A Princess of Mars Rethroned

by Edna Rice Burroughs

CHAPTER XXI

  AN AIR SCOUT FOR ZODANGA

  As I proceeded on my journey toward Zodanga many strange and interesting sights arrested my attention, and at the several farm houses where I stopped I learned a number of new and instructive things concerning the methods and manners of Barsoom.

  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 fo
r 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.

  They were now almost upon her; their flying mounts charging down on the relatively puny figure at terrific speed, while the warriors leaned low to the right, with their great metal-shod spears. Each seemed striving to be the first to impale the poor Zodangan and in another moment her fate would have been sealed had it not been for my timely arrival.

  Driving my fleet air craft at high speed directly behind the warriors I soon overtook them and without diminishing my speed I rammed the prow of my little flier between the shoulders of the nearest. The impact sufficient to have torn through inches of solid steel, hurled the fellow's headless body into the air over the head of her thoat, where it fell sprawling upon the moss. The mounts of the other two warriors turned squealing in terror, and bolted in opposite directions.

  Reducing my speed I circled and came to the ground at the feet of the astonished Zodangan. She was warm in her thanks for my timely aid and promised that my day's work would bring the reward it merited, for it was none other than a cousin of the jeddak of Zodanga whose life I had saved.

  We wasted no time in talk as we knew that the warriors would surely return as soon as they had gained control of their mounts. Hastening to her damaged machine we were bending every effort to finish the needed repairs and had almost completed them when we saw the two green monsters returning at top speed from opposite sides of us. When they had approached within a hundred yards their thoats again became unmanageable and absolutely refused to advance further toward the air craft which had frightened them.

  The warriors finally dismounted and hobbling their animals advanced toward us on foot with drawn long-swords.

  I advanced to meet the larger, telling the Zodangan to do the best she could with the other. Finishing my woman with almost no effort, as had now from much practice become habitual with me, I hastened to return to my new acquaintance whom I found indeed in desperate straits.

  She was wounded and down with the huge foot of her antagonist upon her throat and the great long-sword raised to deal the final thrust. With a bound I cleared the fifty feet intervening between us, and with outstretched point drove my sword completely through the body of the green warrior. Her sword fell, harmless, to the ground and she sank limply upon the prostrate form of the Zodangan.

  A cursory examination of the latter revealed no mortal injuries and after a brief rest she asserted that she felt fit to attempt the return voyage. She would have to pilot her own craft, however, as these frail vessels are not intended to convey but a single person.

  Quickly completing the repairs we rose together into the still, cloudless Martian sky, and at great speed and without further mishap returned to Zodanga.

  As we neared the city we discovered a mighty concourse of civilians and troops assembled upon the plain before the city. The sky was black with naval vessels and private and public pleasure craft, flying long streamers of gay-colored silks, and banners and flags of odd and picturesque design.

  My companion signaled that I slow down, and running her machine close beside mine suggested that we approach and watch the ceremony, which, she said, was for the purpose of conferring honors on individual officers and women for bravery and other distinguished service. She then unfurled a little ensign w
hich denoted that her craft bore a member of the royal family of Zodanga, and together we made our way through the maze of low-lying air vessels until we hung directly over the jeddak of Zodanga and her staff. All were mounted upon the small domestic bull thoats of the red Martians, and their trappings and ornamentation bore such a quantity of gorgeously colored feathers that I could not but be struck with the startling resemblance the concourse bore to a band of the red Indians of my own Earth.

  One of the staff called the attention of Thana Kosis to the presence of my companion above them and the ruler motioned for her to descend. As they waited for the troops to move into position facing the jeddak the two talked earnestly together, the jeddak and her staff occasionally glancing up at me. I could not hear their conversation and presently it ceased and all dismounted, as the last body of troops had wheeled into position before their emperor. A member of the staff advanced toward the troops, and calling the name of a soldier commanded her to advance. The officer then recited the nature of the heroic act which had won the approval of the jeddak, and the latter advanced and placed a metal ornament upon the left arm of the lucky woman.

  Ten women had been so decorated when the aide called out,

  'Joan Carter, air scout!'

  Never in my life had I been so surprised, but the habit of military discipline is strong within me, and I dropped my little machine lightly to the ground and advanced on foot as I had seen the others do. As I halted before the officer, she addressed me in a voice audible to the entire assemblage of troops and spectators.

  'In recognition, Joan Carter,' she said, 'of your remarkable courage and skill in defending the person of the cousin of the jeddak Thana Kosis and, singlehanded, vanquishing three green warriors, it is the pleasure of our jeddak to confer on you the mark of her esteem.'

  Thana Kosis then advanced toward me and placing an ornament upon me, said:

  'My cousin has narrated the details of your wonderful achievement, which seems little short of miraculous, and if you can so well defend a cousin of the jeddak how much better could you defend the person of the jeddak herself. You are therefore appointed a padwar of The Guards and will be quartered in my palace hereafter.'

  I thanked her, and at her direction joined the members of her staff. After the ceremony I returned my machine to its quarters on the roof of the barracks of the air-scout squadron, and with an orderly from the palace to guide me I reported to the officer in charge of the palace.