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READ THE NOVEL- Chapters 1-31 - ERBzine

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Tarzan on Mars<br />

her power to do so, she would avoid a repetition of her former<br />

life. In this life she would find her destiny, she would grasp at<br />

every opportunity, and she would find her destiny, she would<br />

grasp at every opportunity, and she would color her days with<br />

the fulfillment of life—or quickly and willingly embrace the<br />

next death on the stairway to eternity.<br />

Thus La established her credo! Death was nothing—life<br />

was all... And therefore, fear was merely the result of not<br />

having arrived at this conclusion.<br />

Fearlessly she surveyed her environment with a cool,<br />

objective mind. As she did, her tension left her. A new<br />

confidence was born in her, and there welled up within her<br />

soul that old awareness of exalted origin and tremendous<br />

destiny. She felt the strength, the purpose, and the power in<br />

her and it lifted her chin with pride and brought a gleam of<br />

resourcefulness to her eyes.<br />

She rose to her feet and stared peremptorily at the two<br />

calots who lay before the exit to her chamber. The great<br />

beasts met her gaze with unblinking eyes, but they stirred<br />

uneasily, sensing telepathically the change in her personality,<br />

as an African lion might sense with his nose that his quarry<br />

had ceased to fear him.<br />

Slowly, the carnivorous creatures rose up on their ten<br />

short legs and bared their multiple rows of long, sharp tusks,<br />

like frog-faced dragons in a delirious dream. They were larger<br />

than Numa, and far more savage. Though intelligent enough<br />

to be trained into devoted allies, their training at the hands of<br />

a brutal and heartless people had served but to reflect the<br />

total ferocity of the green community in which they lived.<br />

Yet, La walked directly toward them. Walking, running<br />

or jumping in this strange world had started out to be a<br />

mystery to her, for her terrestrial muscles were more than<br />

adequate to the lighter gravity of Barsoom. But, in a short<br />

time she had learned how to control her movements, and so<br />

it was that she moved now, slowly, gracefully and deter-<br />

177

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