September 24, 2025 • 19 mins
Dive into The Gods of Mars, the captivating 1918 science fiction novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs, and the second installment of his iconic Barsoom series. This groundbreaking tale not only shaped the landscape of science fiction but also left an indelible mark on beloved franchises like Star Trek and Farscape. While Burroughs drew inspiration from the pulp fiction of his era, particularly westerns and swashbuckling adventures, his unique pacing and compelling themes paved the way for the soft science fiction genre. Join the fearless John Carter, a master of hand-to-hand combat and a charmer of enchanting alien women, whose character set a precedent for later icons such as Captain James T. Kirk and James Bond. Picking up after the events of A Princess of Mars, this sequel follows John Carters unexpected return to Barsoom (Mars) after a decade apart from his wife, Dejah Thoris, and their unborn child. However, his arrival is anything but ordinary, as he finds himself trapped in the Valley Dor‚Aîthe one place on Barsoom where no one is permitted to leave, believed to be the Barsoomian afterlife.
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Speaker 1 (00:01):
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. The Gods of Mars written by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and read by J. D. Weber, on
the south shores of Lake Superior, Chapter sixteen. Under arrest,
(00:24):
as Carthoris, exodarm Tars, Tarkas and I stood gazing at
the magnificent vessel which meant so much to all of us.
We saw second and then a third top the summit
of the hills, and glide gracefully after their sister. Now
a score of one man air scouts were launching from
the upper decks of the nearer vessel, and in a
moment more were speeding in long, swift dives to the
(00:45):
ground about us. In another instant, we were surrounded by
armed sailors, and an officer had stepped forward to address us,
when his eyes fell upon Carthoris. With an exclamation of
surprised pleasure, he sprang forward, and, placing his hands upon
on the boy's shoulder, called him by name, Carthoris, my prince.
He cried, kwor kowor hor vastis greets the son of
(01:07):
dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and of her husband John Carter.
Where have you been, o, my prince? All Helium has
plunged in sorrow? Terrible have been the calamities that have
befallen your great Grandsire's mighty nation since the fatal day
that saw you leave our midst Grieve not, my good
hor Vastus, cried Carthoris, since I bring not back myself
(01:29):
alone to cheer my mother's heart and the hearts of
my beloved people, but also one whom all Barsoom loved best,
her greatest warrior and her savior, John Carter, Prince of Helium.
Hor Vastus turned in the direction indicated by Carthoris, and
as his eyes fell upon me, he was like to
have collapsed from sheer surprise, John Carter, he exclaimed, And
(01:50):
then a sudden, troubled look came into his eyes. My Prince,
he started, where hast thou? And then he stopped? But
I knew the question that his lips dared not frame.
The loyal fell would not be the one to force
from mine a confession of the terrible truth that I
had returned from the bosom of the ish the river
of mystery, back from the shore of the lost Sea
of Chorus and the valley door. Ah, my prince, he continued,
(02:13):
as though no thought had interrupted his greeting, that you
are back as sufficient, and let hor Vasta's sword have
the high honor of being first at thy feet. With
these words, the noble fellow unbuckled his scabbard and flung
his sword upon the ground before me. Could you know
the customs and the character of red Martians, you would
appreciate the depth of meaning that that simple act conveyed
(02:35):
to me and to all about us who witnessed it.
The thing was equivalent to saying, my sword, my body,
my life, my soul, are yours to do with as
you wish until death and after death. I look to
you alone for authority for my every act. Be you
right or wrong, your words shall be my only truth.
Whoso raises his hand against you must answer to my sword.
(02:57):
It is the oath of fealty that men occasionally pay
to a Jeddak, whose high character and chivalrous acts have
inspired the enthusiastic love of his followers. Never had I
known this high tribute paid to a lesser mortal. There
was but one response possible. I stooped and lifted the
sword from the ground, raised the hilt to my lips,
and then, stepping to whars Vastus, I buckled the weapon
(03:19):
upon him with my own hands. Hor Vastus, I said,
placing my hand upon his shoulder, you know best the
promptings of your own heart, that I shall need your sword.
I have little doubt, but except from John Carter, upon
his sacred honor, the assurance that he will never call
upon you to draw the sword other than in the
cause of truth, justice and righteousness. That I knew, my prince,
(03:41):
he replied, erever, I threw my beloved blade at thy feet.
