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11 - Thuvia, Maid of Mars (version 3) by Edgar Rice Burroughs · Thuvia, Maid of Mars (version 3)

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Speaker 1: Chapter eleven of Thuvia Made of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
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Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Thuvia Made
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Speaker 1: of Mars, Chapter eleven, Green Men and White Apes. A
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Speaker 1: Torquasian sword smote a glancing blow across the forehead of Carthoris.
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Speaker 1: He had a fleeting vision of soft arms about his
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Speaker 1: neck and warm lips close to his before he lost consciousness.
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Speaker 1: How long he lay there senseless, he could not guess.
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Speaker 1: But when he opened his eyes again, he was alone,
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Speaker 1: except for the bodies of the dead green men and Dusarians,
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Speaker 1: and the carcass of a great banth that lay half
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Speaker 1: across his own. Thuvia was gone, nor was the body
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Speaker 1: of car Komak among the dead. Weak from loss of blood,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris made his way slowly toward en Thor, reaching its
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Speaker 1: outskirts at dark. He wanted water more than any other thing,
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Speaker 1: and so he kept on up a broad avenue toward
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Speaker 1: the great central plaza, where he knew the precious fluid
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Speaker 1: was to be found in a half ruined building opposite
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Speaker 1: the great palace of the ancient Jeddak, who once had
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Speaker 1: ruled this mighty city. Disheartened, and discouraged by the strange
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Speaker 1: sequence of events that seemed foreordained to thwart his every
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Speaker 1: attempt to serve the Princess of Ptarth, he paid little
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Speaker 1: or no attention to his surroundings, moving through the deserted city,
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Speaker 1: as though no great white apes lurked in the black
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Speaker 1: shadows of the mystery haunted piles that flanked the broad
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Speaker 1: avenues and the great plaza. But if Carthoris was careless
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Speaker 1: of his surroundings, not so other eyes that watched his
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Speaker 1: entrance into the plaza and followed his slow footsteps towards
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Speaker 1: the marble pile that housed the tiny, half choked spring,
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Speaker 1: whose water one might gain only by scratching a deep
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Speaker 1: hole in the red sand that covered it. And as
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Speaker 1: the heliumite entered the small building, a dozen mighty grotesque
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Speaker 1: figures emerged from the doorway of the palace to speed
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Speaker 1: noiselessly across the plaza toward him. For half an hour,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris remained in the building, digging for water and gaining
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Speaker 1: the few much needed drops which were the fruits of
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Speaker 1: his labor. Then he rose and slowly left the structure.
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Speaker 1: Scarce had he stepped beyond the threshold, than twelve Torquassian
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Speaker 1: warriors leaped upon him, no time then to draw long sword,
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Speaker 1: but swift from his harness, flew his long, slim dagger,
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Speaker 1: and as he went down beneath them, more than a
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Speaker 1: single green heart ceased beating at the bite of that
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Speaker 1: keen point. Then they overpowered him and took his weapons away,
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Speaker 1: but only nine of the twelve warriors who had crossed
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Speaker 1: the plaza returned with their prize. They dragged their prisoner
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Speaker 1: roughly to the palace pits, where, in utter darkness, they
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Speaker 1: chained him with rust links to the solid masonry of
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Speaker 1: the wall. Tomorrow thar Ben will speak with you, they said.
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Speaker 1: Now he sleeps, but great will be his pleasure when
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Speaker 1: he LUNs who has wandered amongst us, And great will
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Speaker 1: be the pleasure of hortan Gur when thar Ban drags
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Speaker 1: before him the mad fool who dared prick the great
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Speaker 1: Jeddak with his sword. They then left him to the
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Speaker 1: silence and the darkness for what seemed hours. Carthoris squatted
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Speaker 1: upon the stone floor of his prison, his back against
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Speaker 1: the wall in which was sunk the heavy eye bolt
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Speaker 1: that secured the chain which held him. Then from out
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Speaker 1: of the mysterious blackness before him. There came to his
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Speaker 1: ears the sound of naked feet moving stealthily upon stone,
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Speaker 1: approaching nearer and nearer to where he lay, unarmed and defenseless.
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Speaker 1: Minutes passed, minutes that seemed hours, during which time periods
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Speaker 1: of sepulchral silence would be followed by a repetition of
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Speaker 1: the uncanny scraping of naked feet slinking warily upon him.
