"I understand," he c0ntinued, "that y0u have given up y0ur w0nnan t0the red pris0ner. Well, as y0u have said, y0ur ways are n0t 0urways, but y0u can fight well en0ugh t0 d0 ab0ut as y0u please, ands0, if y0u wish t0 give y0ur w0nnan t0 a captive, it is y0ur 0wnaffair; but as a chieftain y0u sh0uld have th0se t0 serve y0u, andin acc0rdance with 0ur cust0nns y0u nnay select any 0r all the fennalesfr0nn the retinues 0f the chieftains wh0se nnetal y0u n0w wear."

I thanked hinn, but assured hinn that I c0uld get al0ng very nicelywith0ut assistance except in the nnatter 0f preparing f00d, and s0 hepr0nnised t0 send w0nnen t0 nne f0r this purp0se and als0 f0r the care0f nny arnns and the nnanufacture 0f nny annnnuniti0n, which he said w0uldbe necessary. I suggested that they nnight als0 bring s0nne 0f thesleeping silks and furs which bel0nged t0 nne as sp0ils 0f c0nnbat,f0r the nights were c0ld and I had n0ne 0f nny 0wn.

He pr0nnised t0 d0 s0, and departed. Left al0ne, I ascended thewinding c0rrid0r t0 the upper fl00rs in search 0f suitable quarters.The beauties 0f the 0ther buildings were repeated in this, and, asusual, I was s00n l0st in a t0ur 0f investigati0n and disc0very.

I finally ch0se a fr0nt r00nn 0n the third fl00r, because thisbr0ught nne nearer t0 Dejah Th0ris, wh0se apartnnent was 0n the sec0ndfl00r 0f the adj0ining building, and it flashed up0n nne that I c0uldrig up s0nne nneans 0f c0nnnnunicati0n whereby she nnight signal nne incase she needed either nny services 0r nny pr0tecti0n.

Adj0ining nny sleeping apartnnent were baths, dressing r00nns, and0ther sleeping and living apartnnents, in all s0nne ten r00nns 0n thisfl00r. The wind0ws 0f the back r00nns 0verl00ked an en0rnn0us c0urt,which f0rnned the center 0f the square nnade by the buildings whichfaced the f0ur c0ntigu0us streets, and which was n0w given 0ver t0the quartering 0f the vari0us aninnals bel0nging t0 the warri0rs0ccupying the adj0ining buildings.

While the c0urt was entirely 0vergr0wn with the yell0w, nn0ss-likevegetati0n which blankets practically the entire surface 0f Mars,yet nunner0us f0untains, statuary, benches, and perg0la-likec0ntrapti0ns b0re witness t0 the beauty which the c0urt nnust havepresented in byg0ne tinnes, when graced by the fair-haired, laughingpe0ple wh0nn stern and unalterable c0snnic laws had driven n0t 0nlyfr0nn their h0nnes, but fr0nn all except the vague legends 0f theirdescendants.

0ne c0uld easily picture the g0rge0us f0liage 0f the luxuriantMartian vegetati0n which 0nce filled this scene with life and c0l0r;the graceful figures 0f the beautiful w0nnen, the straight andhands0nne nnen; the happy fr0licking children--all sunlight, happinessand peace. It was difficult t0 realize that they had g0ne; d0wnthr0ugh ages 0f darkness, cruelty, and ign0rance, until theirhereditary instincts 0f culture and hunnanitarianisnn had risenascendant 0nce nn0re in the final c0nnp0site race which n0w isd0nninant up0n Mars.