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Volume 1308
Presents
A Graphic Interpretation of
Edgar Rice Burroughs'
A Princess of Mars
by
James Killian Spratt
.

CHAPTER 7
Child-Raising On Mars
Breakfast was more of the same flavorless cheese 
made from vegetable milk, identical to almost 
every meal before and after, then --

 
Sola led me to the plaza, 
where the tribe was 
loading into big chariots 
pulled by huge mastodonian beasts 
called zitidars, 
preparing to go to the incubator 
for the baby Tharks . . .

 
 
As the cavalcade took up the line of march, Sola dragged me into an empty chariot
. . . and we proceeded to depart the city . . . 
Across the plateau, and down onto the mossy dead sea bottoms

 
After a mad gallop for the last few miles of the journey, the chariots were parked 
with military precision around the four sides of the incubator, now alive with hatchling Tharks . . . 

The women and youths formed a double line, flanking the spot where the warriors
broke open the wall, to catch the frisky new-borns as they came scampering out, wild as deer . . .

The hundred-odd selected eggs had been incubating for five years. 
Soon another batch of eggs would be chosen for incubation and walled in, to mature in 
the tribe's secret location, this structure hidden away  among the hills of the ancient dead city,
whose very existence is known to few. 

The  little Martians were permitted to run the length of the aisle, where they were captured one at a time
by the women and older children, who then returned to their chariots. . . 

 
Sola's prize was a male about four feet tall, very strong and physically perfect.
As our Martian knowledge was about equal, she decided to train us together.
He learned quickly, and we had considerable amusement in a keen rivalry;
the universal Martian language is very simple, and in a week
I could make most of my wants known and grasp what was said. . .
She helped me cultivate my telepathic ability, but what surprised Sola most 
was that while I could catch telepathic messages easily, 
no one could read a jot from my mind. 
At first this vexed me, but later I was glad of it.

CONTENTS
Intro | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 15a | 16 | 16a | 17 | 17a | 18 | 19 | 19a | 19b | 20 | 20a | 20b |
| 21 | 21a | 21b |


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