Introduction
John Carter of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs has influenced many science fiction and fantasy works, including characters, subgenres, and films:
Characters
John Carter is considered an ancestor of many other sci-fi heroes, including Buck Rogers and Flash Gordon. George Lucas has also credited Star Wars to the inspiration of Flash and Buck, calling it “almost the grandchild of John Carter”.
Subgenres
Carter’s adventures helped create the Planetary Romance subgenre, which focuses on the wonders and dangers that adventurers encounter on other planets. These stories often combine elements of science, magic, and fantasy, and feature strange creatures and exotic settings.
Literature Review
Edgar Rice Burroughs (1875–1950), best known as the creator of the Tarzan books, also wrote a popular science fiction series featuring the thrilling adventures of John Carter of Mars (and Virginia). The eleven books deal with the exploits of Captain Carter, a Confederate officer who left his native state of Virginia after the Civil War and headed west to prospect for gold. He found ore worth millions but was attacked by Apaches before he could mine it. He escaped to a mysterious cave, fell asleep and awoke to find that he had been transported to Mars, a dying planet inhabited by warring kingdoms. Displaying great courage and skill, Carter rose to the position of Warlord, after battling giant rats, headless humans, and a deadly radio beam known as the Gridly Wave.
The first of the John Carter books appeared in 1917, and ten sequels followed over the next three decades, further developing Burroughs’s vision of the mysterious red planet, known to its local inhabitants as Barsoom.
This was the first novel penned by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It was written when he was 36 years old after he had failed at nearly everything he had done in life. It tells the story of an Earth man’s adventures among strange races on Mars. The Earth man’s name is John Carter, and Mars is called Barsoom. The first title of this novel was, “Under the Moons of Mars.”
There are two main groups of beings in this novel. The green Martians are the bad guys, odd beings with four arms and tusks growing out of their faces. The red Martians are the good guys, human-like, and John Carter falls in love with one of them, Dejah Thoris, his Princess of Mars. Everyone fights and loves in a strange environment. The most amazing thing about the novel is the fact that it is quite a good one even after most of a whole century has gone by.
This is an early science fiction novel published in 1912 in a pulp magazine called “The All-Story Magazine” before science fiction was called by that name. Burroughs is one of the grandfathers of the genre. Outer space novels like this one were published by Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, but most writers at the time kept their characters firmly planted on terra firma.
A Princess of Mars is a cliffhanger, so you have to read the next two novels of a trilogy to find out what happens in the end. These novels are called, “The Gods of Mars” and the “Warlord of Mars.” Incredible as it may sound, these two novels are as good as the first one. The Mars Trilogy of Edgar Rice Burroughs may not be one of the treasures of Western Civilization, but it can make time pass pleasantly on this planet. Most writers should be so lucky.
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The Backstory
Edgar Rice Burroughs died in 1950, two years after the publication of Llana of Gathol. Two novellas from the Mars series remained orphaned, having only appeared in magazines: “The Skeleton Men of Jupiter” and “John Carter and the Giant of Mars.” It wasn’t until 1964 that Canaveral Press published them together under the deceivingly archetypal title John Carter of Mars.
The tale behind “The Skeleton Men of Jupiter” is simple enough. After success selling the four novellas that made up Llana of Gathol, Burroughs started another quartet. He wrote the first installment in October–November of 1941. Because of the U.S. entrance into World War II and Burroughs’s work as a correspondent, he never wrote the other three parts. After failing to sell “Skeleton Men” to Blue Book, Burroughs set it up at Amazing Stories for the February 1943 issue.
“John Carter and the Giant of Mars” is an entirely different matter. Whitman Publishing approached ERB to write a John Carter story for their “Better Little Books,” a children’s series of books with alternating pages of illustration and text. Burroughs agreed (he had already written some Tarzan stories for the series), and assigned his son, John “Jack” Coleman Burroughs, to handle the illustrations. An expanded version of this story appeared in the January 1941 issue of Amazing Stories, where it immediately sparked a reader outcry of “fake!” (If the Internet existed then, the storm on forums and blogs would have been a Level 5 tornado.) Fans of Burroughs thought the style was wrong, sounding nothing like their beloved author. That it was written in third person from John Carter’s point of view, something never seen before, furthered suspicions. In Amazing’s letter column, the editor reassured his readership that this was exactly the manuscript as received from Edgar Rice Burroughs, and no one at the magazine had tampered with it.
It turns out, however, that the fan outcry was justified. In 1964, Burroughs’s son Hulbert revealed the truth: ERB had only a minor role in crafting the story, which was otherwise the work of Jack Burroughs. The special requirements of a Whitman Better Little Book — an illustratable scene on every page — made the author uncomfortable, so it was natural for the artist to write the story instead. Although “John Carter and the Giant of Mars” still has the name Edgar Rice Burroughs on it, it is almost entirely the work of his son. The version printed in Amazing and subsequently in Canaveral’s John Carter of Mars is 5,000 words longer than the 15,000-word Whitman Book version.
The Story
The two stories have no connection to each other, and no framing device tries to pretend that they are anything other than separate entities.
John Carter and the Giant of Mars: A mysterious figure named Pew Mogel kidnaps Dejah Thoris and offers to release her in exchange for control over Helium’s iron works. John Carter tracks Pew Mogel to the abandoned city of Korvas, where he finds that Pew Mogel is a synthetic creation of Ras Thavas (the titular Master Mind of Mars) with a legion of various Barsoomian beasties under his command. He also built his own synthetic creation: Joog, a hundred and thirty-foot giant. (He had a free afternoon, I guess.) Pew Mogel plots to destroy Helium with his armies, and only John Carter and a pack of Martian rats attached to parachutes can stop him! No, really.
The Skeleton Men of Jupiter: The ruling race of Jupiter (“Sasoom” in the language of Mars), the skeletal Morgors, plot an invasion of the Red Planet with Helium as their first target. Using a soldier of the Martian city of Kor named U Dan as their tool, the Morgors lure John Carter into a trap and whisk him to Jupiter on a spaceship. To further convince him to aid them in their invasion, they also kidnap Dejah Thoris. John Carter allies himself with the Savator, the oppressed race of Jupiter, and a rebel Morgor, Vorion, to save his love. Carnivorous plants and fights in an arena are involved.
