16 - The Gods of Mars - Under Arrest

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Gods of Mars, chapter sixteen. Under arrest, as Carthoris,
Zodar Tars Tarkas and I stood gazing at the magnificent vessel,
which meant so much to all of us. We saw
a second and then a third top the summit of
the hills, and glide gracefully after their sister. Now a

(00:24):
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 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,

(00:46):
he sprang forward, and, placing his hands upon the boy's shoulder,
called him by name. Carthoris, my prince. He cried, kaor
kaor hor vastus greets the son of dejah Thoris, Princess
of Helium, and of her husband John Carter. Where have
you been, o, my prince? All Helium has been plunged

(01:09):
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 alone to
cheer my mother's heart and the hearts of my beloved people,
but also one whom all Barsoom loved best, her greatest

(01:32):
warrior and her savior, John Carter, Princess 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 then
a sudden, troubled look came into his eyes. My prince,

(01:55):
he started, where hast thou? And then he stopped. But
I knew the question that his lips dared not frame.
The loyal fellow would not be the one to force
from mine a confession of the terrible truth, that I
return from the bosom of the Iss, the river of Mystery,
back from the shore of the lost Sea of Chorus
and the valley door. Ah, My prince, he continued, as

(02:19):
though no thought had interrupted his greeting. That you are
back is sufficient, and let hor Vastu'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

(02:40):
depth of meaning that that simple act convey 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 right or wrong,

(03:01):
your words shall be my only truth. Whoso raises his
hand against you must answer to my sword. 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 pay to a lesser mortal. There was but one

(03:25):
response possible. I stooped and lifted the sword from the ground,
raised the hilt to my lips, and then, stepping to
hor Vastus, I buckle the weapon 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,

(03:45):
that I shall need your sword. I have little doubt
but except from John Carter upon this sacred honor, the
assurance that he will never call upon you to draw
this sword other than in the cause of truth, justice
and righteousness. That I knew, my prince, he replied. Ere ever,
I threw my beloved blade at thy feet. As we spoke,

(04:08):
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 officer sprang from her
deck to the ground, and, advancing to hor Vastus, saluted,
kantos Kan desires that this party whom we have rescued,

(04:31):
be brought immediately to the deck of the Xaverian, he said.
As we approached the little craft, I looked about for
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 in the hope of

(04:53):
carrying her out of harm's way. Immediately, hor Vastus 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 were upon
the Xaverian. The first man to greet me was kantos

(05:16):
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 Warhoon Dungeon, the terrible atrocities
of the Great Games, and later the dangers of our
search for dejah Thoris within the hostile city of Zodanga.

(05:39):
Then I had been an unknown wanderer upon a strange planet,
and he a simple padwar in the navy of Helium.
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

(06:01):
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
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

(06:22):
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
known that he was lost, ten million people wept, What

(06:44):
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.
The blow of years ago when you did not return

(07:06):
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

(07:28):
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. Mors Kajak, her father, and Tardos Mors,

(07:49):
her grandfather, took command of two mighty expeditions, and a
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 rife
that they had met with a terrible disaster and that
all were dead. About this time, zat Arras renewed his

(08:11):
importunities for her hand in marriage. He has been forever
after her since you disappeared. She hated him and feared him,
But with both her father and grandfather gone, zat Arras
was very powerful, for he still jed of Zodanga, to
which position you will remember. Tardos Mors appointed him after

(08:31):
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
her had gone a dozen of her household guard and
body servants, including Sola the Green woman, tars Tarkas daughter.

(08:51):
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 iss,
and that her devoted servants have chosen to accompany her.

(09:12):
Zat Eiras 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 futile quest. While we talked, Hors Vastus
fliers were returning to the Xaverian. Not one, however, had
discovered a trace of Thuvia. I was much depressed over

(09:36):
the news of dejah thoris 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 Barsoomian 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

(09:56):
further search for her, when a flier from the flagship
of the the fleet arrived at the Savarian with an
officer bearing a message to kantos Kan from Arras. My
friend read the dispatch and then turned to me. Zat
Arras commands me to bring our prisoners before him. There
is naught else to do. He is supreme in Helium.

(10:17):
Yet it would be far more in keeping with chivalry
and good taste were he to come hither and greet
the Savior of 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 than to
kill me. Now that he is so excellent an excuse,

(10:40):
let us go and see if he has the courage
to take advantage of it. Summoning Carthoris, tars Tarkas, and
Sodar we entered the small flier with Kantus Khan and
zat Arras officer, and in a moment were stepping to
the deck of zat arras flagship. As we approached the
Jed of Zodanga, no sign of greeting or recognition crossed

(11:02):
his face. Not even to Carthoris did he vouchsafe a
friendly word. His attitude was cold, haughty and uncompromising. Chaor,
zat Arras, I said in greeting, but he did not respond.
Why were these prisoners not disarmed, he asked to Kantos Kan.

