I then knelt down beside the fearsome-looking thing, and raising itto its feet motioned for it to follow me. The looks of surprisewhich my actions elicited from the Martians were ludicrous; theycould not understand, except in a feeble and childish way, suchattributes as gratitude and compassion. The warrior whose gun Ihad struck up looked enquiringly at Tars Tarkas, but the lattersigned that I be left to my own devices, and so we returned tothe plaza with my great beast following close at heel, and Solagrasping me tightly by the arm.

I had at least two friends on Mars; a youthful woman who watched overme with motherly solicitude, and a dumb brute which, as I later cameto know, held in its poor ugly carcass more love, more loyalty, moregratitude than could have been found in the entire five milliongreen Martians who rove the deserted cities and dead sea bottomsof Mars.

CHAPTER VII

CHILD-RAISING 0N MARS