharp pnln In tuy left shoul
der attested, hut In tbo sweep of my
glance ns I sought to again locate xaj
adversary, n sight met my astonished
gnze which pnld mo welt for the wound
the temporary blindness had caused
tne. There, upon Dejnh Thoris' chariot,
stood three flipres, for the purpose
evidently of witnessing the encounter
nbove the bends of the Intervening
Thnrks. There we.ro Dejnh Thoris,
bola, and barkoja, nnd us my fleet
ing glnnce swept over them a llttlo
tnblenti wns presented which will
stand graven In my memory to the
tiny of my death.
As I looked, Dejnh Thoris turned
upon Sarkoja with the fury of n young
tigress and struck something from her
upraised hand; something which
flashed In the sunlight us It spun to
the ground. Thon I knew what hnd
blinded me nt thnt crucial moment
of the fight, and how Sarkoja hnd
round a way to kill me without her
self delivering the .final thrust. An
other thing I suw, too, which ulmost
lost my life for me then nnd there, for
It took my mind for the fraction of
un Instant entirely from my antago
nist; Tor, as Dejah Thoris struck tbo
tiny mirror from her hand, Sarkoja,
her face livid with hatred nnd baffled
rirge. whipped out her dugger nnd
aimed n terrific blow at Dejnh Thoris;
nnd then Soln, our dear nnd faithful
Sola, sprang between them; the last
1 saw was the great knife descending
upon her shielding breast.
My enemy had recovered from his
thrust and wus making It extremely
Interesting for me. so 1 reluctantly
gave my attention to the work In
timid, but my mind was not upon tbo
buttle.
We rushed each other furiously time
after time, 'til suddenly, feeling the
sharp point of his sword at my breast
in a thrust 1 could neither parry nor
escape,' I threw myself upon him with
outstretched sword and with all the
weight of my body, determined that
I would not die nlone If 1 could pre
vent It. I felt the steel tear Into my
chest, all went blnck before -me, my
bead whirled In dizziness, und I felt
my knees giving beneath tne.
CHAPTER VIII, rif
i -i
Sola Tells Me Her Story.
When consciousness returned, nnd,
ns I soon learned, 1 was down but a
moment, I sprang quickly to my feet
searching for my sword, nnd there I
found It. burled to the hilt In the green
breast of Znd, who lay stone dead
upon the ochre moss of the undent
sea bottom. As I regained my full
senses I found his weapon piercing
my left hronxt, but only through the
flesh and muscles' .which cover my
ribs, entering near the center of my
chest and coming out below tho shoul
der. As I lunged I had turned so thnt
his sword merely passed beneath the
muscles. Inflicting a painful bnt not
dangerous wound.
Removing the blade from my body
I also regained my own, and turning
my back upon his ugly curcass. I
moved, sick, sure, and disgusted, to
ward the churiots which bore my ret
inue and my belongings. A murmur
of Martian npplause greeted me, but
1 cared not for ft.
Bleeding and weak I reached my
women, who, accustomed to such hap
penings, dressed my wounds, apply
ing the wonderful healing and remedi
al agents which make only the most
instantaneous of death blows fatnl.
As soon ns they were through with
me I hastened to the chariot of Dejah
Thoris, where I found my poor Sola
with her chest swathed In bandages,
but apparently little the worse for
her encounter with Sarkoja. whose
dagger It seemed had struck-the edge
of one of Soln's metnl breast orna
ments and, thus detlected. bad indicted
but a slight flesh wound.
As 1 approached I found Dejah Thor
is lying prone upon her silks and furs,
Her Lithe Form Racked With Sobs.
her lithe form racked with sobs. Sho
did not notice my presence, nor did
she hear me speaking with Sola, who
was standing a short distance from
the vehicle.
Sola tells her secret.
(TO UB CONTINUED.)
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