Deja Thron: Character Analysis
Dejah Thoris
Dejah Thoris is a fictional character created by Edgar Rice Burroughs, serving as the Princess of Helium and a central figure in the Barsoom series of science fiction novels set on a dying Mars. Introduced in the 1912 novel A Princess of Mars, she is depicted as a red Martian noblewoman captured by the green Tharks during a scientific expedition, where she encounters and eventually marries the Earthman John Carter after he rescues her from various perils.[1][2]Physically, Dejah Thoris is described as possessing a slender, girlish figure akin to that of earthly women, with an oval face of exquisite chisel, large lustrous eyes, light reddish copper skin, crimson cheeks, ruby lips, and flowing coal-black hair arranged in a distinctive Martian coiffure; she adorns herself with ornate jewelry rather than clothing, emphasizing her symmetrical and beautiful form.[1] As the daughter of Mors Kajak, Jed of Lesser Helium, and granddaughter of Tardos Mors, Jeddak of Helium, she embodies the proud lineage of a thousand jeddaks, blending royal dignity with interests in atmospheric science and diplomacy.[1][2]Throughout the Barsoom series, Dejah Thoris evolves from a damsel in distress to a resilient partner and mother, giving birth to Carthoris and Tara with John Carter while facing threats like abduction and political intrigue that test her courage and loyalty to Helium.[2] Her character highlights themes of interspecies alliance and heroism, wielding a dagger as her primary weapon and often aiding in diplomatic efforts to unite Barsoom’s fractured nations.[1][3]
Character Description
Physical Appearance and Traits
Dejah Thoris is depicted as a statuesque Red Martian woman with smooth, light reddish-copper skin that contrasts vividly with her crimson cheeks and ruby lips. Her face is oval and exquisitely beautiful, featuring finely chiseled features, large lustrous eyes, and a mass of coal-black, waving hair styled in an elaborate coiffure that falls to her shoulders. Like other Red Martians, she possesses no body hair except on her head, and her teeth are notably white, contributing to an idealized portrayal of beauty in Barsoomian terms.[1]Her physique is slender and girlish, with a perfect symmetrical figure that emphasizes grace and poise, standing erect with head held high despite appearing frail compared to the towering green Martians. Red Martians, including Dejah Thoris, are bipedal humanoids with two arms and two legs, differing from the four-armed green natives, and they have small, cup-shaped antennae slightly above the eyes for ears and longitudinal slits for noses, differing from human anatomy. She is typically portrayed naked except for minimal jewelry and harnesses—such as highly wrought metal ornaments and a silken scarf—reflecting the cultural norms of Helium where clothing is ornamental rather than covering.[1]Biologically, as a Red Martian, Dejah Thoris reproduces by laying eggs; females produce about thirteen eggs annually, from which the finest are selected for incubation in specialized vaults for five years before hatching. This oviparous process underscores the ancient, enduring nature of Barsoomian life, with individuals potentially living up to a thousand years. Early illustrations by J. Allen St. John for Edgar Rice Burroughs’ novels accentuate her regal bearing and dignified posture, portraying her with an air of noble authority amid the alien landscape.[1][4]
Personality and Abilities
Dejah Thoris is portrayed as an intelligent and resourceful figure, well-versed in Barsoomian science and history, often demonstrating her knowledge through explanations of planetary phenomena and technology. In A Princess of Mars, she recounts details of ancient Martian civilizations, the construction of canals, and atmospheric research during scientific expeditions led by her lineage, showcasing her expertise as a royal educated in these fields.[5] Her understanding extends to radium-based technologies, which power much of Barsoomian infrastructure, including light sources and engines, as implied by her familiarity with expeditionary tools and the radium mechanisms in key facilities like the atmosphere plant.[6] This scientific acumen is complemented by her skill in navigation, evident when she draws precise maps of Barsoom’s waterways and air currents to aid escapes and journeys.[7]Courage and loyalty define her core traits, with Dejah frequently displaying resilience in captivity and devotion to her loved ones. Captured by green Martians in A Princess of Mars, she maintains dignity before threats from leaders like Tal Hajus, signaling for aid with composure rather than despair.[8] Her loyalty manifests in appeals for peace on behalf of her people and unwavering commitment to John Carter, declaring her willingness to share his fate even in death.[9] In The Gods of Mars, this loyalty persists through years of separation, as she grieves the presumed loss of their son Carthoris for a full year before regaining strength, and later attempts suicide to avoid dishonor when seized by black pirates, underscoring her brave adherence to personal and cultural codes.[10][11] Wit and strategic thinking further highlight her personality; she employs sharp humor in conversations, persuades allies like Sola to join escapes with promises of better futures, and negotiates delays with foes using charm and foresight to protect Helium.[12][7][13]As a skilled combatant and pilot, Dejah evolves into an active adventurer capable of wielding weapons and commanding vehicles. Though initially reliant on rescue in A Princess of Mars, she intervenes physically to shield John Carter during confrontations, implying trained prowess with Barsoomian arms like swords.[14] Her piloting abilities are rooted in royal training, as she participates in airship expeditions charting Barsoom’s skies, and later demonstrates proficiency in maneuvering fliers during pursuits and battles across the series.[5] In The Gods of Mars, her strategic counsel urges John Carter toward broader duties, prioritizing Helium’s defense over personal reunion, reflecting tactical acumen honed by her position.[15]Dejah’s portrayal begins as a princess in distress but develops into an empowered participant, challenging early 20th-century gender norms by embodying strength and agency for her era. From her debut captivity, where she transitions from passive victim to collaborative planner—convincing allies and mapping routes—she grows into a figure who actively influences outcomes, such as negotiating with enemies and directing forces.[7][13] Maternal instincts emerge prominently with her children, Carthoris and Tara; in The Gods of Mars, her year-long grief over Carthoris’s disappearance reveals profound protective devotion, while her role as Tara’s mother in later tales like The Chessmen of Mars underscores nurturing guidance amid Barsoom’s perils.[10] This evolution positions her as a pioneering strong female lead, blending vulnerability with capability in Burroughs’s fiction.[2]
Publication History
Creation and Inspiration
Dejah Thoris was created by American author Edgar Rice Burroughs in 1911 as the central female character in his debut science fiction novel, initially drafted under the working title Dejah Thoris, Martian Princess. This manuscript, an unfinished version of approximately 43,000 words, marked the inception of the Barsoom series set on a fictionalized Mars, where Dejah Thoris serves as the princess of the city-state of Helium. Burroughs, then 36 years old and working as a pencil-sharpener salesman after a series of unsuccessful business ventures and jobs, began writing the story amid personal financial difficulties that included supporting a wife and young children.[16][17]The character’s development drew from contemporary astronomical speculations, particularly those of Percival Lowell, whose observations of Martian “canals” and theories of a dying, civilized planet inspired Burroughs’ depiction of Barsoom as a harsh, ancient world with advanced yet decaying societies. Burroughs incorporated elements of pulp adventure fiction prevalent in early 20th-century magazines, blending swashbuckling heroism, exotic locales, and interplanetary romance into a narrative framework that emphasized exploration and conflict among diverse Martian races. His own military experience, including service as a cavalryman in the Seventh U.S. Cavalry after failing the West Point entrance exam, influenced the portrayal of resolute, capable protagonists navigating perilous environments, though Dejah Thoris embodies a blend of regal authority and vulnerability tailored to the era’s adventure tropes.[18][19][17]In early drafts and revisions, Dejah Thoris emerged as a symbol of exotic allure, her beauty and poise contrasting the brutal Barsoomian landscape while driving the plot through her captivity and alliance with the human protagonist John Carter. Burroughs revised the manuscript extensively before submitting it to *The All-Story* magazine, where it was serialized from February to July 1912 as Under the Moons of Mars under the pseudonym Norman Bean, transforming the initial focus on her as the titular figure into a broader tale of Martian adventure. This evolution in Burroughs’ notes and outlines highlighted her role as an idealized, otherworldly heroine, reflecting his intent to captivate readers with a mix of scientific wonder and romantic escapism during a period of professional reinvention.[16][17]