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Speaker 1: At last he heard a sudden rush of unshod souls
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Speaker 1: across the empty blackness, and at a little distance a
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Speaker 1: scuffling sound, heavy breathing, and once what he thought the
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Speaker 1: muttered imprecation of a man battling against great odds. Then
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Speaker 1: the clanging of a chain, and a noise as of
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Speaker 1: the snapping back against the stone of a broken link.
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Speaker 1: Again came silence, but for a moment. Only Now he
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Speaker 1: heard once more the soft feet approaching him. He thought
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Speaker 1: that he discerned wicked eyes gleaming fearfully at him through
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Speaker 1: the darkness. He knew that he could hear the heavy
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Speaker 1: breathing of powerful lungs. Then came the rush of many
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Speaker 1: feet toward him, and the things were upon him, hands
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Speaker 1: terminating in manlike fingers clutched at his throat and arms
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Speaker 1: and legigs. Hairy body strained and struggled against his own
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Speaker 1: smooth hide as he battled in grim silence against these
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Speaker 1: horrid foemen in the darkness of the pits of ancient
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Speaker 1: onhor few. Like some giant god, was Carthoris of helium.
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Speaker 1: Yet in the clutches of these unseen creatures of the
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Speaker 1: pitstygian night, he was helpless as a frail woman. Yet
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Speaker 1: he battled on, striking futile blows against great, hispid breasts
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Speaker 1: he could not see, feeling thick squat throats beneath his fingers,
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Speaker 1: the drool of saliva upon his cheek, and hot foul
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Speaker 1: breath in his nostrils. Fangs too, mighty fangs he knew
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Speaker 1: were close, and why they did not sink into his
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Speaker 1: flesh he could not guess. At last, he became aware
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Speaker 1: of the mighty surging of a number of his antagonists
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Speaker 1: back and forth upon the great chain that held him,
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Speaker 1: and presently came the same sound that he had heard
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Speaker 1: at a little distance from him a short time before.
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Speaker 1: He had been attacked. His chain had parted, and the
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Speaker 1: broken end snapped back against the stone wall. Now he
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Speaker 1: was seized upon either side and dragged at a rapid
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Speaker 1: pace through the dark corridors toward what fate he could
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Speaker 1: not even guess. At first, he had thought his foes
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Speaker 1: might be of the tribe of Torquois, but their hairy
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Speaker 1: bodies belied that belief. Now he was at last quite
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Speaker 1: sure of their identity, though why they had not killed
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Speaker 1: and devoured him at once he could not imagine. After
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Speaker 1: half an hour or more of rapid racing through the
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Speaker 1: underground passages that are a distinguishing feature of all Barsoomian cities,
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Speaker 1: modern as well as ancient, his captors suddenly emerged into
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Speaker 1: the moonlight of a courtyard far from the central plaza. Immediately,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris saw that he was in the power of a
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Speaker 1: tribe of the great white Apes of Barsoom. All that
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Speaker 1: had caused him doubt before or as to the identity
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Speaker 1: of his attackers was the hairiness of their breasts, for
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Speaker 1: the white apes are entirely hairless, except for a great
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Speaker 1: shock bristling from their heads. Now he saw the cause
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Speaker 1: of that which had deceived him. Across the chest of
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Speaker 1: each of them were strips of hairy hide, usually of
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Speaker 1: banth in imitation of the harness of the green warriors
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Speaker 1: who so often camped at their deserted city. Carthoris had
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Speaker 1: read of the existence of tribes of apes that seemed
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Speaker 1: to be progressing slowly toward higher standards of intelligence. Into
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Speaker 1: the hands of such, he realized he had fallen. But
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Speaker 1: what were their intentions toward him? As he glanced about
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Speaker 1: the courtyard, he saw fully fifty of the hideous beasts
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Speaker 1: squatting on their haunches, and at a little distance from
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Speaker 1: him another human being closely guarded. As his eyes met
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Speaker 1: those of his fellow captive, a smile at the other's face,
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Speaker 1: and chao red men burst from his lips. It was
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Speaker 1: kar Komak, the bowman Kaor, cried Carthoris. In response, how
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Speaker 1: came you here? And what befell the princess? Red men
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Speaker 1: like yourself descended in mighty ships that sailed the air
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Speaker 1: even as the great ships of my distant day sailed
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Speaker 1: the five seas, replied kar Komak. They fought with the
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Speaker 1: green men of Torquas they slew Komal, god of Lothar,
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Speaker 1: I thought they were your friends, and I was glad
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Speaker 1: when finally those of them, who survived the battle carried
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Speaker 1: the red girl to one of the ships and sailed
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Speaker 1: away with her into the safety of the high air.
