That

is why I differ in appearance from any you have known before."

"Jasoom! There is another Jasoomian here whose fame has reached to the remotest

comers of Barsoom, but I never have seen him."

"John Carter?" I asked.

"Yes, The War Lord. He was of Helium and my people were not friendly with those

of Helium. I never could understand how he came here. And now there is another

from Jasoom – how can it be? How did you cross the great void?"

I shook my head. "I cannot even guess," I told her.

"Jasoom must be peopled with wonderful men," she said. It was a pretty

compliment.

"As Barsoom is with beautiful women," I replied.

She glanced down ruefully at her old and wrinkled body.

"I have seen the real you," I said gently.

"I hate to think of my face," she said. "I know it is a frightful thing."

"It is not you, remember that when you see it and do not feel too badly."

"Is it as bad as that?" she asked.

I did not reply. "Never mind," she said presently. "If I had not beauty of the

soul, I was not beautiful, no matter how perfect my features may have been; but

if I possessed beauty of soul then I have it now. So I can think beautiful

thoughts and perform beautiful deeds and that, I think, is the real test of

beauty, after all."

"And there is hope," I added, almost in a whisper.

"Hope? No, there is no hope, if what you mean to suggest is that I may some time

regain my lost self. You have told me enough to convince me that that can never

be."

"We will not speak of it," I said, "but we may think of it and sometimes

thinking a great deal of a thing helps us to find a way to get it, if we want it

badly enough."

"I do not want to hope," she said, "for it will but mean disappointment for me.

I shall be happy as I am. Hoping, I should always be unhappy."

I had ordered food for her and after it was brought Ras Thavas sent for me and I

left her, locking the door of her chamber as the old surgeon had instructed. I

found Ras Thavas in his office, a small room which adjoined a very large one in

which were a score of clerks arranging and classifying reports from various

departments of the great laboratory. He arose as I entered.

"Come with me, Vad Varo," he directed. "We will have a look at the two cases in

L-42-X, the two of which I spoke."

"The man with half a simian brain and the ape with a half human brain?" I asked.

He nodded and preceded me towards the runway that led to the vaults beneath the

building. As we descended, the corridors and passageways indicated long disuse.

The floors were covered with an impalpable dust, long undisturbed; the tiny

radium bulbs that faintly illuminated the sub-barsoomian depths were likewise

coated. As we proceeded, we passed many doorways on either side, each marked

with its descriptive hieroglyphic. Several of the openings had been tightly

sealed with masonry. What gruesome secrets were hid within? At last we came to

L-42-X. Here the bodies were arranged on shelves, several rows of which almost

completely filled the room from floor to ceiling, except for a rectangular space

in the centre of the chamber, which accommodated an ersite topped operating

table with its array of surgical instruments, its motor and other laboratory

equipment.

Ras Thavas searched out the subjects of his strange experiment and together we

carried the human body to the table. While Ras Thavas attached the tubes I

returned for the vessel of blood which reposed upon the same shelf with the

corpse. The now familiar method of revivification was soon accomplished and

presently we were watching the return of consciousness to the subject.

The man sat up and looked at us, then he cast a quick glance about the chamber;

there was a savage light in his eyes as they returned to us. Slowly he backed

from the table to the floor, keeping the former between us.

"We will not harm you," said Ras Thavas.

The man attempted to reply, but his words were unintelligible gibberish, then he

shook his head and growled. Ras Thavas took a step towards him and the man

dropped to all fours, his knuckles resting on the floor, and backed away,

growling.

"Come!" cried Ras Thavas. "We will not harm you." Again he attempted to approach

the subject, but the man only backed quickly away, growling more fiercely; and

then suddenly he wheeled and climbed quickly to the top of the highest shelf,

where he squatted upon a corpse and gibbered at us.

"We shall have to have help," said Ras Thavas and, going to the doorway, he blew

a signal upon his whistle.

"What are you blowing that for?" demanded the man suddenly. "Who are you? What

am I doing here? What has happened to me?"

"Come down," said Ras Thavas. "We are friends."

Slowly the man descended to the floor and came towards us, but he still moved

with his knuckles to the pavement He looked about at the corpses and a new light

entered his eyes.

"I am hungry!" he cried. "I will eat!" and with that he seized the nearest

corpse and dragged it to the floor.

"Stop! Stop!" cried Ras Thavas, leaping forward.