As we spoke, other fliers came and went between the
ground and the battleship, And presently a larger boat was
launched from above, one capable of carrying a dozen persons perhaps,
and dropped lightly near us. As she touched an off,
Sir sprang from her deck to the ground, and, advancing
(04:02):
to hor Vastis, saluted, kantos Kan desires that this party
whom we have rescued be brought immediately to the deck
of the Exavarian, he said. As we approached the little craft,
I looked about for the members of my party, and
for the first time noticed that Thuvia was not among them.
Questioning elicited the fact that none had seen her since
Carthoris had sent her thoat galloping madly toward the hills
(04:25):
in the hope of carrying her out of harm's way. Immediately,
hor Vastis dispatched a dozen air scouts in as many
directions to search for her. It could not be possible
that she had gone far since we had last seen her.
We others stepped to the deck of the craft that
had been sent to fetch us, and a moment later
we were upon the Exavarian. The first man to greet
(04:46):
me was kantos Kan himself, my old friend had won
to the highest place in the navy of Helium, but
he was still to me the same brave comrade who
had shared with me the privations of a Warnhoon dungeon,
the terrible atrocities of the Great Games, and later the
dangers of our search for dejah Thoris within the hostile
city of Zodanga. Then I had been an unknown wanderer
(05:08):
upon a strange planet, and he a simple padwar in
the navy of Helium.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
To day he commanded all Helium's great terrors of the skies,
and I was a prince of the house of Tardos
mors Jeddak of Helium. He did not ask me where
I had been. Like hor Vastus, he too dreaded the
truth and would not be the one to wrest a
statement from me. That it must come some time he
well knew. But until it came, he seemed satisfied to
(05:33):
but know that I was with him once more. He
greeted Carthoris and tars Tarkas with the keenest delight, But
he asked neither where he had been. He could scarcely
keep his hands off the boy. You do not know,
John Carter, He said to me, how we of Helium
love this son of yours. It is as though all
the great love we bore his noble father and his
poor mother had been centered in him. When it became
(05:56):
known that he was lost, ten million people wept, What
mean you, kantos Kan, I whispered by his poor mother,
for the words had seemed to carry a sinister meaning
which I could not fathom. He drew me to one
side for a year, he said, ever since Carthoris disappeared.
Dejah Thoris has grieved and mourned for her lost boy.
(06:16):
The blow of years ago when you did not return
from the atmosphere. Plant was lessened to some extent by
the duties of motherhood, For your son broke his white
shell that very night. That she suffered terribly. Then all
Helium knew, for did not all Helium suffer with her
the loss of her lord. But with the boy gone,
there was nothing left, And after expedition upon expedition returned
(06:38):
with the same hopeless tale of no clue as to
his whereabouts. Our beloved princess drooped lower and lower, until
all who saw her felt that it could be but
a matter of days. Ere she went to join her
loved ones within the precincts of the valley door as
a last resort. Moore's Kajak, her father, and tardos More's
her grandfather, took command of two mighty expeditions, and a
(07:00):
month ago sailed away to explore every inch of ground
in the northern hemisphere of Barsoom. For two weeks no
word has come back from them, but rumors were rift
that they had met with a terrible disaster, and that
all were dead. About this time, zat Arras renewed his
importunities for her hand in marriage. He has been forever
after her since you disappeared. She hated him and feared him.
(07:23):
But with both her father and grandfather gone, Zatarras was
very powerful, for he is still jed of Zodanga. To
which position you will remember, Tardos Mors appointed him after
you had refused the honor. He had a secret audience
with her six days ago. What took place none knows.
But the next day dejah Thoris had disappeared, and with
(07:44):
her had gone a dozen of her household guard and
body servants, including Sola, the Green woman, tars Tarkas's daughter.
You recall no word left they of their intentions. But
it is always thus with those who go upon the
voluntary pilgrimage, from which none returns. We cannot think aught
than that dejah Thoris has sought the icy bosom of Ish,
(08:04):
and that her devoted servants have chosen to accompany her.
Zadars was at Helium when she disappeared. He commands this
fleet which has been searching for her. Since. No trace
of her have we found, and I fear that it
be a feudal quest. While we talked, hor Vastus's fliers
were returning to the ex Severian. Not one, however, had
(08:24):
discovered a trace of Thuvia. I was much depressed over
the news of dejah Thoris's disappearance, and now there was
added the further burden of apprehension concerning the fate of
this girl, whom I believed to be the daughter of
some proud Barsomium house, and it had been my intention
to make every effort to return her to her people.