Original Publications and Evolution
Dejah Thoris debuted in Edgar Rice Burroughs’ science fantasy story serialized under the pseudonym Norman Bean as “Under the Moons of Mars” in *The All-Story* magazine, running from February to July 1912.[20] The narrative introduced her as the princess of Helium, central to the adventures of protagonist John Carter on the planet Barsoom. This serialization marked Burroughs’ breakthrough into professional fiction writing.[21]The story was revised and published in book form as A Princess of Mars in 1917 by A. C. McClurg & Co., establishing the Barsoom series and solidifying Dejah Thoris’ role as a recurring character.[22] She features prominently in the subsequent novels The Gods of Mars (serialized in The All-Story in 1913; book edition 1918) and The Warlord of Mars (serialized in The All-Story in 1914; book edition 1919), where her captivity and rescue drive key plot elements.[23] Dejah Thoris receives mentions in later Barsoom works, including Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920), The Chessmen of Mars (1922), and extending to Synthetic Men of Mars (serialized in Argosy in 1939–1940; book edition 1940), often referenced as John Carter’s consort and mother to their son Carthoris.[2]Over time, the Barsoom novels evolved from their original pulp magazine formats to hardcover editions, with Burroughs making minor adjustments to dialogue and structure for book publication, though no major overhauls occurred during his lifetime.[24] Later reprints by publishers introduced subtle edits for contemporary sensibilities, but the core texts remain faithful to the originals. The early volumes of the series, including A Princess of Mars, are in the public domain in the United States due to expired copyrights (not renewed after the initial term).[25] The success of these publications, contributing to over 100 million copies sold of Burroughs’ works worldwide, enabled him to transition to full-time authorship following the 1912 serialization.[26]
Role in Barsoom Literature
Debut in A Princess of Mars
Dejah Thoris is first introduced in Edgar Rice Burroughs’s 1912 novel A Princess of Mars as the Princess of Helium, a noble red Martian from the city-state of Helium, who is captured by the nomadic Thark horde after her airship is attacked during a scientific expedition to rechart air currents and test atmospheric density.[1] Transported to the Thark city of Korad as a prisoner alongside the human protagonist John Carter, she is described as possessing a slender, girlish figure akin to earthly women, with an air of regal distress that immediately captivates Carter.[1] Carter, having been similarly captured upon his mysterious arrival on Barsoom (Mars), intervenes when a Thark warrior strikes her, killing the aggressor and declaring himself her protector against future threats.[1]Throughout their captivity among the brutal, green-skinned Tharks, Dejah Thoris demonstrates her scientific acumen by educating Carter on key aspects of Barsoomian society and technology, including the vital atmosphere factories that harness the ninth ray to generate the planet’s air and water, without which life could not be sustained.[1] She explains the intricacies of Martian culture, from the hierarchical city-states like Helium and Zodanga to the existential threats posed by the dying planet’s thinning atmosphere.[1] As they face shared perils, including torment from the vengeful Thark woman Sarkoja—who plots against them and attempts to sabotage their safety—their mutual reliance fosters a deepening romantic bond, marked by cultural clashes between Carter’s human values of chivalry and Dejah Thoris’s Martian nobility.[1] This relationship culminates in their escape from the Tharks, a journey to Helium, and their marriage, which implies the conception of their son Carthoris through the Martian reproductive process involving an egg.[1]Dejah Thoris’s royal status as Helium’s princess propels the central conflict, as her capture prompts a massive search by Helium’s fleets and draws her into escalating dangers, including an abduction scheme by the Zodangan prince Sab Than and eventual imprisonment by the cannibalistic Holy Therns in the Valley Dor.[1] Carter’s daring rescues—from thwarting Sarkoja’s schemes to leading an assault on Zodanga with Thark allies and infiltrating the Thern domain—underscore her pivotal role in driving the plot toward themes of inter-species romance, where love bridges the divide between an Earthman and a Martian, and cultural confrontations between savage nomads, warring city-states, and deceptive priesthoods.[1] Her resilience and intellect not only aid their survival but also highlight the novel’s exploration of heroism amid Barsoom’s harsh, alien environment.[1]
Appearances in Subsequent Novels
In The Gods of Mars (1918), Dejah Thoris enters the forbidden Valley Dor, believing John Carter to be dead after his long absence, only to be captured by the Therns and held as a slave in their temple city of Issus.[27] Carter eventually reunites with her in the valley, where she reveals the birth of their son, Carthoris, during his exile on Earth, emphasizing her enduring loyalty and maternal resolve as they navigate the perils of the Thern society together.[27] Her imprisonment underscores her willingness to risk everything for love, while her interactions with Carter highlight a deepening partnership beyond mere romance.Dejah Thoris’s role expands in The Warlord of Mars (1919), where she is abducted by the Therns and confined within the Temple of the Sun alongside Thuvia of Ptarth and Phaidor, daughter of the Black Pirate.[28] As Carter mounts a daring rescue across Barsoom’s hostile landscapes, Dejah Thoris demonstrates her combat prowess and strategic acumen, actively participating in the assault on the temple and the ensuing battles against the First Born by using improvised weapons such as manacles and rallying forces during the conflict that secures the overthrow of Issus and the liberation of captives.[28] This installment portrays her not as a passive victim but as a formidable ally.She makes brief but significant cameos in Thuvia, Maid of Mars (1920), appearing primarily as the mother of Carthoris, who embarks on his own adventures, and offering counsel that reflects her status as a wise figure in Helium’s royal family. Similarly, in The Chessmen of Mars (1922), Dejah Thoris features in opening scenes at the Helium court, where she engages in leisurely pursuits like playing jetan with Carter and advises their daughter Tara before her perilous journey, reinforcing her role as a stabilizing political and familial anchor.In Swords of Mars (1936), Dejah Thoris is kidnapped from Helium by the black pirate Fal Sivas’s agents and taken to the moon Thuria, where she faces threats from the cannibalistic Ombrans and the pirate’s schemes. John Carter pursues her across space, infiltrating the pirate stronghold and engaging in battles to rescue her, highlighting her continued importance as a catalyst for Carter’s adventures and her resilience in captivity.[29]Dejah Thoris appears in Synthetic Men of Mars (1940), where she sustains a severe injury in an airship collision, prompting Carter to seek the expertise of the master surgeon Ras Thavas to save her life.[30] Upon her recovery, she remains in Helium while Carter leads the confrontation against the synthetic hormads created in Ras Thavas’s laboratories. Throughout these later novels, her character evolves from a primary romantic interest into a co-adventurer and influential Jeddara of Helium, embodying resilience, intellect, and command in the royal court while supporting Carter’s campaigns against interstellar dangers.[2]
Plot Summary
John Carter, a captain in the Confederate army, goes prospecting in Arizona after the end of the Civil War. Carter and his business partner run into trouble with Apache warriors, and the partner is killed. Carter is pursued by the Apaches and ducks into a cave to hide. In the cave, Carter is overcome by a mysterious mist and is transported to the planet Mars.
On Mars, Carter has superhuman strength and agility due to the difference in the planet’s gravity. Shortly after arriving on Mars, or Barsoom as it is called by its habitants, Carter is captured by a tribe of green Martians called the Tharks, and he becomes the responsibility of Tars Tarkas, the tribe’s second in command. The Tharks are a warlike race who stand 15 feet tall and have six limbs. Carter is taken before the community of Tharks, and one of the chiefs harasses him. Carter hits the chief and inadvertently kills him. In the custom of the Tharks, Carter inherits the dead chief’s title and rights, thus becoming a Tharkian chief himself.
Carter soon learns that the Tharks live as a community where possessions are all shared. The Tharks do not have romantic relationships or marry, but instead procreate for the sole purpose of repopulating the community. The females lay eggs. Each year only the most perfect are allowed to hatch in enormous incubators. The rest are destroyed. Offspring are raised as common children of the community and are not shown any love. They are taught how to fight, and if they are found to be defective, they are killed.