(11:23):
They are not prisoner, zat Arras replied the officer. Two
of them are of Helium's noblest family, Tars Tarkas Jeddak
of thark Is Tardos Moore's best beloved ally. The other
is a friend and companion of the Prince of Helium.
That is enough for me to know. It is not
enough for me, however, retorted zat Arras. More must I

(11:46):
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 firstborn.
Zat Arras, I replied, Ah, he exclaimed in evident pleasure.
You do not deny it, then you have returned from
the bosom of iss. I have come back from a

(12:09):
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 save from a painless death, to again save her,
but this time from death in its most frightful form.
Cease blasphemer, cried zat Arras, hope not to save thy

(12:32):
cowardly carcass by inventing horrid lies to But he got
no further. One does not call John Carter coward and
liar thus lightly, and zat Arras should have known it
beforehand could be raised to stop me. I was at
his side, and one hand grasped his throat. Come I
from heaven or hell, zat Arras, you will find me

(12:55):
still the same John Carter that I have always been.
Nor did ever men call me such names and live
without apologizing. And with that I commenced to bend him
back across my knee and tight my grip upon his throat.
Seize him, cried zad Arras, and a dozen officers sprang
forward to assist him. Kantos Kan came close and whispered

(13:18):
to me, desist, I beg of you. 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 Tardars,
Moors and Helium. Desist. At his words, I released zad Arras, and,

(13:40):
turning my back upon him, walked toward the ship's rail.
Come kantos Kan, I said, the Prince of Helium would
return to the Xaverian. None interfered. Zat Arras stood white
and trembling amidst his officers. Some there were who looked
upon him with scorn and drew toward me, while one,

(14:02):
a man long in the service and confidence of Tardos Mors,
spoke to me in a low tone. 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 Xaverian. Fifteen minutes later we received orders

(14:25):
from the flagship to proceed toward Helium. Our journey thither
was uneventful. Carthoris and I were wrapped in the gloomiest
of thoughts. Kantos Kan was somber in contemplation of the
further calamity that might fall upon Helium. Should zat Arras
attempt to follow the age old president that allotted a

(14:46):
terrible death to fugitives from the valley door tars Tarkas
grieved for the loss of his daughter. Zodar alone was
care free, a fugitive and outlaw. He could be no
worse off in Helium than elsewhere. Let us hope that
we may at least go out with a good red
blood upon our blades. He said. It was a simple wish,

(15:09):
and one most likely to be gratified Among the officers
of the Xaverian I thought I could discern division into
factions ere we had reached Helium. There were those who
gathered about Carthoris and myself whenever the opportunity presented, while
about an equal number held aloof from us. They offered

(15:29):
us only the most courteous treatment, but were evidently bound
by their superstitious belief in the doctrine of dor and
iss and chorus. I could not blame them, for I
knew how strong a hold a creed, however ridiculous it
may be, may gain upon an otherwise intelligent people. By
returning from Dor, we had committed a sacrilege. By recounting

(15:53):
our adventures there and stating the facts as they existed.
We had outraged the religion of their fathers. We were blasphemers,
lying heretics. 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.

(16:13):
It is very hard to accept a new religion for
an old, no matter how alluring the promises of the
new may be. But to reject the old as a
tissue of falsehoods without being offered anything in its stead,
is indeed a most difficult thing to ask of any people.
Kantos Kan would not talk of our experiences among the
Thorns and the first Born. It is enough, he said,

(16:37):
that I jeopardize my life here and hereafter by countenancing
you at 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

(16:58):
we reached Helium, their must be in accounting. And if
Tardos Mors had not returned, I feared that the enmity
of Zadarras 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

(17:20):
many of the highest and most powerful men of both
land and air forces would cleave to John Carter in
the 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

(17:42):
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
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 plant men, the

(18:03):
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 mile high Scarlet Tower,
which marks greater Helium from her twin city. As we
descended in great circles toward the navy docks, a mighty

(18:25):
multitude could be seen surging in the streets beneath Helium
had been notified by radio aerogram of our approach. From
the deck of the Xaverian. We four Carthoris, Tars Tarkas, Zodar,
and I were transferred to a lesser flier to be
transported to quarters within the Temple of Reward. It is

(18:45):
here that Martian justice is meted to benefactor and malefactor.
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
had seen prisoners of notes or returned wanderers of eminence

(19:09):
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 Zadarras dared not
trust the people near to us, for he feared that
their love for Carthoris and myself might break into a
demonstration which would wipe out their superstitious horror of the

(19:32):
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

(19:54):
we could see the full length to the gate of Jeddaks,
five miles away. The people in the 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

(20:16):
faces in their arms and wept. Late in the afternoon
a messenger arrived from Zadaris to inform us that we
would be tried by an impartial body of nobles in
the Great Hall of the Temple at the first Zode
on the following day, or about eight forty a m
Earth time footnote. Wherever Captain Carter has used Martian measurements

(20:39):
of time, distance, weight, and the like, 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

(21:00):
this vast fund of remarkable and valuable information, 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 what it might readily confuse the reader and
detract from the interest of the story. For those who

(21:21):
may be interested, however, I will explain that the Martian
day is a trifle over twenty four 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

(21:43):
brief periods of time about equivalent to the earthly second.
The Barsoomian table of time as here given is but
a part of the full table appearing in Captain Carter's notes,
Table two hundred twels, one zat, fifty zats, one zode,

(22:04):
ten zodes, one revolution of Mars upon its axis, end
of Chapter sixteen