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02 - Thuvia, Maid of Mars - Edgar Rice Burroughs · Classic Science Fiction Books

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  Speaker 1: Chapter two Slavery. As the ruler of Ptarth, followed by
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  Speaker 1: his courtiers, descended from the landing stage above the palace,
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  Speaker 1: the servants dropped into their places in the rear of
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  Speaker 1: their royal or noble masters, and behind the others. One
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  Speaker 1: lingered to the last, then, quickly stooping, he snatched the
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  Speaker 1: sandal from his right foot, slipping it into his pocket pouch.
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  Speaker 1: When the party had come to the lower levels, and
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  Speaker 1: the Jeddak had dispersed them by a sign, none noticed
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  Speaker 1: that the forward fellow, who had drawn so much attention
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  Speaker 1: to himself before the Prince of Helium departed, was no
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  Speaker 1: longer among the other servants to whose retinue he had
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  Speaker 1: been attached. None had thought to inquire, For the followers
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  Speaker 1: of a martian noble are many, coming and going at
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  Speaker 1: the whim of their master, so that a new face
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  Speaker 1: is scarcely ever questioned, as the fact that the man
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  Speaker 1: has passed within the palace walls is considered proof positive
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  Speaker 1: that his loyalty to the Jeddak is beyond question. So
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  Speaker 1: rigid is the examination of each who seeks service with
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  Speaker 1: the nobles of the court, A good rule that and
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  Speaker 1: only relaxed by courtesy in favor of the retinue of
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  Speaker 1: visiting royalty from a friendly foreign power. It was late
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  Speaker 1: in the morning of the next day that a giant
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  Speaker 1: serving man, in the harness of the house of a
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  Speaker 1: great ptarth noble, passed out into the city from the
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  Speaker 1: palace gates. Along one broad avenue and then another. He
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  Speaker 1: strode briskly until he had passed beyond the district of
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  Speaker 1: nobles and had come to the place of shops. Here
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  Speaker 1: he sought a pretentious building that rose spirelike toward the heavens,
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  Speaker 1: its outer walls elaborately wrought with delicate carvings and intricate mosaics.
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  Speaker 1: It was the Palace of Peace, in which were housed
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  Speaker 1: the representatives of the foreign powers, or rather in which
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  Speaker 1: were located their embassies. For the ministers themselves dwelt in
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  Speaker 1: gorgeous palaces within the district occupied by the nobles. Here
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  Speaker 1: the man sought the embassy of Dusar. A clerk arose
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  Speaker 1: questioningly as he entered, and that his request to have
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  Speaker 1: a word with the minister. Asked his credentials, the visitor
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  Speaker 1: slipped a plain metal armlet from above his elbow, and
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  Speaker 1: pointing to an inscription upon its inner surface, whispered a
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  Speaker 1: word or two to the clerk. The latter's eyes went wide,
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  Speaker 1: and his attitude turned at once to one of deference.
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  Speaker 1: He bowed the stranger to a seat and hastened to
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  Speaker 1: an inner room with the armlet in his hand. A
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  Speaker 1: moment later he reappeared and conducted the caller into the
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  Speaker 1: presence of the minister. For a long time the two
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  Speaker 1: were closeted together, and when at last the giant serving
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  Speaker 1: man emerged from the inner office, his expression was cast
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  Speaker 1: in a smile of sinner mister satisfaction. From the Palace
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  Speaker 1: of Peace, he hurried directly to the palace of the
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  Speaker 1: Dusarian Minister. That night, two swift fliers left the same
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  Speaker 1: palace top. One sped its rapid course toward Helium. The other,
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia of Ptarth, strolled in the gardens of her father's palace,
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  Speaker 1: as was her nightly custom. Before retiring. Her silks and
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  Speaker 1: furs were drawn about her. For the air of Mars
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  Speaker 1: is chill. After the sun had taken his quick plunge
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  Speaker 1: beneath the planet's western verge, the girl's thoughts wandered from
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  Speaker 1: her impending nuptuels that would make her Empress of Cowl
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  Speaker 1: to the person of the trim young Heliumite who had
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  Speaker 1: laid his heart at her feet the preceding day. Whether
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  Speaker 1: it was pity or regret that saddened her expression as
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  Speaker 1: she gazed toward the southern heavens, where she had watched
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  Speaker 1: the lights of his flier disappear the previous night, it
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  Speaker 1: would be difficult to say, so, too, is it impossible
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  Speaker 1: to conjecture just what her emotions may have been as
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  Speaker 1: she discerned the lights of a flier speeding rapidly out
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  Speaker 1: of the distance from that very direction, as though impelled
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  Speaker 1: toward her garden by the very intensity of the princess's thoughts.