I was about to ask kantos Kan to prosecute a
(08:45):
further search for her, when a flier from the flagship
of the fleet arrived at the Exeverian with an officer
bearing a message to kantos Kan from Raus. My friend
read the despatch and then turned to me. Zadars commands
me to bring our prisoners before him. There is naught
else to do. He is supreme in Helium. Yet it
would be far more in keeping with chivalry and good
(09:07):
taste were he to come hither and greet the Savior
Barsoom with the honors that are his due. You know
full well, my friend, I said, smiling, that zat Arras
has good cause to hate me. Nothing would please him
better than to humiliate me and then to kill me.
Now that he has so excellent an excuse, let us
go and see if he has the courage to take
(09:27):
advantage of it. Summoning Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Exodar, we
entered the small flier with kantos Kan and zat Arras's officer,
and in a moment we were stepping to the deck
of Zadarras's flagship. As we approached the Jed of Zodanga,
no sign of greeting or recognition crossed his face. Not
even to Carthoris did he vouchsafe a friendly word. His
(09:49):
attitude was cold, haughty and uncompromising. Kowor zat Arras, I
said in greeting, but he did not respond. Why were
these prisoners not disarmed, he asked to kantos Kan. They
are not prisoners, Zadars, replied the officer. Two of them
are of Helium's noblest family. Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of thark Is,
Tartars Moore's best beloved ally. The other is a friend
(10:12):
and companion of the Prince of Helium. That is enough
for me to know it is not enough for me, however,
retorted Zadars. More must I hear from those who have
taken the pilgrimage than their names. Where have you been,
John Carter, I have just come from the valley door
and the land of the first born, Zadars I replied, Ah,
he exclaimed, in evident pleasure. You do not deny it.
(10:34):
Then you have returned from the bosom of issh. I
have come back from a land of false hope, from
a valley of torture and death. With my companions, I
have escaped from the hideous clutches of lying fiends. I
have come back to the barsoom that I saved from
a painless death, to again save her, but this time
from death in its most frightful form. Cease blasphemer, cried Zatars.
(10:57):
Hope not to say thy cowardly carcass by inventing horrid
lies to But he got no further. One does not
call John Carter coward and liar thus lightly, and Zadars
should have known it. Before a hand could be raised
to stop me, I was at his side, and one
hand grasped his throat. Come I from heaven or hell, Zadars,
(11:18):
you will find me still the same John Carter that
I have always been, Nor did ever man call me
such names and live without apologizing. And with that I
commenced to bend him back across my knee and tighten
my grip upon his throat, seize him. Cried stars, and
a dozen offerers sprang forward to assist him. Kantos Kan
came close and whispered to me, desist, I beg of you.
(11:41):
It will but involve us all, for I cannot see
these men lay hands upon you without aiding you. My
officers and men will join me, and we shall have
a mutiny then that may lead to the revolution for
the sake of Tardos Mors and Helium. Desist. At his words,
I released Zadarras, and, turning my back upon him, walked
(12:01):
toward the ship's rail. Come kantos Kan, I said, the
Prince of Helium would return to the Exavarian None interfered.
Zadar stood white and trembling amidst his officers. Some there
were who looked upon him with scorn and drew toward me,
while one, a man long in the service and confidence
of Tardos Mors, spoke to me in a low tone
(12:22):
as I passed him. You may count my metal among
your fighting men, John Carter, he said. I thanked him
and passed on in silence. We embarked, and shortly after
stepped once more upon the deck of the Exevarium. Fifteen
minutes later we received orders from the flagship to proceed
toward Helium. Our journey thither was uneventful. Carthoris and I
(12:43):
were wrapped in the gloomiest of thoughts. Kantos Kan was
somber and contemplation of the further calamity that might fall
upon Helium should Zadars attempt to follow the agiled precedent
that allotted a terrible death to fugitives from the valley door.
Tars Tarkas grieved for the loss of his daughter. Exodur
alone was carefree, a fugitive and outlaw. He could be
(13:06):
no worse off in Helium than elsewhere. Let us hope
that we may at least go out with good red
blood upon our blades. He said. It was a simple wish,
and one most likely to be gratified among the officers
of Exevarian. I thought I could discern division into fractions.
Ere we had reached Helium. There were those who gathered
about Carthoris and myself whenever the opportunity presented, while about
(13:29):
an equal number held aloof from us. They offered us
only the most courteous treatment, but were evidently bound by
their superstitious belief in the doctrine of door and ish
and Chorus. I could not blame them, for I knew
how strong a holy creed, however ridiculous it may be,
may gain upon an otherwise intelligent people. By returning from Dor,
(13:49):
we had committed a sacrilege. By recounting our adventures there
and stating the facts as they existed, we had outraged
the religion of their fathers. We were blasphemers lying here.