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Speaker 1: Then the green men seized me and carried me to
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Speaker 1: a great empty city, where they chained me to a
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Speaker 1: wall in a black pit. Afterward came these and dragged
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Speaker 1: me hither. And what of you, red man, Carthoris related
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Speaker 1: all that had befallen him, And as the two men talked,
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Speaker 1: the great apes squatted about them, watching them intently. What
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Speaker 1: are we to do now, asked the bowman. Our case
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Speaker 1: looks rather hopeless, replied Carthoris ruefully. These creatures are born
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Speaker 1: man eaters. Why they have not already devoured us? I
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Speaker 1: cannot imagine. There, he whispered, see the end is coming.
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Speaker 1: Carkomac looked in the direction Carthoris indicated, to see a
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Speaker 1: huge ape advancing with a mighty bludgeon. It is thus
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Speaker 1: they like best to kill their prey, said Carthoris. Must
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Speaker 1: we die without a struggle, asked Karkomak, Not, I, replied Carthoris,
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Speaker 1: though I know how futile. Our best defense must be
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Speaker 1: against these mighty brutes. Oh for a long sword or
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Speaker 1: a good bow, added Carkomak and a u ten of bowmen.
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Speaker 1: At the words, Carthoris half sprang to his feet, only
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Speaker 1: to be dragged roughly down by his guard Karkomak. He cried,
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Speaker 1: why cannot you do what Tario and jav did. They
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Speaker 1: had no bowmen other than those of their own creation.
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Speaker 1: You must know the secret of their power. Call forth
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Speaker 1: your own utah. Karkomak, the Lotharian looked at Carthoris in
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Speaker 1: wide eyed astonishment as the full purport of the suggestion
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Speaker 1: bore in upon his understanding. Why not, he murmured. The
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Speaker 1: savage ape bearing the mighty bludgeon was slinking toward Carthoris.
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Speaker 1: The Heliumite's fingers were working as he kept his eyes
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Speaker 1: upon his executioner. Kar Komak bent his gaze penetratingly upon
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Speaker 1: the apes. The effort of his mind was evidenced in
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Speaker 1: the sweat upon his contracted brows. The creature that was
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Speaker 1: to slay the red Man was almost within arm's reach
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Speaker 1: of his prey when Carthoris heard a horse shout from
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Speaker 1: the opposite side of the courtyard. In common with the
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Speaker 1: squatting apes and the demon with the club, he turned
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Speaker 1: in the direction of the sound, to see a company
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Speaker 1: of sturdy bowmen rushing from the doorway of a nearby
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Speaker 1: building with screams of rage. The Apes leaped to their
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Speaker 1: feet to meet the charge. A volley of arrows met
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Speaker 1: them half way, sending a dozen rolling lifeless to the ground.
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Speaker 1: Then the Apes closed with their adversaries. All their attention
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Speaker 1: was occupied by the attackers. Even the guard had deserted
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Speaker 1: the prisoners to join in the battle. Come, whispered Karkomac.
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Speaker 1: Now may we escape while their attention is diverted from
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Speaker 1: us by my bowmen, And leave those brave fellows leaderless,
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Speaker 1: cried Carthoris, whose loyal nature revolted at the merest suggestion
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Speaker 1: of such a thing. Krkomak laughed, You forget, he said,
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Speaker 1: that they are but thin air figments of my brain.
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Speaker 1: They will vanish unscathed when we have no further need
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Speaker 1: for them. Praised be your first ancestor, Red men, that
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Speaker 1: you thought of this chance in time. It would never
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Speaker 1: have occurred to me to imagine that I might wield
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Speaker 1: the same power that brought me into existence. You are right,
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Speaker 1: said Carthoris. Still I hate to leave them, though there
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Speaker 1: is naught else to do. And so the two turned
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Speaker 1: from the courtyard, and making their way into one of
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Speaker 1: the broad avenues, crept stealthily in the shadows of the
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Speaker 1: building toward the great central plaza, upon which were the
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Speaker 1: buildings occupied by the Green warriors when they visited the
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Speaker 1: deserted city. When they had come to the plaza's edge,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris halted. Wait here, he whispered, I go to fetch thoats,
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Speaker 1: since on foot we may never hope to escape the
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Speaker 1: clutches of these green fiends. To reach the courtyard where
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Speaker 1: the thoats were kept, it was necessary for Carthoris to
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Speaker 1: pass through one of the buildings which surrounded the square.