Tars Tarkas assigns a female named Sola to find food and shelter for Carter. She also teaches him how to speak the language and use Thark weapons. Carter develops a telepathic ability, but while he can read the minds of others, they cannot read his. Carter is surprised to find that Sola is secretly kind and caring, a stark difference from the other Tharks. While Carter’s living conditions are comfortable, as a prisoner, he is not allowed to leave the tribe.
As Dejah Thoris is being questioned in a community assembly, she is hit in the face by a Tharkian leader. Carter immediately fights and kills this Thark. Carter asks that Sola be responsible for Dejah Thoris instead of Sarkoja, the angry and spiteful Tharkian woman who has been watching her.
Sarkoja, filled with hate and anger toward both John Carter and Dejah Thoris, plots to have Carter killed by another Thark. She almost succeeds. Sola gets hurt in the process.
Knowing that she can trust Carter, Sola confides in him that unlike other Tharks, she knows who her parents are. She tells him that her parents secretly fell in love and while her father, Tars Tarkas, was sent off on an expedition, her mother, Gozava, had an egg and kept it hidden. After Sola was hatched, Gozava met her secretly at night, cared for her and showered her with affection. Sarkoja discovered both mother and child and reported them to Tal Hajus, the Tharkian chieftain. Gozava quickly hid Sola with the other Tharkian children just before she was arrested and killed by Tal Hajus. When Tars Tarkas returned from the expedition, he found out his love was dead and didn’t know what happed to his child. He has been plotting to kill Tal Hajus ever since.
Carter knows that Tal Hajus plans to kill Dejah Thoris, so he escapes with her and Sola in an attempt to get her back to Helium. The trio crosses paths with the green Martians of Warhoon, and Carter allows himself to be captured so Sola and Deja Thoris can get away and continue on to Helium.
After Carter escapes from Warhoon, he stumbles onto an “atmosphere factory,” a facility that provides breathable air for all of Barsoom. He begs the factory’s keeper to let him in, and he does. The keeper soon regrets helping Carter and plots to kill him. Carter telepathically hears the man’s thoughts as well as the access code to open the facility’s doors. Carter manages to escape to Zodango, a city-state that is at war with Helium.
Carter learns that Dejah Thoris and Sola are prisoners in Zodango. Believing that Carter is dead and desperate to stop the war that is destroying Helium, Dejah Thoris agrees to marry Sab Than, the prince of Zodango. When Carter tries to rescue Dejah Thoris, she tells him that he is too late. She has made a promise to Sab Than, and according to her people’s customs, she cannot break it.
Carter leaves for Helium, determined to get help in saving Dejah Thoris. Along the way, he gets lost and ends up in the middle of a battle between the Tharks and a rival tribe. Carter saves Tars Tarkas, and after the battle ends, Carter tells Tars Tarkas the same story that Sola told him about Gozava. Tars Tarkas confronts Sorkoja, who fleas rather than face death. He also challenges Taj Hajus to a battle and kills him, thus becoming the chieftain of the Tharks.
Tars Tarkas agrees to help Carter in the war between Zodango and Helium, and also enlists the help of rival tribes, resulting in a massive army of green Martians marching across the desert to Zodango. The army attacks Zodango, killing both Sab Than and his father. No longer under an obligation to marry another, Carter asks Dejah Thoris to marry him and she agrees.
Leaving some of the green Martians to loot and burn Zodanga, Carter, Tars Tarkas and Deja Thoris take the rest of the army to Helium to fight the war raging there. They defeat the Zodangan fleet both in the air and on the ground, and Deja Thoris is finally reunited with her family.
After the war, the Tharks and Helium forge new bonds of peace and friendship. John Carter and Dejah Thoris marry and for nine years, Carter serves and fights as a prince of Helium.
Helium gets news that the atmosphere factory has malfunctioned; the keeper is dead, and no one can get into the facility. The people of Barsoom have only days to live. When only an hour of breathable air remains, Carter remembers that he knows the code to open the facility’s doors, allowing a worker to get inside. Carter asphyxiates before knowing if the factory was repaired and wakes up in the cave in Arizona.
Broken and sorrowful, Carter spends the next 10 years wondering what happened to his life on Mars. He prays that somehow he will be taken back to the red planet
A PRINCESS OF MARS, SUMMARIZED
“Edgar Rice Burroughs” describes first meeting his uncle, Captain John Carter, at the family’s Virginia plantation prior to the Civil War. With the outbreak of war, Carter joined his regiment and was not seen again for 15 or 16 years. He returned unexpectedly, unchanged except for an expression of misery when he thought he was alone. Carter stated he had prospected for gold in Arizona, apparently successfully. He moved to New York (1877), where he built a cottage. The author visited Carter once a year during business trips to the North, and noted he often stand on a bluff overlooking the Hudson staring at the sky.
On March 4, 1886, in response to a telegram, the author visited him for the last time, and was told on his arrival that the captain had been found dead that morning. Reaching the cottage, Burroughs opened his uncle’s safe and found in it his uncle’s will, a manuscript, and instructions concerning the burial. In accordance with these, he removed the body to the tomb his uncle had built. The tomb was well ventilated and fitted with a lock that could be opened only from the inside.
Chapter 1 – On The Arizona Hills
Captain Carter introduces himself. He does not know how old he is, but has always appeared to be about thirty. After the end of the War, he and Capt. James K. Powell of Richmond, set out for the Southwest to prospect for gold. Late in the winter of 1865, they discover a rich vein of gold in the White Mountains of Arizona. Powell sets out to purchase mining equipment and hire miners to work the claim while Carter remained behind.
Shortly after his departure on March 4, 1866, Powell was attacked and killed by a band of Apaches. Carter singlehandedly attacked the Indians’ encampment, rescued his friend’s body, and was pursued to a cave where he was trapped. Despite his efforts to remain on guard against the approaching war party, he was overcome by lethargy and fell unconscious to the floor.
Chapter 2 – The Escape of the Dead
Carter, aroused from his fainting spell by the sound of approaching hoof beats, found that he was paralyzed. He noticed a pungent odor of some vapor. The Apaches halted at the entrance to the cave and, on hearing a low moan from the depths of the interior, fled in panic, leaving Powell’s body on the ledge just outside the cave mouth.
Paralyzed for several hours, Carter heard soft movement behind him. A strange moan was repeated some time after midnight, along with a rustling like dead leaves. In his struggle to break the paralysis, Carter felt a sharp snap and suddenly he found himself standing over his body, naked as the day he was born. He emerged onto the ledge to look out onto the moonlit scene before him. His gaze is drawn to the red orb of Mars. Stretching his arms toward it, he feels an instant of extreme cold and utter darkness.
Chapter 3 – My Advent on Mars
Carter awakes on a moss-like sward and knows beyond a doubt he must be on Mars. Rising, he bounces 10 feet into the air due to the lower gravity. A nearby low-walled enclosure with glass roof contains several hundred eggs almost 3 feet in diameter; hatching scrawny olive green creatures with two arms, two legs, and an intermediary set of limbs that function as either. The creatures have slits for nostrils, protruding eyes, and snow-white tusks.
Twenty adults of the same species arrive. They are 15 feet tall and armed with swords, spears and strange rifles; each rides a monstrous eight-legged mount. Threatened by a spear, Carter energetically jumps backwards, clearing 100 feet! Astonished, the green Martians capture Carter instead of killing him.
Chapter 4 – A Prisoner
Carter is carried across a dry sea bed to the plaza of an ancient, crumbling city where 800 or 900 green children and adults are found. The Tharks, his captors, live 1,000 years but the majority die young in battle. Those reaching incipient old-age take a pilgrimage down the river Iss and never return. That Martians live so long has caused fierce competition for the planet’s diminishing resources.
