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READ THE NOVEL- Chapters 1-31 - ERBzine

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Tarzan on Mars<br />

every way identical with that of earthmen, except that he did<br />

not observe that usual difference between strong and weak,<br />

or between fat and lean, or old and young, as might have been<br />

the case on Earth. On Barsoom, where nature enabled man to<br />

reach a thousand years of life, a comparison of ages was very<br />

difficult. Also, ther were no apparent weaknesses. Each man<br />

wa a stalwart warrior, lean, well constructed, and alert.<br />

Evidently, the apeman mused with a grim sort of admiration,<br />

the nature of Martian society was not such as to preserve<br />

those whose lack of character or morale might cause them to<br />

rely upon others for the salvation of their destiny. Here he<br />

saw the result of a natural law of selection which he had only<br />

observed before among the beasts of the jungle.<br />

But withal he noted in most of the red men a marked<br />

nobility and fineness of feature and character. These men<br />

were not like their giant green companions in chains. They<br />

had known their own mothers and had not been strangers to<br />

filial affection.<br />

Tarzan's savage heart went out to the spirit of them and<br />

his heredity responded to their character. He reflected that it<br />

would indeed be a pleasure to shake the hand of John Carter<br />

of Virginia who was such a man as to inspire admiration and<br />

devotion in the breasts of a people who were themselves<br />

paragons of courage, strength and nobility.<br />

He found himself caged i whith a group of ten red men<br />

who kept largely to themselves and appeared to be discussing<br />

him, judging by the frequency of their curious glances cast in<br />

his direction. Beyond this cell, through intervening bars, he<br />

could see others, including the giant green men, who apparently<br />

considered him to be more fascinating than the fate<br />

which awaited them outside on the sands of the arena.<br />

One of his own cell mates was about to approach him<br />

with a question when two green men entered the cage with<br />

keys to their chains. They quickly selected three of the red<br />

men and freed them from their bonds, whereupon they were<br />

237

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