That she shared my sentiments in this respect I was positive, for on my

approach the look of pitiful hopelessness left her sweet countenance to

be replaced by a smile of joyful welcome, as she placed her little

right hand upon my left shoulder in true red Martian salute.

"Sarkoja told Sola that you had become a true Thark," she said, "and

that I would now see no more of you than of any of the other warriors."

"Sarkoja is a liar of the first magnitude," I replied, "notwithstanding

the proud claim of the Tharks to absolute verity."

Dejah Thoris laughed.

"I knew that even though you became a member of the community you would

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not cease to be my friend; 'A warrior may change his metal, but not his

heart,' as the saying is upon Barsoom."

"I think they have been trying to keep us apart," she continued, "for

whenever you have been off duty one of the older women of Tars Tarkas'

retinue has always arranged to trump up some excuse to get Sola and me

out of sight. They have had me down in the pits below the buildings

helping them mix their awful radium powder, and make their terrible

projectiles. You know that these have to be manufactured by artificial

light, as exposure to sunlight always results in an explosion. You

have noticed that their bullets explode when they strike an object?

Well, the opaque, outer coating is broken by the impact, exposing a

glass cylinder, almost solid, in the forward end of which is a minute

particle of radium powder. The moment the sunlight, even though

diffused, strikes this powder it explodes with a violence which nothing

can withstand. If you ever witness a night battle you will note the

absence of these explosions, while the morning following the battle

will be filled at sunrise with the sharp detonations of exploding

missiles fired the preceding night. As a rule, however, non-exploding

projectiles are used at night." [I have used the word radium in

describing this powder because in the light of recent discoveries on

Earth I believe it to be a mixture of which radium is the base. In

Captain Carter's manuscript it is mentioned always by the name used in

the written language of Helium and is spelled in hieroglyphics which it

would be difficult and useless to reproduce.] While I was much interested in Dejah Thoris' explanation of this

wonderful adjunct to Martian warfare, I was more concerned by the

immediate problem of their treatment of her. That they were keeping

her away from me was not a matter for surprise, but that they should

subject her to dangerous and arduous labor filled me with rage.

"Have they ever subjected you to cruelty and ignominy, Dejah Thoris?" I

asked, feeling the hot blood of my fighting ancestors leap in my veins

as I awaited her reply.




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