Inside a white marble building inlaid with gold and gemstones John Carter notes the furnishings are appropriate for beings his height. Tars Tarkas, the Thark second-in-command, introduces Carter to the chieftain, who demands Carter demonstrate his jumping skills. Heading for the door, Carter slips and falls repeatedly. A warrior insults Carter and the earthling punches the creature. Waiting for retaliation, Carter is startled when the Tharks laugh and applaud.
In the plaza Carter amazes himself and his captors by leaping 150 feet and returning. Hungry and thirsty, he refuses to perform until they feed him. A female, Sola, takes him to sleeping quarters. She summons a Shetland pony-sized ceature with frog-like head and jaws equipped with three rows of long, sharp tusks.
Chapter 5 – I Elude My Watchdog
After Sola leaves him alone in the chamber, John Carter ponders the strange anomalies so far encountered: his guardian Sola, a Martian watchdog, the large plant that provided both food and drink, and the sudden onset of nightfall on Mars. Innately curious and prone to seek adventure, Carter tests the role of his watchdog by leaving the building. The animal stays with him to the edge of the city. Carter realizes that the only means to escaping his loyal, ferocious protector is his unique ability as a jumper. Landing on a sill 30 feet above the ground, Carter’s exultation is short-lived when he falls into the grasp of a colossal ape-like creature.
Chapter 6 – A Fight That Won Friends
The white ape-like creature and its mate are physically similar to the six-limbed green Martians. Carter is saved from the female beast’s stone cudgel when his myriad-legged Martian protector arrives to hurl itself upon the ape. Sensing that his watchdog is losing ground in the ensuing ferocious battle, John uses the fallen cudgel to smash the head of the ape. He could easily elude the attack by the bull creature, but Carter’s sense of duty will not allow him to desert his loyal watchdog. Carter employs earthly fighting tactics with the cudgel to finish off the second ape-creature. The Earthman’s victory is witnessed by the green Martians, winning their grudging applause. He also wins the devotion of Sola and his badly wounded Martian watchdog by saving the animal from destruction by Tars Tarkas’ gun.
Chapter 7 – Child-Raising on Mars
After breakfast in the dead city, John Carter, Sola and Woola the watchdog, accompany a huge caravan of chariots and armed mounted warriors to the hatching ceremony at the isolated tribal incubator. Every five years, the best 500 eggs presented by the females are selected for a five-year incubation process in the solar heated, sealed incubators. The Earthman watches as the green Martians claim their fully-formed, four-feet-tall offspring. Sola claimed a young male to whom she would teach the barbaric skills necessary to survive the cruel existence of dying Mars. Under Sola’s tutelage, both Carter and the child soon learned the spoken language and developed the mental powers needed for the universal Martian language of telepathy.
Chapter 8 – A Fair Captive From the Sky
The green Martians are interrupted in their departure from the dead city by the arrival of a fleet of airships. The warriors’ deadly gunfire cripples the surprised fleet, sendingt them into disastrous retreat, leaving one unmanned foundering craft. The Tharks board and plunder the craft of its cargo of arms, valuables, supplies and a lone prisoner: a small two-legged creature. The looted airship is torched and set adrift. Carter, feeling a kinship for the defeated enemy, obtains a closer look at the prisoner. He is startled to find a naked, black-haired, copper-skinned girl of exquisite beauty. Her eyes filled with hope when she sees him. Making a hand signal he does not understand, the dejected captive gives Carter a look of contempt as her captors drag her away.
Chapter 9 – I Learn the Language
Carter is awarded the rank of chieftain and is tutored by Sola on life and customs of the green Martians. He learns the language and discovers that Sola is of kinder disposition than other green Martians because of her sympathies for the red captive.
Chapter 10 – Champion and Chief
Carter learns that he has freedom to all but leaving the city; Woola would prevent him. His friendship with the beast overrides Woola’s training, making him devoted follower rather than guard.
Carter attends a hearing of the red captive conducted by Lorquas Ptomal and learns that she is Dejah Thoris, a princess of Helium. She claims she was captured while on a scientific mission regarding the planet’s air supply. When a young warrior knocks her to the ground for her speech, Carter kills him. He is awarded the dead warrior’s possessions but warned that he is still a prisoner. He claims Dejah Thoris as his own charge and brazenly exits the hearing with her.
Chapter 11 – With Dejah Thoris
Carter informs the Tharks that Dejah Thoris will be cared for by Sola. He warns Sarkoja to keep her distance. The threat caused more harm than good, Martian males never kill women. Carter is ranked 11th among chieftains. Sola explains the customs and traditions of the Tharks. She suggests how Carter might best Lorquas Ptomel and become chief among chiefs.
New quarters are arranged for Dejah Thoris. The princess of Helium inquires into Carter’s origin, afraid that he might be from Valley Dor. Although she did not understand Carter’s explanation that he was from earth, she trusted and believed him. Surprisingly, she was familiar with the earth. There are instruments on Mars that transmit images from far away planets. She had seen many earthly images during her life. They examined the chamber decorations during which Dejah Thoris explained the 3 great races of Mars and how they were forced to mix producing the present red race.
A messenger summons Carter to the presence of Lorquas Ptomel.
Chapter 12 – A Prisoner With Power
Lorquas Ptomel believed Carter had returned from Valley Dor and intended to see him dead, but would not do so without a trial, unless Carter were to attack him or try to escape. He spoke with pride of having captured the granddaughter of the jeddak of Helium. Later, Carter deduces that only Sarkoja could be responsible for passing information to Lorquas Ptomel, and bends his efforts to the thought of escape. He intended to save Dejah Thoris from the horrible fate that awaited her.
Carter takes quarters with Tars Tarkus, a building next door to Deja Thoris. Several young Tharks enter bearing loads of weapons, silks, and utensils. They had been the retinue and possessions of 2 chieftains slain by Carter (Dotar and Sojat) and were now his to command. They were not a family unit as the Tharks have no wives and mating is coordinated by community chieftains, resulting in a people without love, though virtue and honor are known. Carter sends them to quarters above and pays little attention to them thereafter.
Chapter 13 – Love-Making On Mars
John Carter spends several days learning the ways of a Thark warrior and training his savage Martian mounts. He mixes kindness with discipline, which results in his thoats being more manageable than any other in the Thark herd. Tars Tarkas has Carter explain his training methods to the other warriors. Lorquas Ptomel gives John Carter an anklet of gold in appreciation.
John Carter finally has a chance to speak with Dejah Thoris again. During the conversation she calls him “my chieftain.” Not realizing the significance of those words he innocently replies “my princess.” Dejah Thoris appears startled; however, she laughs it off calling him a child. When asked to explain she refuses, except to say when he learns to remember she smiled. As they walk in the moonlight, John Carter touches Dejah Thoris and realizes he loves her and has since the first moment he saw he
Chapter 14 – A Duel To The Death
During their continued conversation John Carter sticks his foot in his mouth. Dejah Thoris becomes angry and refuses to speak to him. Afterwards he berates himself for being a fool in love.
On the encampment’s journey to Thark, John Carter is outraged because Sarkoja has chained Dejah Thoris. He complains to Tar Tarkas, who eventually removes the chains. Later, Carter sees Sarkoja plotting with a warrior named Zad.
