A Princess of Mars

Tardos Mors then greeted each of the green jeddaks and jeds, and to

each spoke words of friendship and appreciation.

As he approached me he laid both hands upon my shoulders.

"Welcome, my son," he said; "that you are granted, gladly, and without

one word of opposition, the most precious jewel in all Helium, yes, on

all Barsoom, is sufficient earnest of my esteem."

We were then presented to Mors Kajak, Jed of lesser Helium, and father

of Dejah Thoris. He had followed close behind Tardos Mors and seemed

even more affected by the meeting than had his father.

He tried a dozen times to express his gratitude to me, but his voice

choked with emotion and he could not speak, and yet he had, as I was to

later learn, a reputation for ferocity and fearlessness as a fighter

that was remarkable even upon warlike Barsoom. In common with all

Helium he worshiped his daughter, nor could he think of what she had

escaped without deep emotion.