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  Speaker 1: She saw its circle lower above the palace until she
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  Speaker 1: was positive that it but hovered in preparation for a landing. Presently,
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  Speaker 1: the powerful rays of its searchlight shot downward from the bow.
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  Speaker 1: They fell upon the landing stage for a brief instant,
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  Speaker 1: revealing the figures of the Parthian guards, picking into brilliant
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  Speaker 1: points of fire the gems upon their gorgeous harnesses. Then
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  Speaker 1: the blazing eyes swept onward across the burnished domes and
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  Speaker 1: graceful minarets down into court and park and garden, to
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  Speaker 1: pause at last upon the air site bench, and the
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  Speaker 1: girl standing there beside it, her face upturned full toward
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  Speaker 1: the flier. For but an instant the searchlight halted upon
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia of Ptarth. Then it was extinguished, as suddenly as
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  Speaker 1: it had come to life. The flier passed on above her,
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  Speaker 1: to disappear beyond a grove of lofty skeel trees that
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  Speaker 1: grew within the palace grounds. The girl stood for some
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  Speaker 1: time as it had left her, except that her head
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  Speaker 1: was bent and her eyes downcast in thought. Who but
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  Speaker 1: Carthoris could it have been? She tried to feel anger
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  Speaker 1: that he should have returned, thus spying upon her, But
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  Speaker 1: she found it difficult to be angry with the young
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  Speaker 1: Prince of Helium. What mad Caprice could have indulged him
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  Speaker 1: to so transgress the etiquette of nations for lesser things
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  Speaker 1: great powers had gone to war. The princess in her
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  Speaker 1: was shocked and angered. But what of the girl and
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  Speaker 1: the guard? What of them? Evidently they too had been
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  Speaker 1: so much surprised by the unprecedented action of the stranger
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  Speaker 1: that they had not even challenged. But that they had
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  Speaker 1: no thought to let the thing go unnoticed was quickly
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  Speaker 1: evidenced by the scurring of motors upon the landing stage
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  Speaker 1: and the quick shooting airward of a long lined patrol boat.
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  Speaker 1: Thuvio watched it dart swiftly eastward, So too did other
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  Speaker 1: eyes watch. Within the dense shadows of the skeel grove
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  Speaker 1: in a wide avenue, beneath overspreading foliage, a flier hung
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  Speaker 1: a dozen feet above the ground from its deck. Keen
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  Speaker 1: eyes watched the far fanning searchlight of the patrol boat.
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  Speaker 1: No light shone from the enshadowed craft upon its deck
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  Speaker 1: was the silence of the tomb. Its crew of a
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  Speaker 1: half dozen red warriors watched the lights of the patrol
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  Speaker 1: boat diminishing in the distance. The intellects of our ancestors
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  Speaker 1: are with us to night, said one in a low tone.
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  Speaker 1: No plan ever carried better, returned another. They did precisely
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  Speaker 1: as the Prince foretold. He who had first spoken turned
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  Speaker 1: toward the man who squatted before the control board. Now
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  Speaker 1: he whispered. There was no other order given. Every man
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  Speaker 1: upon the craft had evidently been well schooled in each
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  Speaker 1: detail of that night's work. Silently the dark hull crept
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  Speaker 1: beneath the cathedral arches of the dark and silent grove.
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  Speaker 1: Thuvia of Ptarth, gazing toward the east, saw the blacker
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  Speaker 1: blot against the darkness of the trees. As the craft
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  Speaker 1: topped the buttress garden wall, she saw the dim bulk
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  Speaker 1: inclined gently downward toward the scarlet sward of the garden.
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  Speaker 1: She knew that men came not thus with honorable intent,
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  Speaker 1: Yet she did not cry aloud to alarm the nearby guardsmen,
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  Speaker 1: nor did she flee to the safety of the palace.
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  Speaker 1: Why I can see her shri rug her shapely shoulders
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  Speaker 1: in reply as she voices the age old universal answer
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  Speaker 1: of the woman because scarce had the flier touched the ground.
