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第17章

a princess of mars-第17章

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Why was it; then!  Why should I care what she thought?

I looked down at her; her beautiful face upturned; and her

wonderful eyes opening up the very depth of her soul; and

as my eyes met hers I knew why; andI shuddered。



A similar wave of feeling seemed to stir her; she drew

away from me with a sigh; and with her earnest; beautiful

face turned up to mine; she whispered: 〃I believe you; John

Carter; I do not know what a 'gentleman' is; nor have I ever

he does not wish to speak the truth he is silent。  Where is

this Virginia; your country; John Carter?〃 she asked; and it

seemed that this fair name of my fair land had never sounded

more beautiful than as it fell from those perfect lips on that

far…gone day。



〃I am of another world;〃 I answered; 〃the great planet

Earth; which revolves about our common sun and next within

the orbit of your Barsoom; which we know as Mars。  How I

came here I cannot tell you; for I do not know; but here I

am; and since my presence has permitted me to serve Dejah

Thoris I am glad that I am here。〃



She gazed at me with troubled eyes; long and questioningly。

That it was difficult to believe my statement I well knew;

nor could I hope that she would do so however much I craved

her confidence and respect。  I would much rather not have

told her anything of my antecedents; but no man could look

into the depth of those eyes and refuse her slightest behest。



Finally she smiled; and; rising; said: 〃I shall have to

believe even though I cannot understand。  I can readily

perceive that you are not of the Barsoom of today; you are

like us; yet differentbut why should I trouble my poor head

with such a problem; when my heart tells me that I believe

because I wish to believe!〃



It was good logic; good; earthly; feminine logic; and if it

satisfied her I certainly could pick no flaws in it。  As a

matter of fact it was about the only kind of logic that could

be brought to bear upon my problem。  We fell into a general

conversation then; asking and answering many questions on each

side。  She was curious to learn of the customs of my people

and displayed a remarkable knowledge of events on Earth。

When I questioned her closely on this seeming familiarity

with earthly things she laughed; and cried out:



〃Why; every school boy on Barsoom knows the geography;

and much concerning the fauna and flora; as well as the

history of your planet fully as well as of his own。  Can we

not see everything which takes place upon Earth; as you call

it; is it not hanging there in the heavens in plain sight?〃



This baffled me; I must confess; fully as much as my statements

had confounded her; and I told her so。  She then explained

in general the instruments her people had used and been

perfecting for ages; which permit them to throw upon

a screen a perfect image of what is transpiring upon any

planet and upon many of the stars。  These pictures are so

perfect in detail that; when photographed and enlarged;

objects no greater than a blade of grass may be distinctly

recognized。  I afterward; in Helium; saw many of these

pictures; as well as the instruments which produced them。



〃If; then; you are so familiar with earthly things;〃 I asked;

〃why is it that you do not recognize me as identical with the

inhabitants of that planet?〃



She smiled again as one might in bored indulgence of a

questioning child。



〃Because; John Carter;〃 she replied; 〃nearly every planet

and star having atmospheric conditions at all approaching

those of Barsoom; shows forms of animal life almost

identical with you and me; and; further; Earth men; almost

without exception; cover their bodies with strange; unsightly

pieces of cloth; and their heads with hideous contraptions

the purpose of which we have been unable to conceive; while

you; when found by the Tharkian warriors; were entirely

undisfigured and unadorned。



〃The fact that you wore no ornaments is a strong proof of

your un…Barsoomian origin; while the absence of grotesque

coverings might cause a doubt as to your earthliness。〃



I then narrated the details of my departure from the Earth;

explaining that my body there lay fully clothed in all the; to

her; strange garments of mundane dwellers。  At this point

Sola returned with our meager belongings and her young

Martian protege; who; of course; would have to share the

quarters with them。



Sola asked us if we had had a visitor during her absence;

and seemed much surprised when we answered in the negative。

It seemed that as she had mounted the approach to the

upper floors where our quarters were located; she had met

Sarkoja descending。  We decided that she must have been

eavesdropping; but as we could recall nothing of importance

that had passed between us we dismissed the matter as of

little consequence; merely promising ourselves to be warned

to the utmost caution in the future。



Dejah Thoris and I then fell to examining the architecture and

decorations of the beautiful chambers of the building we were

occupying。  She told me that these people had presumably

flourished over a hundred thousand years before。

They were the early progenitors of her race; but had mixed

with the other great race of early Martians; who were very

dark; almost black; and also with the reddish yellow race

which had flourished at the same time。



These three great divisions of the higher Martians had

been forced into a mighty alliance as the drying up of the

Martian seas had compelled them to seek the comparatively few

and always diminishing fertile areas; and to defend themselves;

under new conditions of life; against the wild hordes of green men。



Ages of close relationship and intermarrying had resulted

in the race of red men; of which Dejah Thoris was a fair

and beautiful daughter。  During the ages of hardships and

incessant warring between their own various races; as well

as with the green men; and before they had fitted themselves

to the changed conditions; much of the high civilization

and many of the arts of the fair…haired Martians had

become lost; but the red race of today has reached a point

where it feels that it has made up in new discoveries and in

a more practical civilization for all that lies irretrievably

buried with the ancient Barsoomians; beneath the countless

intervening ages。



These ancient Martians had been a highly cultivated and

literary race; but during the vicissitudes of those trying

centuries of readjustment to new conditions; not only did their

advancement and production cease entirely; but practically

all their archives; records; and literature were lost。



Dejah Thoris related many interesting facts and legends

concerning this lost race of noble and kindly people。  She

said that the city in which we were camping was supposed

to have been a center of commerce and culture known as

Korad。  It had been built upon a beautiful; natural harbor;

landlocked by magnificent hills。  The little valley on the west

front of the city; she explained; was all that remained of the

harbor; while the pass through the hills to the old sea bottom

had been the channel through which the shipping passed up

to the city's gates。



The shores of the ancient seas were dotted with just such

cities; and lesser ones; in diminishing numbers; were to be

found converging toward the center of the oceans; as the

people had found it necessary to follow the receding waters

until necessity had forced upon them their ultimate salvation;

the so…called Martian canals。



We had been so engrossed in exploration of the building

and in our conversation that it was late in the afternoon

before we realized it。  We were brought back to a realization

of our present conditions by a messenger bearing a summons

from Lorquas Ptomel directing me to appear before him

forthwith。  Bidding Dejah Thoris and Sola farewell; and

commanding Woola to remain on guard; I hastened

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