The next day Zad challenges John Carter. During the sword duel a flash of light momentarily blinds Carter. He sees Dejah Thoris knock a shiny object from Sarkoja’s hand then sees Sarkoja try to stab Dejah Thoris. Sore pressed by Zad, he feels the Martian’s sword at his breast. Thinking he is about to die, Carter lunges at Zad, determined to kill him. As Zad’s sword enters his chest, John Carter loses consciousness.
Chapter 15 – Sola Tells Me Her Story
John Carter recovers from unconsciousness and retrieves his sword from the body of Zad. Applauded by the watching green martians, John Carter returns to his chariots and retinue who treat him with healing salves miraculously returning him to full health. Checking on Dejah Thoris’s chariot he encounters Sola, who has a flesh wound from Sarkoja’s dagger. Dejah is grieving for the apparent death of John Carter. Sola promises to reassure Dejah Thoris and to later tell the story of how she knew her own parents.
John Carter rides on thoat at Tars Tarkas’ side as whole cavalcade moves off. The vast horde makes it way across the dead sea bottoms of Barsoom, splendidly and stealthily. At the night camp John Carter visits Sola and the sleeping Dejah Thoris. Sola tells her parent’s story, an intricate and moving tale, and at last reveals that Tars Tarkas is her father.
Chapter 16 – We Plan Escape
The journey to Thark is uneventful, taking around 20 days. Dejah Thoris continues to ignore John Carter. They arrive at Thark where 30,000 green martians are ruled by Tal Hajus, their Jeddak. Carter gains new quarters. He spies Woola and joyously they are reunited. He meets with Dejah Thoris to discuss escape and a truce. Sola interrupts with news that Sarkoja has convinced Tal Hajus to sentence them to the calots! Carter and Dejah Thoris suggest to Sola she escape with them to Helium and a happier life. Sola fears they cannot escape the Tharks. Dejah Thoris draws a map and Carter suggests a roundabout route to Helium. They agree to leave Thark that night by thoat. Splitting up, the women head for the city gates while John Carter sneaks through the city and obtains two thoats. Arriving at the rendezvous, John Carter waits. He realizes something has happened. Carter backtracks to Dejah Thoris’s quarters through abandoned courtyards. He overhears warriors planning to disarm, capture and deliver him to Tal Hajus. Dejah Thoris is already his prisoner.
Chapter 17 – A Costly Recapture
John Carter seeks the whereabouts of Dejah Thoris and Sola under cover of darkness when they fail to rendevous according to plan. He finds them in an immense hall in the clutches of Tal Hajus and a roomful of warriors. After Tal Hajus orders the room cleared of warriors, he speaks to Dejah Thoris of her torture to come. John Carter immediately knocks the Jeddak unconscious and together the three make good their escape from the city of Thark.
Ill-prepared without food or water, they flee toward the hills on weakened thoats. Eluding parties of Thark warriors sent to recapture them, a lone warrior spots them in a valley. Carter sends Dejah and Sola on their way and leads their party of pursuers astray to prevent his beloved’s recapture. Carter is eventually caught and knocked unconscious after a struggle.
Chapter 18 – Chained In Warhoon
John Carter regains consciousness and learns he was saved for the great games. Securely bound, he is taken before Bar Comas, Jeddak of Warhoon. He witnesses a fight to the death after an argument over his future between the Jeddak and a subordinate, Dak Kova.
Dak Kova kills Bar Comas. Carter is taken to the city of Warhoon where he is thrown into a dungeon, chained to a wall in utter darkness. Lanquishing for days or weeks—-he does not know how long—-amid the terrors of slithering and crawling things, John Carter eventually overpowers and kills the jailer and loosens his chains. Backing into a corner of the dungeon, he watches six pairs of gleaming eyes slowly approaching him.
Chapter 19 – Battling in the Arena
The jailer’s carcass, and keys, are dragged way. Days later Kantos Kan is imprisoned with Carter. The red man reveals 700 Helium warships with 2,000 lesser vessels are searching for Dejah Thoris. The martian, on one man flier, was captured exploring Warhoon. Dak Kova, green jed, orders the start of 10 days of games, wherein captives were pitted against fearsome beasts and each other until only one survives each day, the survivor being granted freedom. At day’s end Carter and Kantos Kan, the survivors, fight until dark, then fake Carter’s death. That night Carter sneaks out of the amphitheater into the hills beyond.
Chapter 20 – In the Atmosphere Factory
Carter waits two days in the hills east of Warhoon, but Kantos Kan does not arrive. He treks northeasterly for two weeks, surviving on plant milk. His telepathic sense warns him when vicious predators are about, but he is eventually attacked and losing a battle with a hairy, multi-legged large animal when Woola saves him. Starving, a day later Carter arrives at the 4 square mile, 200 foot high atmosphere plant. Carter and Woola are let into the building, fed, and the American speaks with the keeper for some hours. Carter does not reveal he can read the old man’s mind, or that he has learned the mental combination of the great doors to the building. Reading the old man’s mind, Carter learns he is to be killed, thus he and Woola steal away during the night. The following day Carter approaches a farm and is accepted by the three brothers who own it. He is given a red dye for disguise, some Zodangan currency, and a domesticated thoat.
Chapter 21 – An Air Scout for Zodanga
As John Carter travels toward Zodanga he hears that Dejah Thoris is dead, but isn’t convinced. He arrives at Zodanga, and has to part with Woola so as not to draw attention to himself. Upon entering Zodanga he meets Kantos Kan. He tells Carter that Dejah Thoris is the prisoner of Sab Than, prince of Zodanga, who is in love with her. His father, Than Kosis wants her to marry his son as the price of peace, but Tardos Mors rejects it. Kantos Kan and John Carter join the Zodangan navy as air scouts in hopes of infiltrating into the confidence of Sab Than and thus finding Dejah Thoris. Kantos Kan teaches Carter to fly and learn the intricacies of the 8th Barsoomian ray, or ray of propulsion. Shortly after winning promotion within the ranks, Carter saves the life of a cousin of Than Kosis, and is appointed a padwar of The Guards with quarters in the palace.
Chapter 22 – I Find Dejah
John Carter is assigned to guard Than Kosis, and is present (although hidden) in his apartment when Dejah Thoris is brought in. He hears her confess her love for Sab Than. She leaves, after asking that Than Kosis stop the war, and Carter deserts his post to follow. Upon finding her apartment, he is denied entry by four guards, whom he slays after a fierce battle. He asks Dejah Thoris if she still loves him, and although she does, she cannot say it because she has given herself to Sab Than in order to stop the war. On Barsoom, a promise is final. He withdraws, dejected, but not defeated. He needs to escape since the four slain guards will soon be found. The royal psychologist, who has read the dead minds of the slain guards, says that the slayer was “a man … never seen before in this or any other country upon Barsoom.” Carter is immediately the chief suspect. Hiding from his pursuers, he is able to escape from the palace grounds.
Chapter 23 – Lost in the Sky
John Carter reveals his love for Dejah Thoris to his friend, Kantos Kan. Together they formulate a plan, whereby Kantos Kan will kill the Zodangan, which John Carter may not do under Barsoomian custom and still wed Dejah. John Carter scales a 1000 foot building to steal his and Kantos Kan’s fliers. A patrol notices them and Carter leads them on a chase while Kantos Kan escapes discovery in the dark sky. Although he escapes, a stray shot smashes his compass and Carter has only the stars to guide him. Helium is five hours by swift flier; but after six hours of flight, in the morning, he discovers a different city.