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  Speaker 1: When four men leaped from its deck, they ran forward
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  Speaker 1: toward the girl. Still she made no sign of alarm,
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  Speaker 1: standing as though hypnotized, or could it have been, as
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  Speaker 1: one who awaited a welcome visitor. Not until they were
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  Speaker 1: quite close to her did she move. Then the nearer moon,
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  Speaker 1: rising above the surrounding foliage, touched their faces, lighting all
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  Speaker 1: with the brilliancy of her silver rays. Thuvia of Ptarth
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  Speaker 1: saw only strangers, warriors in the harness of Dusar. Now
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  Speaker 1: she took fright, but too late. Before she could voice,
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  Speaker 1: but a single cry, rough hands seized her. A heavy
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  Speaker 1: silken scarf was wound about her head. She was lifted
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  Speaker 1: in strong arms and borne to the deck of the flower.
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  Speaker 1: There was the sudden whirl of propellers, a rushing of
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  Speaker 1: air against her body, and from far beneath, the shouting
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  Speaker 1: and challenge from the guard. Racing toward the south, another
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  Speaker 1: flier sped toward Helium. In its cabin, a tall red
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  Speaker 1: man bent over the soft soul of an upturned sandal.
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  Speaker 1: With delicate instruments, he measured the faint imprint of a
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  Speaker 1: small object, which appeared there upon a pad. Beside him
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  Speaker 1: was the outline of a key, and here he noted
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  Speaker 1: the results of his measurements. A smile played upon his
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  Speaker 1: lips as he completed his task and turned to one
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  Speaker 1: who waited at the opposite side of the table. The
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  Speaker 1: man is a genius, he remarked. Only a genius could
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  Speaker 1: have evolved such a lock as this is designed to
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  Speaker 1: spring Here, take the sketch, Larrac, and give all thine
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  Speaker 1: own genius full and unfettered freedom and reproducing it in metal.
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  Speaker 1: The warrior outificer bowed man build not He said that
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  Speaker 1: man may not destroy. Then he left the cabin with
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  Speaker 1: the sketch. As dawn broke upon the lofty towers which
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  Speaker 1: marked the twin cities of Helium, the scarlet tower of
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  Speaker 1: one and the yellow tower of its sister, a flier
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  Speaker 1: floated lazily out of the north. Upon its bow was
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  Speaker 1: emblazoned insignia of a lesser noble, of a far city
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  Speaker 1: of the Empire of Helium. Its leisurely approach and the
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  Speaker 1: evident confidence with which it moved across the city aroused
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  Speaker 1: no suspicion in the minds of the sleepy guard. There,
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  Speaker 1: round of duty nearly done, they had little thought beyond
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  Speaker 1: the coming of those who were to relieve them. Peace
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  Speaker 1: reigned throughout Helium, stagnant, emasculating peace. Helium had no enemies.
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  Speaker 1: There was nought to fear. Without haste, the nearest air
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  Speaker 1: patrol swung sluggishly about and approached the stranger at easy
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  Speaker 1: speaking distance. The officer upon her deck hailed the incoming craft,
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  Speaker 1: the cheery kowor, and the plausible explanation that the owner
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  Speaker 1: had come from distant parts for a few days of
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  Speaker 1: pleasure in gay Helium sufficed the air patrol boat sheered off,
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  Speaker 1: passing again upon its way. The stranger continued toward a
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  Speaker 1: public landing stage, where she dropped into the ways and
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  Speaker 1: came to rest. At about the same time a warrior
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  Speaker 1: entered her cabin. It is done, Vaskor, he said, handing
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  Speaker 1: a small metal key to the tall noble, who had
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  Speaker 1: just risen from his sleeping silks and furs. Good exclaimed
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  Speaker 1: the latter. You must have worked upon it all during
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  Speaker 1: the night, Larok. The warrior nodded. Now, fetch me the
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  Speaker 1: heliumetic metal you wrought some days since, commanded Vaskor. This done.
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  Speaker 1: The warrior assisted his master to replace the handsome jeweled
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  Speaker 1: metas of his harness with the plainer ornaments of an
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  Speaker 1: ordinary fighting man of Helium, and with this insignia of
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  Speaker 1: the same house that appeared upon the bow of the flier.