Even those who still clung to us from personal love
and loyalty, I think, did so in the face of
the fact that at heart they questioned our veracity. It
(14:09):
is very hard to accept a new religion for an old,
no matter how our luring the promises of the new
may be. But to reject the old as a tissue
of falsehoods without being offered anything in its steed, is
indeed a most difficult thing to ask of any people.
Kantos Kan would not talk of our experiences among the
urns and the first born. It is enough, he said,
(14:31):
that I jeopardize my life here and hereafter by countenancing
you all. Do not ask me to add still further
to my sins. By listening to what I have always
been taught was the rankest heresy. I knew that sooner
or later the time must come when our friends and
enemies would be forced to declare themselves openly. When we
reached Helium, there must be an accounting, And if Tardos
(14:52):
Mors had not returned, I feared that the enmity of
Zadars might weigh heavily against us, for he represented the
government of Helium. To take sides against him were equivalent
to treason. The majority of the troops would doubtless follow
the lead of their officers, and I knew that many
of the highest and most powerful men of both land
and air forces would cleave to John Carter in the
(15:13):
face of God, man or devil. On the other hand,
the majority of the populace unquestionably would demand that we
pay the penalty of our sacrilege. The outlook seemed dark
from whatever angle I viewed it, but my mind was
so torn with anguish at the thought of dejah Thoris
that I realized now that I gave the terrible question
of Helium's plight, but scant attention. At that time. There
(15:35):
was always before me, day and night a horrible nightmare
of the frightful scenes through which I knew my princess
might even then be passing the horrid plantmen, the ferocious
white apes. At times I would cover my face with
my hands in a vain effort to shut out the
fearful thing from my mind. It was in the forenoon
that we arrived above the mild high scarlet tower, which
(15:56):
marks Greater Helium from her twin city. As we descended
in great circles toward the navy docks, a mighty multitude
could be seen surging in the streets beneath Helium had
been notified by radio aerogram of our approach. From the
deck of the Exavarian. We four Carthoris, Tars, Tarkas, Exodar,
and I were transferred to a lesser flier to be
(16:16):
transported to quarters within the Temple of Reward. It is
here that Martian justice is meted to benefactor or malfactor.
Here the hero is decorated. Here the felon is condemned.
We were taken into the temple from the landing stage
upon the roof, so that we did not pass among
the people at all, as is customary always before, I
(16:37):
had seen prisoners of note or returned wanderers of eminence
paraded from the Gate of Jeddaks to the Temple of Reward,
up the broad Avenue of Ancestors, through dense crowds of
jeering or cheering citizens. I knew that zat Daris dared
not trust the people near to us, for he feared
that their love for Carthoris and myself might break into
(16:58):
a demonstration which would wipe their superstitious horror of the
crime we were to be charged with. What his plans
were I could only guess, but that they were sinister
was evidenced by the fact that only his most trusted
servitors accompanied us. Upon the flier to the Temple of Reward.
We were lodged in a room upon the south side
of the temple, overlooking the Avenue of Ancestors, down which
(17:20):
we could see the full length of the Gate of Jeddaks,
five miles away. The people in the temple plaza and
in the streets for a distance of a full mile
were standing as close packed as it was possible for
them to get. They were very orderly. There were neither
scoffs nor plaudits, and when they saw us at the
window above them, there were many who buried their faces
in their arms and wept. Late in the afternoon a
(17:43):
messenger arrived from zat Arras to inform us that we
would be tried by an impartial body of nobles in
the Great Hall of the Temple at the verse zode
Asterisk on the following day, or at about eight forty
a m earth time astik. Wherever Captain Carter had as
used Martian measurements of time, distance, weight, and the like,
(18:04):
I have translated them into as nearly their equivalent in
earthly values as is possible. His notes contain many Martian
tables and a great volume of scientific data. But since
the International Astronomic Society is at present engaged in classifying, investigating,
and verifying this vast fund of remarkable and valuable information,
(18:24):
I have felt that it will add nothing to the
interest of Captain Carter's story or to the sum total
of human knowledge. To maintain a strict adherence to the
original manuscript in these matters while it might readily confuse
the reader and detract from the interest of the history.