Chapter 24 – Tars Tarkas Finds a Friend
At noon Carter encounters a savage battle between Tharks and Warhoons. Rifle fire wrecks his flier. Descending, he meets Tars Tarkas, who now acknowledges there is such a thing as friendship. After the battle, John Carter is reunited with the loyal Woola, who has been waiting and watching for his master’s return.
Tars Tarkas offers to aid John Carter’s escape. Carter relates Sola’s story to Tars Tarkas, which has a profound effect upon the green martian. Tars Tarkas confronts Sarkoja with his knowledge regarding her role in the death of Gozava, implying if she does not take the pilgrimage down the River Iss, her days are numbered. Sarkoja is gone the next morning and never seen again.
Following accusations by Carter, Tal Hajus’ right to rule is challenged by Tars Tarkas. Tal Hajus fights and dies. Tars Tarkas becomes the new Jeddak of the Tharks. Tars Tarkas suggests that Thark forms an alliance with Helium to attack and loot Zodanga. For three days 100,000 Tharks and 50,000 green warriors from other hordes march to Zodanga. Arriving, Carter goes over the city wall. Dispatching the sentries, he opens the gates of the doomed city to the waiting hordes.
Chapter 25 – The Looting of Zodanga
John Carter and his 50 Tharks arrive at the gate of Zodanga. As they approach the palace, John Carter looks in a window and sees a ceremony taking place. It is the wedding of Sab Than, the Prince of Zodanga, and Dejah Thoris! Carter bursts through the window and kills Than Kosis, the father of Sab Than. As Carter is surrounded, he pulls Dejah to him to protect her. He then begins to defend himself and her against the Zodangans. He is hard pressed in battle and realizes he needs a miracle in order to succeed. Tars Tarkas surges through the crowd. With the aid of his friend, the enemies are defeated and Sab Than is killed. Carter goes in search of Kantos Kan and finds him in the prison area. After releasing him, they return to the throne room. Carter declares his love to Dejah Thoris and asks her to be his. Dejah Thoris promises herself to him in marriage.
Chapter 26 – Through Carnage to Joy
As the group sails off to return to Helium, they are engaged in battle by the Zodangan navy. The cause seems lost but the ships of Helium finally gain the advantage and win the fight. Still to be faced is the cavalry of Zodanga. Thoats are unloaded from the transports for Carter and his men. They approach the camp of the Zodangans and find themselves facing nearly a million fighting men. Carter hopes that his forces can hold out until their reinforcements from Helium arrive. The reinforcements do arrive in time and the forces of Helium are triumphant. John Carter is presented to Mors Kajak, the father of Dejah Thoris. Kajak is so choked with emotion by the rescue of his daughter that he cannot speak.
Chapter 27 – From Joy To Death
After ten days of feasting, the Tharks return to their own lands. Tars Tarkas attends the “wedding” of John Carter and Dejah Thoris. For 9 years Carter serves and fights for Helium, while his future offspring incubates in an egg chamber. Word is brought that the keeper of the atmosphere plant has been incommunicado for two days and the assistant keeper was assassinated. The impregnable walls cannot be breached, the people of Barsoom accept their doom with courage and dignity. With the end near, Carter holds his beloved Dejah. Suddenly he recollects the nine tone key that unlocks the doors of the atmosphere plant. Speeding to the plant in a flier, Carter finds most trying to break through have succumbed to the thinning air, but he finds one awake and capable of starting the air pumps. His strength ebbing, Carter hurls the nine thought waves at the doors and watches the Martian crawl through as he sinks to the ground, unconscious.
Chapter 28 – At The Arizona Cave
Carter opens his eyes. He is clothed in strange and unaccustomed garments, which crumple away as he sits up. His sight is greeted with a small patch of moonlight framed in a ragged aperture. He feels around his body and discovers a pocket containing matches. He strikes one and in the dim light sees the walls of a cave, the mummified remains of an old woman, and a row of human skeletons suspended from the rock ceiling by a rope; a cord stretches from the rope to the mummified hand of the woman. He exits the cave and is confronted with a rocky ledge and a forgotten sky and landscape. He has returned to Arizona where his adventure began ten years prior.
Another ten years pass. His Arizona mine has given him great wealth, but as he sits and gazes at Mars through his window which overlooks the Hudson, all he can do is wonder: Did the Martian reach the pump room? Did the air reach the rest of Barsoom in time? Were Dejah Thoris and his friends alive? In his mind’s eye he could see her with a little boy at her side, and the faithful Woola at their feet. He believes they are awaiting him, and that soon he will learn of their fates.
Literature Sample:
CHAPTER XI
WITH DEJAH THORIS
As we reached the open the two female guards who had been detailed to watch over Dejah Thoris hurried up and made as though to assume custody of her once more. The poor child shrank against me and I felt her two little hands fold tightly over my arm. Waving the women away, I informed them that Sola would attend the captive hereafter, and I further warned Sarkoja that any more of her cruel attentions bestowed upon Dejah Thoris would result in Sarkoja’s sudden and painful demise.
My threat was unfortunate and resulted in more harm than good to Dejah Thoris, for, as I learned later, men do not kill women upon Mars, nor women, men. So Sarkoja merely gave us an ugly look and departed to hatch up deviltries against us.
I soon found Sola and explained to her that I wished her to guard Dejah Thoris as she had guarded me; that I wished her to find other quarters where they would not be molested by Sarkoja, and I finally informed her that I myself would take up my quarters among the men.
Sola glanced at the accouterments which were carried in my hand and slung across my shoulder.
“You are a great chieftain now, John Carter,” she said, “and I must do your bidding, though indeed I am glad to do it under any circumstances. The man whose metal you carry was young, but he was a great warrior, and had by his promotions and kills won his way close to the rank of Tars Tarkas, who, as you know, is second to Lorquas Ptomel only. You are eleventh, there are but ten chieftains in this community who rank you in prowess.”
“And if I should kill Lorquas Ptomel?” I asked.
“You would be first, John Carter; but you may only win that honor by the will of the entire council that Lorquas Ptomel meet you in combat, or should he attack you, you may kill him in self-defense, and thus win first place.”
I laughed, and changed the subject. I had no particular desire to kill Lorquas Ptomel, and less to be a jed among the Tharks.
I accompanied Sola and Dejah Thoris in a search for new quarters, which we found in a building nearer the audience chamber and of far more pretentious architecture than our former habitation. We also found in this building real sleeping apartments with ancient beds of highly wrought metal swinging from enormous gold chains depending from the marble ceilings. The decoration of the walls was most elaborate, and, unlike the frescoes in the other buildings I had examined, portrayed many human figures in the compositions.
These were of people like myself, and of a much lighter color than Dejah Thoris. They were clad in graceful, flowing robes, highly ornamented with metal and jewels, and their luxuriant hair was of a beautiful golden and reddish bronze. The men were beardless and only a few wore arms. The scenes depicted for the most part, a fair-skinned, fair-haired people at play.
Dejah Thoris clasped her hands with an exclamation of rapture as she gazed upon these magnificent works of art, wrought by a people long extinct; while Sola, on the other hand, apparently did not see them.
We decided to use this room, on the second floor and overlooking the plaza, for Dejah Thoris and Sola, and another room adjoining and in the rear for the cooking and supplies. I then dispatched Sola to bring the bedding and such food and utensils as she might need, telling her that I would guard Dejah Thoris until her return.
As Sola departed Dejah Thoris turned to me with a faint smile.
“And whereto, then, would your prisoner escape should you leave her, unless it was to follow you and crave your protection, and ask your pardon for the cruel thoughts she has harbored against you these past few days?”