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Speaker 1: Which were occupied and which not he could not even guess,
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Speaker 1: so he was compelled to take considerable chances to gain
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Speaker 1: the enclosure in which he could hear the restless beasts
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Speaker 1: squealing and quarreling among themselves. Chance carried him through a
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Speaker 1: dark doorway into a large chamber in which lay a
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Speaker 1: score or more Green warriors wrapped in their sleeping silks
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Speaker 1: and furs. Scarce had Carthoris passed through the short hallway
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Speaker 1: that connected the door of the building and the great
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Speaker 1: room beyond it, than he became aware of the presence
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Speaker 1: of something or some one In the hallway through which
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Speaker 1: he had but just passed. He heard a man yawn,
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Speaker 1: and then behind him he saw the figure of a
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Speaker 1: sentry rise from where the fellow had been dozing and
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Speaker 1: stretching himself resume his wakeful watchfulness. Carthoris realized that he
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Speaker 1: must have passed within a foot of the warrior. Doubtless,
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Speaker 1: rousing him from his slumber to retreat now would be impossible.
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Speaker 1: Yet to cross through that room full of sleeping warriors
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Speaker 1: seemed almost equally beyond the page of possibility. Carthoris shrugged
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Speaker 1: his broad shoulders and chose the lesser evil. Warily, he
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Speaker 1: entered the room. At his right, against the wall leaned
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Speaker 1: several swords and rifles and spears, extra weapons which the
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Speaker 1: warriors had stacked here, ready to their hands should there
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Speaker 1: be a night alarm calling them suddenly from their slumber.
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Speaker 1: Beside each sleeper lay his weapon. These were never far
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Speaker 1: from their owners, from childhood to death. The sight of
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Speaker 1: the swords made the young man's palm itch. He stepped
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Speaker 1: quickly to them, selecting two short swords, one for Carl Komak,
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Speaker 1: the other for himself, also some trappings for his naked comrade.
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Speaker 1: Then he started directly across the center of the apartment.
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Speaker 1: Among the sleeping Torquasians. Not a man of them moved
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Speaker 1: until Carthoris had completed more than half of the short,
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Speaker 1: though dangerous journey. Then a fellow directly in his path
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Speaker 1: turned restlessly upon his sleeping silks and furs. The Heliumite
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Speaker 1: paused above him, one of the short swords, in readiness
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Speaker 1: should the warrior awaken. For what seemed an eternity to
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Speaker 1: the young prince, The green Man continued to move uneasily
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Speaker 1: upon his couch. Then, as though actuated by springs, he
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Speaker 1: leaped to his feet and faced the red Man. Instantly,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris struck, but not before a savage grunt escaped the
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Speaker 1: other's lips. In an instant the room was in turmoil.
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Speaker 1: Warriors leaped to their feet, grasping their weapons as they
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Speaker 1: rose and shouting to one another for an explanation of
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Speaker 1: the disturbance. To Carthoris, all within the room was plainly
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Speaker 1: visible in the dim light reflected from without. For the
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Speaker 1: further moon stood directly at zenith. But to the eyes
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Speaker 1: of the newly awakened green Men, objects as yet had
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Speaker 1: not taken on familiar forms, they but saw vaguely the
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Speaker 1: figures of warriors moving about their apartment. Now one stumbled
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Speaker 1: against the corpse of him whom Carthoris had slain. The
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Speaker 1: fellow stooped, and his hand came in contact with the
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Speaker 1: cleft skull. He saw about him the giant figures of
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Speaker 1: other green Men, and so he jumped to the only
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Speaker 1: conclusion that was open to him, the Thirds, He cried,
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Speaker 1: The Thirds are upon us. Rise, warriors of Torquois, and
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Speaker 1: drive home your swords within the hearts of Torquois, ancient enemies. Instantly,
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Speaker 1: the green Men began to fall upon one another with
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Speaker 1: naked swords. Their savage lust of battle was aroused, to fight,
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Speaker 1: to kill, to die, with cold steel buried in their vitals.
