A Princess of Mars

I was soon appraised of the subject of their conversation, as, calling

to Sola, Tars Tarkas signed for her to send me to him. I had by this

time mastered the intricacies of walking under Martian conditions, and

quickly responding to his command I advanced to the side of the

incubator where the warriors stood.

As I reached their side a glance showed me that all but a very few eggs

had hatched, the incubator being fairly alive with the hideous little

devils. They ranged in height from three to four feet, and were moving

restlessly about the enclosure as though searching for food.

As I came to a halt before him, Tars Tarkas pointed over the incubator

and said, "Sak." I saw that he wanted me to repeat my performance of

yesterday for the edification of Lorquas Ptomel, and, as I must confess

that my prowess gave me no little satisfaction, I responded quickly,

leaping entirely over the parked chariots on the far side of the

incubator. As I returned, Lorquas Ptomel grunted something at me, and

turning to his warriors gave a few words of command relative to the

incubator. They paid no further attention to me and I was thus

permitted to remain close and watch their operations, which consisted

in breaking an opening in the wall of the incubator large enough to

permit of the exit of the young Martians.

On either side of this opening the women and the younger Martians, both

male and female, formed two solid walls leading out through the

chariots and quite away into the plain beyond. Between these walls the

little Martians scampered, wild as deer; being permitted to run the

full length of the aisle, where they were captured one at a time by the

women and older children; the last in the line capturing the first

little one to reach the end of the gauntlet, her opposite in the line

capturing the second, and so on until all the little fellows had left

the enclosure and been appropriated by some youth or female. As the

women caught the young they fell out of line and returned to their

respective chariots, while those who fell into the hands of the young

men were later turned over to some of the women.

I saw that the ceremony, if it could be dignified by such a name, was

over, and seeking out Sola I found her in our chariot with a hideous

little creature held tightly in her arms.

The work of rearing young, green Martians consists solely in teaching

them to talk, and to use the weapons of warfare with which they are

loaded down from the very first year of their lives. Coming from eggs

in which they have lain for five years, the period of incubation, they

step forth into the world perfectly developed except in size. Entirely

unknown to their mothers, who, in turn, would have difficulty in

pointing out the fathers with any degree of accuracy, they are the

common children of the community, and their education devolves upon the

females who chance to capture them as they leave the incubator.