“You are right,” I answered, “there is no escape for either of us unless we go together.”
“I heard your challenge to the creature you call Tars Tarkas, and I think I understand your position among these people, but what I cannot fathom is your statement that you are not of Barsoom.”
“In the name of my first ancestor, then,” she continued, “where may you be from? You are like unto my people, and yet so unlike. You speak my language, and yet I heard you tell Tars Tarkas that you had but learned it recently. All Barsoomians speak the same tongue from the ice-clad south to the ice-clad north, though their written languages differ. Only in the valley Dor, where the river Iss empties into the lost sea of Korus, is there supposed to be a different language spoken, and, except in the legends of our ancestors, there is no record of a Barsoomian returning up the river Iss, from the shores of Korus in the valley of Dor. Do not tell me that you have thus returned! They would kill you horribly anywhere upon the surface of Barsoom if that were true; tell me it is not!”
Her eyes were filled with a strange, weird light; her voice was pleading, and her little hands, reached up upon my breast, were pressed against me as though to wring a denial from my very heart.
“I do not know your customs, Dejah Thoris, but in my own Virginia a gentleman does not lie to save himself; I am not of Dor; I have never seen the mysterious Iss; the lost sea of Korus is still lost, so far as I am concerned. Do you believe me?”
And then it struck me suddenly that I was very anxious that she should believe me. It was not that I feared the results which would follow a general belief that I had returned from the Barsoomian heaven or hell, or whatever it was. Why was it, then! Why should I care what she thought? I looked down at her; her beautiful face upturned, and her wonderful eyes opening up the very depth of her soul; and as my eyes met hers I knew why, and–I shuddered.
A similar wave of feeling seemed to stir her; she drew away from me with a sigh, and with her earnest, beautiful face turned up to mine, she whispered: “I believe you, John Carter; I do not know what a ‘gentleman’ is, nor have I ever he does not wish to speak the truth he is silent. Where is this Virginia, your country, John Carter?” she asked, and it seemed that this fair name of my fair land had never sounded more beautiful than as it fell from those perfect lips on that far-gone day.
“I am of another world,” I answered, “the great planet Earth, which revolves about our common sun and next within the orbit of your Barsoom, which we know as Mars. How I came here I cannot tell you, for I do not know; but here I am, and since my presence has permitted me to serve Dejah Thoris I am glad that I am here.”
She gazed at me with troubled eyes, long and questioningly. That it was difficult to believe my statement I well knew, nor could I hope that she would do so however much I craved her confidence and respect. I would much rather not have told her anything of my antecedents, but no man could look into the depth of those eyes and refuse her slightest behest.
Finally she smiled, and, rising, said: “I shall have to believe even though I cannot understand. I can readily perceive that you are not of the Barsoom of today; you are like us, yet different–but why should I trouble my poor head with such a problem, when my heart tells me that I believe because I wish to believe!”
It was good logic, good, earthly, feminine logic, and if it satisfied her I certainly could pick no flaws in it. As a matter of fact it was about the only kind of logic that could be brought to bear upon my problem. We fell into a general conversation then, asking and answering many questions on each side. She was curious to learn of the customs of my people and displayed a remarkable knowledge of events on Earth. When I questioned her closely on this seeming familiarity with earthly things she laughed, and cried out:
“Why, every school boy on Barsoom knows the geography, and much concerning the fauna and flora, as well as the history of your planet fully as well as of his own. Can we not see everything which takes place upon Earth, as you call it; is it not hanging there in the heavens in plain sight?”
This baffled me, I must confess, fully as much as my statements had confounded her; and I told her so. She then explained in general the instruments her people had used and been perfecting for ages, which permit them to throw upon a screen a perfect image of what is transpiring upon any planet and upon many of the stars. These pictures are so perfect in detail that, when photographed and enlarged, objects no greater than a blade of grass may be distinctly recognized. I afterward, in Helium, saw many of these pictures, as well as the instruments which produced them.
“If, then, you are so familiar with earthly things,” I asked, “why is it that you do not recognize me as identical with the inhabitants of that planet?”
She smiled again as one might in bored indulgence of a questioning child.
“Because, John Carter,” she replied, “nearly every planet and star having atmospheric conditions at all approaching those of Barsoom, shows forms of animal life almost identical with you and me; and, further, Earth men, almost without exception, cover their bodies with strange, unsightly pieces of cloth, and their heads with hideous contraptions the purpose of which we have been unable to conceive; while you, when found by the Tharkian warriors, were entirely undisfigured and unadorned.
“The fact that you wore no ornaments is a strong proof of your un-Barsoomian origin, while the absence of grotesque coverings might cause a doubt as to your earthliness.”
I then narrated the details of my departure from the Earth, explaining that my body there lay fully clothed in all the, to her, strange garments of mundane dwellers. At this point Sola returned with our meager belongings and her young Martian protege, who, of course, would have to share the quarters with them.
Sola asked us if we had had a visitor during her absence, and seemed much surprised when we answered in the negative. It seemed that as she had mounted the approach to the upper floors where our quarters were located, she had met Sarkoja descending. We decided that she must have been eavesdropping, but as we could recall nothing of importance that had passed between us we dismissed the matter as of little consequence, merely promising ourselves to be warned to the utmost caution in the future.
Dejah Thoris and I then fell to examining the architecture and decorations of the beautiful chambers of the building we were occupying. She told me that these people had presumably flourished over a hundred thousand years before.
They were the early progenitors of her race, but had mixed with the other great race of early Martians, who were very dark, almost black, and also with the reddish yellow race which had flourished at the same time.
These three great divisions of the higher Martians had been forced into a mighty alliance as the drying up of the Martian seas had compelled them to seek the comparatively few and always diminishing fertile areas, and to defend themselves, under new conditions of life, against the wild hordes of green men.
Ages of close relationship and intermarrying had resulted in the race of red men, of which Dejah Thoris was a fair and beautiful daughter. During the ages of hardships and incessant warring between their own various races, as well as with the green men, and before they had fitted themselves to the changed conditions, much of the high civilization and many of the arts of the fair-haired Martians had become lost; but the red race of today has reached a point where it feels that it has made up in new discoveries and in a more practical civilization for all that lies irretrievably buried with the ancient Barsoomians, beneath the countless intervening ages.
These ancient Martians had been a highly cultivated and literary race, but during the vicissitudes of those trying centuries of readjustment to new conditions, not only did their advancement and production cease entirely, but practically all their archives, records, and literature were lost.
Dejah Thoris related many interesting facts and legends concerning this lost race of noble and kindly people. She said that the city in which we were camping was supposed to have been a center of commerce and culture known as Korad. It had been built upon a beautiful, natural harbor, landlocked by magnificent hills. The little valley on the west front of the city, she explained, was all that remained of the harbor, while the pass through the hills to the old sea bottom had been the channel through which the shipping passed up to the city’s gates.
The shores of the ancient seas were dotted with just such cities, and lesser ones, in diminishing numbers, were to be found converging toward the center of the oceans, as the people had found it necessary to follow the receding waters until necessity had forced upon them their ultimate salvation, the so-called Martian canals.
We had been so engrossed in exploration of the building and in our conversation that it was late in the afternoon before we realized it. We were brought back to a realization of our present conditions by a messenger bearing a summons from Lorquas Ptomel directing me to appear before him forthwith. Bidding Dejah Thoris and Sola farewell, and commanding Woola to remain on guard, I hastened to the
audience chamber, where I found Lorquas Ptomel and Tars Tarkas seated upon the rostrum
.