For those who may be interested, however, I will explain
that the Martian day is a trifle over twenty four
(18:45):
hours thirty seven minutes duration Earth time. This, the Martians
divide into ten equal parts, commencing the day at about
six a m. Earth time. The zodes are divided into
fifty shorter periods, each of which in turn is composed
of two hundred brief periods of time about equivalent to
the earthly second. The Barsoomian table of time as here
(19:06):
given is but a part of the full table appearing
in Captain Carter's notes Table two hundred towels one x
fifty x one zode, ten zodes, one revolution of Mars
upon its axis, end of Chapter sixteen.
This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
visit LibriVox dot org. The Gods of Mars written by
Edgar Rice Burroughs and read by J. D. Weber, on
the south shores of Lake Superior, Chapter sixteen. Under arrest,
(00:24):
as Carthoris, exodarm Tars, Tarkas and I stood gazing at
the magnificent vessel which meant so much to all of us.
We saw second and then a third top the summit
of the hills, and glide gracefully after their sister. Now
a score of one man air scouts were launching from
the upper decks of the nearer vessel, and in a
moment more were speeding in long, swift dives to the
(00:45):
ground about us. In another instant, we were surrounded by
armed sailors, and an officer had stepped forward to address us,
when his eyes fell upon Carthoris. With an exclamation of
surprised pleasure, he sprang forward, and, placing his hands upon
on the boy's shoulder, called him by name, Carthoris, my prince.
He cried, kwor kowor hor vastis greets the son of
(01:07):
dejah Thoris, Princess of Helium, and of her husband John Carter.
Where have you been, o, my prince? All Helium has
plunged in sorrow? Terrible have been the calamities that have
befallen your great Grandsire's mighty nation since the fatal day
that saw you leave our midst Grieve not, my good
hor Vastus, cried Carthoris, since I bring not back myself
(01:29):
alone to cheer my mother's heart and the hearts of
my beloved people, but also one whom all Barsoom loved best,
her greatest warrior and her savior, John Carter, Prince of Helium.
Hor Vastus turned in the direction indicated by Carthoris, and
as his eyes fell upon me, he was like to
have collapsed from sheer surprise, John Carter, he exclaimed, And
(01:50):
then a sudden, troubled look came into his eyes. My Prince,
he started, where hast thou? And then he stopped? But
I knew the question that his lips dared not frame.
The loyal fell would not be the one to force
from mine a confession of the terrible truth that I
had returned from the bosom of the ish the river
of mystery, back from the shore of the lost Sea
of Chorus and the valley door. Ah, my prince, he continued,
(02:13):
as though no thought had interrupted his greeting, that you
are back as sufficient, and let hor Vasta's sword have
the high honor of being first at thy feet. With
these words, the noble fellow unbuckled his scabbard and flung
his sword upon the ground before me. Could you know
the customs and the character of red Martians, you would
appreciate the depth of meaning that that simple act conveyed
(02:35):
to me and to all about us who witnessed it.
The thing was equivalent to saying, my sword, my body,
my life, my soul, are yours to do with as
you wish until death and after death. I look to
you alone for authority for my every act. Be you
right or wrong, your words shall be my only truth.
Whoso raises his hand against you must answer to my sword.
(02:57):
It is the oath of fealty that men occasionally pay
to a Jeddak, whose high character and chivalrous acts have
inspired the enthusiastic love of his followers. Never had I
known this high tribute paid to a lesser mortal. There
was but one response possible. I stooped and lifted the
sword from the ground, raised the hilt to my lips,
and then, stepping to whars Vastus, I buckled the weapon
(03:19):
upon him with my own hands. Hor Vastus, I said,
placing my hand upon his shoulder, you know best the
promptings of your own heart, that I shall need your sword.
I have little doubt, but except from John Carter, upon
his sacred honor, the assurance that he will never call
upon you to draw the sword other than in the
cause of truth, justice and righteousness. That I knew, my prince,
(03:41):
he replied, erever, I threw my beloved blade at thy feet.
As we spoke, other fliers came and went between the
ground and the battleship, And presently a larger boat was
launched from above, one capable of carrying a dozen persons perhaps,
and dropped lightly near us. As she touched an off,
Sir sprang from her deck to the ground, and, advancing
(04:02):
to hor Vastis, saluted, kantos Kan desires that this party
whom we have rescued be brought immediately to the deck
of the Exavarian, he said. As we approached the little craft,
I looked about for the members of my party, and
for the first time noticed that Thuvia was not among them.