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  Speaker 1: Vast Corps breakfasted on board. Then he emerged upon the
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  Speaker 1: aerial dock, entered an elevator, and was borne quickly to
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  Speaker 1: the street below, where he was soon engulfed by the
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  Speaker 1: early morning throng of workers hastening to their daily duties
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  Speaker 1: among them. His warrior trappings were no more remarkable than
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  Speaker 1: as a pair of trousers upon Broadway. All Martian men
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  Speaker 1: are warriors, save those physically unable to bear arms. The
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  Speaker 1: tradesmen and his clerk clank with their martial trappings as
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  Speaker 1: they pursue their vocations. The schoolboy, coming into the world
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  Speaker 1: as he does, almost adult from the snowy shell that
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  Speaker 1: has encompassed his development for five long years, knows so
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  Speaker 1: little of life without a sword at his hip that
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  Speaker 1: he would feel the same discomfiture at going abroad unarmed
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  Speaker 1: that an earth boy would Expelians in walking the streets.
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  Speaker 1: Knickerbockerless vast Corp's destination lay in Greater Helium, which lies
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  Speaker 1: some seventy five miles across the level plain from Lesser Helium.
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  Speaker 1: He had landed at the latter city because the air
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  Speaker 1: patrol is less suspicious and alert than that above the
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  Speaker 1: larger metropolis, where lies the Palace of the Jeddak. As
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  Speaker 1: he moved with the throng in the park like canyon
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  Speaker 1: of the Thoroughfare, the life of an awakening Martian city
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  Speaker 1: was in evidence about him. Houses raised high upon their
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  Speaker 1: slender metal columns, for the night were dropping gently toward
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  Speaker 1: the ground among the flowers. Upon the scarlet sward which
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  Speaker 1: lies about the buildings. Children were already playing, and comely
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  Speaker 1: women laughing and chatting with their neighbors as they called
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  Speaker 1: gorgeous blossoms for the vases within doors. The pleasant care
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  Speaker 1: of the Borsomian greeting fell continually upon the ears of
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  Speaker 1: the stranger, as friends and neighbors took up the duties
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  Speaker 1: of a new day. The district in which he had
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  Speaker 1: landed was residential, a district of merchants of the more
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  Speaker 1: prosperous sort. Everywhere were evidences of luxury and wealth. Slaves
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  Speaker 1: appeared upon every housetop with gorgeous silks and costly furs,
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  Speaker 1: laying them in the sun for erring jewel Encrusted women
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  Speaker 1: lulled even thus early upon the carved balconies before their
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  Speaker 1: sleeping apartments. Later in the day they would repair to
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  Speaker 1: their roofs. When the slaves had arranged couches and pitched
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  Speaker 1: silken canopies to shade them from the sun, strains of
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  Speaker 1: inspiring music broke pleasantly from open windows. For the Martians
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  Speaker 1: have solved the problem of attuning the nerves pleasantly to
• 14:45
  Speaker 1: the sudden transition from sleep to waking that proved so
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  Speaker 1: difficult a thing for most earth folk. Above him raced
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  Speaker 1: the long light passenger fliers, plying, each in its proper plane,
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  Speaker 1: which was beween the numerous landing stages for internal passenger traffic.
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  Speaker 1: Landing stages that tower high into the heavens are for
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  Speaker 1: the great international passenger liners. Freighters have other landing stages
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  Speaker 1: at various lower levels, to within a couple hundred feet
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  Speaker 1: of the ground. Nor dare any flyer rise or drop
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  Speaker 1: from one plane to another, except in certain restricted districts
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  Speaker 1: where horizontal traffic is forbidden. Along the close cropped sward
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  Speaker 1: which paves the avenue, ground flyers were moving in continuous
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  Speaker 1: lines in opposite directions. For the greater part they skimmed
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  Speaker 1: along the surface of the sward, soaring gracefully into the air,
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  Speaker 1: at times to pass over a slower going driver ahead,
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  Speaker 1: or at intersections where the north and south traffic has
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  Speaker 1: the right of way and the east and west must
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  Speaker 1: rise above it. From private hangars. Upon many a rooftop
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  Speaker 1: flyers were darting into the line of traffic, gay farewells
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  Speaker 1: and parting admonitions mingled with the whirring of motors and
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  Speaker 1: the subdued noises of the city. Yet with all the
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  Speaker 1: swift movement and the countless thousands rushing hither and thither,
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  Speaker 1: the predominant suggestion was that of luxurious ease and soft noiselessness.
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  Speaker 1: Martians dislike harsh, discordant clamor. The only loud noises they
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  Speaker 1: can abide are the martial sounds of war, the clash
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  Speaker 1: of arms, the collision of two mighty dreadnoughts of the air.