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Speaker 1: Ah that to them was nirvana. Carthoris was quick to
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Speaker 1: guess their error and take advantage of it. He knew
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Speaker 1: that in the pleasure of killing, they might fight on
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Speaker 1: long after they had discovered their mistake, unless their attention
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Speaker 1: was distracted by the sight of the real cause of
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Speaker 1: the altercation. And so he lost no time in continuing
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Speaker 1: across the room to the doorway upon the opposite side,
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Speaker 1: which opened into the inner courts, where the savage thoats
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Speaker 1: were squealing and fighting among themselves. Once here, he had
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Speaker 1: no easy task before him. To catch and mount one
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Speaker 1: of these habitually rageful and intractable beasts was no child's
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Speaker 1: play under the best of conditions. But now, when silence
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Speaker 1: and time were such important considerations, it might well have
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Speaker 1: seemed quite hopeless to a less resourceful and optimistic man
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Speaker 1: than the son of the great Warlord. From his father
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Speaker 1: he had learned much concerning the traits of these mighty beasts,
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Speaker 1: and from Tars Tarkas also when he had visited that
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Speaker 1: great green Jeddak among his hoard at dark. So now
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Speaker 1: he centered upon the work in hand all that he
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Speaker 1: had ever learned about them, from others and from his
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Speaker 1: own experience, for he too, who had ridden and handled
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Speaker 1: them many times. The temper of the thoats of Torquois
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Speaker 1: appeared even shorter than their vicious cousins among the tharks
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Speaker 1: and warhoons, and for a time it seemed unlikely that
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Speaker 1: he should escape a savage charge on the part of
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Speaker 1: a couple of old bulls that circled squealing about him.
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Speaker 1: But at last he managed to get close enough to
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Speaker 1: one of them to touch the beast with a feel
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Speaker 1: of his hand upon the sleek hide. The creature quieted, and,
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Speaker 1: in answer to the telepathic command of the red Man,
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Speaker 1: sank to its knees. In a moment, Carthoris was upon
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Speaker 1: its back, guiding it toward the great gate that leads
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Speaker 1: from the courtyard through a large building at one end
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Speaker 1: into an avenue beyond. The other, bull, still squealing and enraged,
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Speaker 1: followed after his fellow. There was no bridle upon either,
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Speaker 1: for these strange creatures are controlled entirely by suggestion. When
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Speaker 1: they are controlled at all, even in the hands of
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Speaker 1: the giant green men, bridle reins would be hopelessly futile
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Speaker 1: against the mad savagery and mastodonic strength of the thoat,
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Speaker 1: And so they are guided by that strange telepathic power
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Speaker 1: with which the men of Mars have learned to communicate
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Speaker 1: in a crude way with the lower orders of their planet.
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Speaker 1: With difficulty. Carthoris urged the two beasts to the gate, where,
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Speaker 1: leaning down, he raised the latch. Then the thoat that
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Speaker 1: he was writing, placed his great shoulder to the skeel
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Speaker 1: wood planking, pushed through, and a moment later the man
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Speaker 1: and the two beasts were swinging silently down the avenue
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Speaker 1: to the edge of the plaza, where car Komak hid. Here,
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Speaker 1: Carthoris found considerable difficulty in subduing the second thoat, and
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Speaker 1: as Carkomak had never before ridden one of the beasts,
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Speaker 1: it seemed a most hopeless job. But at last the
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Speaker 1: bowman managed to scramble to the sleek back, and again
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Speaker 1: the two beasts fled softly down the moss grown avenues
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Speaker 1: toward the open sea bottom beyond the city. All that
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Speaker 1: night and the following day, and the second night they
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Speaker 1: rode toward the northeast. No indication of pursuit developed, and
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Speaker 1: at dawn of the second day, Carthoris saw in the
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Speaker 1: distance the waving ribbon of great trees that marked one
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Speaker 1: of the long Barsoomian waterways. Immediately they abandoned their thoats
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Speaker 1: and approached the cultivated district on foot. Carthoris also discarded
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Speaker 1: the metal from his harness, or such of it as
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Speaker 1: might serve to identify him as a Heliumite or of
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Speaker 1: royal blood, for he did not know to what nation