Questioning elicited the fact that none had seen her since
Carthoris had sent her thoat galloping madly toward the hills
(04:25):
in the hope of carrying her out of harm's way. Immediately,
hor Vastis dispatched a dozen air scouts in as many
directions to search for her. It could not be possible
that she had gone far since we had last seen her.
We others stepped to the deck of the craft that
had been sent to fetch us, and a moment later
we were upon the Exavarian. The first man to greet
(04:46):
me was kantos Kan himself, my old friend had won
to the highest place in the navy of Helium, but
he was still to me the same brave comrade who
had shared with me the privations of a Warnhoon dungeon,
the terrible atrocities of the Great Games, and later the
dangers of our search for dejah Thoris within the hostile
city of Zodanga. Then I had been an unknown wanderer
(05:08):
upon a strange planet, and he a simple padwar in
the navy of Helium.
Speaker 2 (05:12):
To day he commanded all Helium's great terrors of the skies,
and I was a prince of the house of Tardos
mors Jeddak of Helium. He did not ask me where
I had been. Like hor Vastus, he too dreaded the
truth and would not be the one to wrest a
statement from me. That it must come some time he
well knew. But until it came, he seemed satisfied to
(05:33):
but know that I was with him once more. He
greeted Carthoris and tars Tarkas with the keenest delight, But
he asked neither where he had been. He could scarcely
keep his hands off the boy. You do not know,
John Carter, He said to me, how we of Helium
love this son of yours. It is as though all
the great love we bore his noble father and his
poor mother had been centered in him. When it became
(05:56):
known that he was lost, ten million people wept, What
mean you, kantos Kan, I whispered by his poor mother,
for the words had seemed to carry a sinister meaning
which I could not fathom. He drew me to one
side for a year, he said, ever since Carthoris disappeared.
Dejah Thoris has grieved and mourned for her lost boy.
(06:16):
The blow of years ago when you did not return
from the atmosphere. Plant was lessened to some extent by
the duties of motherhood, For your son broke his white
shell that very night. That she suffered terribly. Then all
Helium knew, for did not all Helium suffer with her
the loss of her lord. But with the boy gone,
there was nothing left, And after expedition upon expedition returned
(06:38):
with the same hopeless tale of no clue as to
his whereabouts. Our beloved princess drooped lower and lower, until
all who saw her felt that it could be but
a matter of days. Ere she went to join her
loved ones within the precincts of the valley door as
a last resort. Moore's Kajak, her father, and tardos More's
her grandfather, took command of two mighty expeditions, and a
(07:00):
month ago sailed away to explore every inch of ground
in the northern hemisphere of Barsoom. For two weeks no
word has come back from them, but rumors were rift
that they had met with a terrible disaster, and that
all were dead. About this time, zat Arras renewed his
importunities for her hand in marriage. He has been forever
after her since you disappeared. She hated him and feared him.
(07:23):
But with both her father and grandfather gone, Zatarras was
very powerful, for he is still jed of Zodanga. To
which position you will remember, Tardos Mors appointed him after
you had refused the honor. He had a secret audience
with her six days ago. What took place none knows.
But the next day dejah Thoris had disappeared, and with
(07:44):
her had gone a dozen of her household guard and
body servants, including Sola, the Green woman, tars Tarkas's daughter.
You recall no word left they of their intentions. But
it is always thus with those who go upon the
voluntary pilgrimage, from which none returns. We cannot think aught
than that dejah Thoris has sought the icy bosom of Ish,
(08:04):
and that her devoted servants have chosen to accompany her.
Zadars was at Helium when she disappeared. He commands this
fleet which has been searching for her. Since. No trace
of her have we found, and I fear that it
be a feudal quest. While we talked, hor Vastus's fliers
were returning to the ex Severian. Not one, however, had
(08:24):
discovered a trace of Thuvia. I was much depressed over
the news of dejah Thoris's disappearance, and now there was
added the further burden of apprehension concerning the fate of
this girl, whom I believed to be the daughter of
some proud Barsomium house, and it had been my intention
to make every effort to return her to her people.
I was about to ask kantos Kan to prosecute a
(08:45):
further search for her, when a flier from the flagship
of the fleet arrived at the Exeverian with an officer
bearing a message to kantos Kan from Raus. My friend
read the despatch and then turned to me. Zadars commands
me to bring our prisoners before him. There is naught
else to do. He is supreme in Helium. Yet it
would be far more in keeping with chivalry and good
(09:07):
taste were he to come hither and greet the Savior
Barsoom with the honors that are his due. You know
full well, my friend, I said, smiling, that zat Arras
has good cause to hate me. Nothing would please him
better than to humiliate me and then to kill me.