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  Speaker 1: To them, there is no sweeter music than this. At
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  Speaker 1: the intersection of two broad avenues, vas Kor descended from
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  Speaker 1: the street level to one of the great pneumatic stations
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  Speaker 1: of the city. Here he paid, before little Wicket the
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  Speaker 1: fare to his destination with a couple of the dull
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  Speaker 1: oval coins of helium. Beyond the gate keeper, he came
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  Speaker 1: to a slowly moving line of what to earthly eyes
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  Speaker 1: would have appeared to be conical nosed eight foot projectiles
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  Speaker 1: for some giant gun. In slow procession, the things moved
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  Speaker 1: in single file along a grooved track. A half dozen
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  Speaker 1: attendants assisted passengers to enter, or directed those carriers to
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  Speaker 1: their proper destination. The vast core approached one that was empty.
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  Speaker 1: Upon its nose was a dial and a pointer. He
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  Speaker 1: set the pointer for a certain station, and Greater Helium
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  Speaker 1: raised the arched lid of the thing, stepped in and
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  Speaker 1: laid down upon the upholstered bottom. An attendant closed the lid,
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  Speaker 1: which locked with a little click, and the carrier continued
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  Speaker 1: its slow way. Presently, it switched itself automatically to another
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  Speaker 1: track to enter a moment later, one of the series
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  Speaker 1: of dark mouthed tubes. The instant that its entire length
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  Speaker 1: was within the black aperture, it sprang forward with the
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  Speaker 1: speed of a rifle ball. There was an instant of whizzing,
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  Speaker 1: a soft though sudden stop, and slowly the carrier emerged
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  Speaker 1: upon another platform. Another attendant raised the lid and vas
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  Speaker 1: kor stepped out at the station beneath the center of
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  Speaker 1: Greater Helium, seventy five miles from the point at which
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  Speaker 1: he had embarked. Here, he sought the street level, stepping
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  Speaker 1: immediately into a waiting ground flier. He spoke no word
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  Speaker 1: to the slaves sitting in the driver's seat. It was
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  Speaker 1: evident that he had been expected, and that the fellow
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  Speaker 1: had received his instructions before his coming. Scarcely had vas
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  Speaker 1: Kor taken his seat when the flier went quickly into
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  Speaker 1: the fast moving procession, turning presently from the broad and
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  Speaker 1: crowded avenues into a less congested street. Presently it left
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  Speaker 1: the thronged district behind to enter a section of small shops,
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  Speaker 1: where it stopped before the entrance to one which bore
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  Speaker 1: the sign of a dealer in foreign silks. Vas Kor
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  Speaker 1: entered the low ceiling room. A man at the far
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  Speaker 1: end motioned him toward an inner apartment, giving no further
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  Speaker 1: sign of recognition until he had passed the inn after
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  Speaker 1: the collar and closed the door. Then he faced his visitor,
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  Speaker 1: saluting deferentially. Most noble, he commenced, but Vaskort silenced him
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  Speaker 1: with a gesture no formalities. He said, we must forget
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  Speaker 1: that I am aught other than your slave. If all
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  Speaker 1: has been as carefully carried out as it has been planned,
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  Speaker 1: we have no time to waste. Instead, we should be
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  Speaker 1: upon our way to the slave market. Are you ready?
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  Speaker 1: The merchant nodded, and, turning to a great chest, produced
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  Speaker 1: the unemblazoned trappings of a slave. These Vaskors immediately dawned.
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  Speaker 1: Then the two passed from the shop through a rear door,
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  Speaker 1: traversed a winding alley to an avenue beyond where they
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  Speaker 1: entered a flier which awaited them. Five minutes later, the
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  Speaker 1: merchant was leading his slave to the public market, where
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  Speaker 1: a great concourse of people filled the great open space
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  Speaker 1: in the center of which stood the slave block. The
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  Speaker 1: crowds were enormous to day, for Carthoris, Prince of Helium,
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  Speaker 1: was to be the principal bidder. One by one, the
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  Speaker 1: masters mounted the rostrum beside the sleigh block upon which
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  Speaker 1: stood their chattels. Briefly and clearly, each recounted the virtues
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  Speaker 1: of his particular offering. When all were done, the Majordomo
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  Speaker 1: of the Prince of Helium recalled to the block such
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  Speaker 1: as had favorably impressed him. For such he had made
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  Speaker 1: a fair offer. There was little haggling as to price,
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  Speaker 1: and none at all when vascort was placed upon the block.
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  Speaker 1: His merchant master accepted the first offer that was made
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  Speaker 1: for him, and thus a Dusarian noble entered the house
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  Speaker 1: of Carthoris. End of Chapter two