登陆注册
5216300000001

第1章 PRELUDE

JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH

SHEA had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, Ihad gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twitting him with this indication of failing mentality by calling his attention to the nth time to that theory, propounded by certain scientists, which is based upon the assertion that phenomenal chess players are always found to be from the ranks of children under twelve, adults over seventy-two or the mentally defective--a theory that is lightly ignored upon those rare occasions that I win.Shea had gone to bed and I should have followed suit, for we are always in the saddle here before sunrise; but instead I sat there before the chess table in the library, idly blowing smoke at the dishonored head of my defeated king.

While thus profitably employed I heard the east door of the living-room open and someone enter.I thought it was Shea returning to speak with me on some matter of tomorrow's work; but when I raised my eyes to the doorway that connects the two rooms I saw framed there the figure of a bronzed giant, his otherwise naked body trapped with a jewel-encrusted harness from which there hung at one side an ornate short-sword and at the other a pistol of strange pattern.The black hair, the steel-gray eyes, brave and smiling, the noble features--I recognized them at once, and leaping to my feet I advanced with outstretched hand.

"John Carter!" I cried."You?"

"None other, my son," he replied, taking my hand in one of his and placing the other upon my shoulder.

"And what are you doing here?" I asked."It has been long years since you revisited Earth, and never before in the trappings of Mars.Lord! but it is good to see you--and not a day older in appearance than when you trotted me on your knee in my babyhood.

How do you explain it, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, or do you try to explain it?""Why attempt to explain the inexplicable?" he replied."As I have told you before, I am a very old man.I do not know how old I am.

I recall no childhood; but recollect only having been always as you see me now and as you saw me first when you were five years old.You, yourself, have aged, though not as much as most men in a corresponding number of years, which may be accounted for by the fact that the same blood runs in our veins; but I have not aged at all.I have discussed the question with a noted Martian scientist, a friend of mine; but his theories are still only theories.However, I am content with the fact--I never age, and Ilove life and the vigor of youth.

"And now as to your natural question as to what brings me to Earth again and in this, to earthly eyes, strange habiliment.We may thank Kar Komak, the bowman of Lothar.It was he who gave me the idea upon which I have been experimenting until at last Ihave achieved success.As you know I have long possessed the power to cross the void in spirit, but never before have I been able to impart to inanimate things a similar power.Now, however, you see me for the first time precisely as my Martian fellows see me--you see the very short-sword that has tasted the blood of many a savage foeman; the harness with the devices of Helium and the insignia of my rank; the pistol that was presented to me by Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark.

"Aside from seeing you, which is my principal reason for being here, and satisfying myself that I can transport inanimate things from Mars to Earth, and therefore animate things if I so desire, I have no purpose.Earth is not for me.My every interest is upon Barsoom--my wife, my children, my work; all are there.I will spend a quiet evening with you and then back to the world I love even better than I love life."As he spoke he dropped into the chair upon the opposite side of the chess table.

"You spoke of children," I said."Have you more than Carthoris?""A daughter," he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thin air of dying Mars.Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be more beautiful than Tara of Helium."For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly."We have a game on Mars similar to chess," he said, "very similar.

And there is a race there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords.We call the game jetan.It is played on a board like yours, except that there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces on each side.I never see it played without thinking of Tara of Helium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom.

Would you like to hear her story?"

I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall try to re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord of Mars as I can recall them, but in the third person.If there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs.It is a strange tale and utterly Barsoomian.

同类推荐
  • 新译华严经七处九会颂释章

    新译华严经七处九会颂释章

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 杨氏字辈

    杨氏字辈

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 事宜须知

    事宜须知

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 古琴疏

    古琴疏

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 六反

    六反

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 女生爱臭美

    女生爱臭美

    如果你天生丽质,那是你的幸运。如果你生而不美,同样也是蝣的幸运。因为,上帝认为你有能力用自己的双手去创造美。同一样东西或者同一件事情,这个人看是美的,那个人看则不美;小时候看是美的,长大了看就不美。父母牢牢记得孩子的前程,却单单忘记了他(她)还是一个孩子!属于孩子的应该是欢乐与自由,而不是沉重的荣誉!时装表演注重的是服装的展示,而风采展示需要展示的不单是服装,更多的是展示当代少年的精神风貌。我们喜欢拍艺术照,是想把最美的地方展示出来。每个人在展示美的时候,也让别人获得了美的享受。容貌通过一次手术,就可以变得美若天仙。但心灵却需要长时间的陶冶,才能变得完美无瑕。
  • 冬约,夏至

    冬约,夏至

    夏冬还记得那年的春天来得很晚,当她得到那个消息时,双脚仍踏在冬季残留的冰雪上,心如死灰……何意轩的生活中有很多东西都比爱情更重要,可他仍然无法接受夏冬平静地对他说:“我们离婚吧。”如果早一天遇到她,生活会不会是另一番景象?这个问题康浩楠不愿去想,在他看来,机会不是等来的,而是自己创造的。这个冬天即将结束时,夏冬和她先后爱着的两个男人——何意轩、康浩楠,依旧行走在爱情里。当春天嘶姗来迟日寸,谁才能带给夏冬最终的幸福?
  • 伴娘团团转

    伴娘团团转

    经常有人说,伴娘当多了,会嫁不出去……那又怎么样,再悲催的生活也不能阻止我们彪悍的斗志和坚定的笑容,何况只是做做伴娘!
  • 澄空民间中医学精髓论

    澄空民间中医学精髓论

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 帝君你家萌妃又咬人了

    帝君你家萌妃又咬人了

    九幽大陆酷、冷、狂、霸、拽的帝君最近新得一小宠,整日宝贝到骨子里,含在嘴中怕化了,抱在手中怕摔了,若那小宠多掉一根毛发,帝君一怒,浮尸千里。岂不知,这小宠,幼狐的身子,少女的思想,倚仗帝君独宠,在九幽大陆横行霸道,成为无人敢得罪的狐祖宗。养狐三年,终须有报,当幼狐摇身一变成为少女,等待酷霸拽帝君的又是一段漫漫追妻路。窈窕狐女,帝君好逑,求之不得,含泪去求......
  • THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

    THE HOUND OF THE BASKERVILLES

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 大佬的重生

    大佬的重生

    本文变身入替、末世、玄幻、大佬战争、光明向,讲述莫得感情的大佬重生的故事。群聊号码:188187719PS:注意了,变身文,不喜勿入
  • 妃本嚣张

    妃本嚣张

    她是著名的美女医生,但也是令人闻风丧胆的暗夜首领,她拥有双重人格,一朝穿越,本想做吃等死,奈何事与愿违,且看她如何玩转古代!
  • 重生之刺客笑传

    重生之刺客笑传

    苦逼高三生莫雨乌龙跳楼,重生来到平王府培训的特级杀手身上。王爷:“替我杀个人。”莫雨:“……王爷,不如让我先从杀鱼练起?”
  • 快刀和水果

    快刀和水果

    一开始,余全新并没有把方能武家拆迁的事放在心上,大不了多花两个钱就是了,这些年这样那样的麻缠事他也见得多了,最后,不要他说话,只要钱说话,事情就一二三摆平了。他没想到,后来的事会是那样一个走法。当然后来的事是后来才发生的。所以,当他听了在他手下负责前期工程的侄子余金明的汇报后,说还是那个方能武啊,这家伙,像茅缸里的石头又臭又硬,他肯定是要找点麻烦的,这我早就料到了,你先做别的人家工作,他的事先摆一摆,到最后只剩他一家了,把他孤立起来,我看他还犟不犟。