Now that he has so excellent an excuse, let us
go and see if he has the courage to take
(09:27):
advantage of it. Summoning Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, and Exodar, we
entered the small flier with kantos Kan and zat Arras's officer,
and in a moment we were stepping to the deck
of Zadarras's flagship. As we approached the Jed of Zodanga,
no sign of greeting or recognition crossed his face. Not
even to Carthoris did he vouchsafe a friendly word. His
(09:49):
attitude was cold, haughty and uncompromising. Kowor zat Arras, I
said in greeting, but he did not respond. Why were
these prisoners not disarmed, he asked to kantos Kan. They
are not prisoners, Zadars, replied the officer. Two of them
are of Helium's noblest family. Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of thark Is,
Tartars Moore's best beloved ally. The other is a friend
(10:12):
and companion of the Prince of Helium. That is enough
for me to know it is not enough for me, however,
retorted Zadars. More must I hear from those who have
taken the pilgrimage than their names. Where have you been,
John Carter, I have just come from the valley door
and the land of the first born, Zadars I replied, Ah,
he exclaimed, in evident pleasure. You do not deny it.
(10:34):
Then you have returned from the bosom of issh. I
have come back from a land of false hope, from
a valley of torture and death. With my companions, I
have escaped from the hideous clutches of lying fiends. I
have come back to the barsoom that I saved from
a painless death, to again save her, but this time
from death in its most frightful form. Cease blasphemer, cried Zatars.
(10:57):
Hope not to say thy cowardly carcass by inventing horrid
lies to But he got no further. One does not
call John Carter coward and liar thus lightly, and Zadars
should have known it. Before a hand could be raised
to stop me, I was at his side, and one
hand grasped his throat. Come I from heaven or hell, Zadars,
(11:18):
you will find me still the same John Carter that
I have always been, Nor did ever man call me
such names and live without apologizing. And with that I
commenced to bend him back across my knee and tighten
my grip upon his throat, seize him. Cried stars, and
a dozen offerers sprang forward to assist him. Kantos Kan
came close and whispered to me, desist, I beg of you.
(11:41):
It will but involve us all, for I cannot see
these men lay hands upon you without aiding you. My
officers and men will join me, and we shall have
a mutiny then that may lead to the revolution for
the sake of Tardos Mors and Helium. Desist. At his words,
I released Zadarras, and, turning my back upon him, walked
(12:01):
toward the ship's rail. Come kantos Kan, I said, the
Prince of Helium would return to the Exavarian None interfered.
Zadar stood white and trembling amidst his officers. Some there
were who looked upon him with scorn and drew toward me,
while one, a man long in the service and confidence
of Tardos Mors, spoke to me in a low tone
(12:22):
as I passed him. You may count my metal among
your fighting men, John Carter, he said. I thanked him
and passed on in silence. We embarked, and shortly after
stepped once more upon the deck of the Exevarium. Fifteen
minutes later we received orders from the flagship to proceed
toward Helium. Our journey thither was uneventful. Carthoris and I
(12:43):
were wrapped in the gloomiest of thoughts. Kantos Kan was
somber and contemplation of the further calamity that might fall
upon Helium should Zadars attempt to follow the agiled precedent
that allotted a terrible death to fugitives from the valley door.
Tars Tarkas grieved for the loss of his daughter. Exodur
alone was carefree, a fugitive and outlaw. He could be
(13:06):
no worse off in Helium than elsewhere. Let us hope
that we may at least go out with good red
blood upon our blades. He said. It was a simple wish,
and one most likely to be gratified among the officers
of Exevarian. I thought I could discern division into fractions.
Ere we had reached Helium. There were those who gathered
about Carthoris and myself whenever the opportunity presented, while about
(13:29):
an equal number held aloof from us. They offered us
only the most courteous treatment, but were evidently bound by
their superstitious belief in the doctrine of door and ish
and Chorus. I could not blame them, for I knew
how strong a holy creed, however ridiculous it may be,
may gain upon an otherwise intelligent people. By returning from Dor,
(13:49):
we had committed a sacrilege. By recounting our adventures there
and stating the facts as they existed, we had outraged
the religion of their fathers. We were blasphemers lying here.
Even those who still clung to us from personal love
and loyalty, I think, did so in the face of
the fact that at heart they questioned our veracity. It
(14:09):
is very hard to accept a new religion for an old,
no matter how our luring the promises of the new
may be. But to reject the old as a tissue
of falsehoods without being offered anything in its steed, is
indeed a most difficult thing to ask of any people.