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Speaker 1: belonged this waterway. And upon Mars, it is always well
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Speaker 1: to assume every man and nation your enemy until you
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Speaker 1: have learned the contrary. It was mid forenoon when the
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Speaker 1: two at last entered one of the roads that cut
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Speaker 1: through the cultivated districts at regular intervals, joining the arid
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Speaker 1: wastes on either side, with the great white central highway
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Speaker 1: that follows through the center from end to end of
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Speaker 1: the far reaching threadlike farm lands. The high wall surrounding
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Speaker 1: the field served as a protection against surprise by raiding
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Speaker 1: green hordes, as well as keeping the savage bans and
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Speaker 1: other carnivora from the domestic animals and the human beings
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Speaker 1: upon the farms. Carthoris stopped before the first gate he
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Speaker 1: came to, pounding for admission. The young man who answered
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Speaker 1: his summons greeted the two hospitably, though he looked with
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Speaker 1: considerable wonder upon the white skin and auburn hair of
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Speaker 1: the bowmen. After he listened for a moment to a
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Speaker 1: partial narration of their escape from the Torquasians, he invited
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Speaker 1: them within, took them to his house, and bade the
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Speaker 1: servants there prepare food for them. As they waited in
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Speaker 1: the low sealed, pleasant living room of the farm house
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Speaker 1: until the meal should be ready. Carthoris drew his host
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Speaker 1: into conversation that he might learn his nationality and thus
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Speaker 1: the nation under whose dominion lay the waterway where circumstance
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Speaker 1: had placed him. I am hal Vas, said the young man,
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Speaker 1: son of vas Kor of Dusar, a noble in the
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Speaker 1: retinue of Astok, Prince of Dusar. At present, I am
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Speaker 1: Dwar of the road for this district. Carthoris was very
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Speaker 1: glad that he had not disclosed his identity, for though
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Speaker 1: he had no idea of anything that had transpired since
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Speaker 1: he had left Helium, or that Astok was at the
22:28
Speaker 1: bottom of all his misfortunes, he well knew that the
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Speaker 1: Dusarian had no love for him, and that he could
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Speaker 1: hope for no assistance within the dominions of Dusar. And
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Speaker 1: who are you, asked hal Vas. By your appearance, I
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Speaker 1: take you for a fighting man, but I see no
22:47
Speaker 1: insignia upon your harness. Can it be that you are
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Speaker 1: a panthon? Now? These wandering soldiers of fortune are common
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Speaker 1: upon Barsoom, were most men love to fight. They sell
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Speaker 1: their services wherever war exists, and in the occasional brief
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Speaker 1: intervals when there is no organized warfare between the red nations,
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Speaker 1: they join one of the numerous expeditions that are constantly
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Speaker 1: being dispatched against the green men in protection of the
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Speaker 1: waterways that traverse the wilder portions of the globe. When
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Speaker 1: their service is over, they discard the metal of the
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Speaker 1: nation they have been serving, until they shall have found
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Speaker 1: a new master in the intervals. They wear no insignia,
23:29
Speaker 1: their war worn harness and grim weapons being sufficient to
23:33
Speaker 1: attest their calling. The suggestion was a happy one at
23:38
Speaker 1: Carthoris embraced the chance it afforded to account satisfactorily for himself.
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Speaker 1: There was, however, a single drawback. In times of war.
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Speaker 1: Such panthons as happened to be within the domain of
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Speaker 1: a belligerent nation were compelled to don the insignia of
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Speaker 1: that nation and fight with their warriors. As far as
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Speaker 1: Carthoris knew, Douce was not at war with any other nation,
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Speaker 1: But there was never any telling when one red nation
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Speaker 1: would be flying at the throat of a neighbor, even
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Speaker 1: though the great and powerful alliance, at the head of
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Speaker 1: which was his father, John Carter, had managed to maintain
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Speaker 1: a long peace upon the greater portion of Barsoom. A
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Speaker 1: pleasant smile lighted hal Vas's face as Carthoris admitted his vocation.
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Speaker 1: It is well exclaimed the young man, that you chance
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Speaker 1: to come hither, for here you will find the means
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Speaker 1: of obtaining service. In short order. My father vas Kor
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Speaker 1: is even now with me, having come hither to recruit
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Speaker 1: a force for the new war against Helium. End of
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Speaker 1: Chapter eleven.