Kantos Kan would not talk of our experiences among the
urns and the first born. It is enough, he said,
(14:31):
that I jeopardize my life here and hereafter by countenancing
you all. Do not ask me to add still further
to my sins. By listening to what I have always
been taught was the rankest heresy. I knew that sooner
or later the time must come when our friends and
enemies would be forced to declare themselves openly. When we
reached Helium, there must be an accounting, And if Tardos
(14:52):
Mors had not returned, I feared that the enmity of
Zadars might weigh heavily against us, for he represented the
government of Helium. To take sides against him were equivalent
to treason. The majority of the troops would doubtless follow
the lead of their officers, and I knew that many
of the highest and most powerful men of both land
and air forces would cleave to John Carter in the
(15:13):
face of God, man or devil. On the other hand,
the majority of the populace unquestionably would demand that we
pay the penalty of our sacrilege. The outlook seemed dark
from whatever angle I viewed it, but my mind was
so torn with anguish at the thought of dejah Thoris
that I realized now that I gave the terrible question
of Helium's plight, but scant attention. At that time. There
(15:35):
was always before me, day and night a horrible nightmare
of the frightful scenes through which I knew my princess
might even then be passing the horrid plantmen, the ferocious
white apes. At times I would cover my face with
my hands in a vain effort to shut out the
fearful thing from my mind. It was in the forenoon
that we arrived above the mild high scarlet tower, which
(15:56):
marks Greater Helium from her twin city. As we descended
in great circles toward the navy docks, a mighty multitude
could be seen surging in the streets beneath Helium had
been notified by radio aerogram of our approach. From the
deck of the Exavarian. We four Carthoris, Tars, Tarkas, Exodar,
and I were transferred to a lesser flier to be
(16:16):
transported to quarters within the Temple of Reward. It is
here that Martian justice is meted to benefactor or malfactor.
Here the hero is decorated. Here the felon is condemned.
We were taken into the temple from the landing stage
upon the roof, so that we did not pass among
the people at all, as is customary always before, I
(16:37):
had seen prisoners of note or returned wanderers of eminence
paraded from the Gate of Jeddaks to the Temple of Reward,
up the broad Avenue of Ancestors, through dense crowds of
jeering or cheering citizens. I knew that zat Daris dared
not trust the people near to us, for he feared
that their love for Carthoris and myself might break into
(16:58):
a demonstration which would wipe their superstitious horror of the
crime we were to be charged with. What his plans
were I could only guess, but that they were sinister
was evidenced by the fact that only his most trusted
servitors accompanied us. Upon the flier to the Temple of Reward.
We were lodged in a room upon the south side
of the temple, overlooking the Avenue of Ancestors, down which
(17:20):
we could see the full length of the Gate of Jeddaks,
five miles away. The people in the temple plaza and
in the streets for a distance of a full mile
were standing as close packed as it was possible for
them to get. They were very orderly. There were neither
scoffs nor plaudits, and when they saw us at the
window above them, there were many who buried their faces
in their arms and wept. Late in the afternoon a
(17:43):
messenger arrived from zat Arras to inform us that we
would be tried by an impartial body of nobles in
the Great Hall of the Temple at the verse zode
Asterisk on the following day, or at about eight forty
a m earth time astik. Wherever Captain Carter had as
used Martian measurements of time, distance, weight, and the like,
(18:04):
I have translated them into as nearly their equivalent in
earthly values as is possible. His notes contain many Martian
tables and a great volume of scientific data. But since
the International Astronomic Society is at present engaged in classifying, investigating,
and verifying this vast fund of remarkable and valuable information,
(18:24):
I have felt that it will add nothing to the
interest of Captain Carter's story or to the sum total
of human knowledge. To maintain a strict adherence to the
original manuscript in these matters while it might readily confuse
the reader and detract from the interest of the history.
For those who may be interested, however, I will explain
that the Martian day is a trifle over twenty four
(18:45):
hours thirty seven minutes duration Earth time. This, the Martians
divide into ten equal parts, commencing the day at about
six a m. Earth time. The zodes are divided into
fifty shorter periods, each of which in turn is composed
of two hundred brief periods of time about equivalent to
the earthly second. The Barsoomian table of time as here
(19:06):
given is but a part of the full table appearing
in Captain Carter's notes Table two hundred towels one x
fifty x one zode, ten zodes, one revolution of Mars
upon its axis, end of Chapter sixteen.
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