Then he

entrusted to me a complete operation upon a paying client I removed the kidneys

from a rich old man, replacing them with healthy ones from a young subject The

following day I gave a stunted child new thyroid glands. A week later I

transferred two hearts and then, at last, came the great day for me –

unassisted, with Ras Thavas standing silently beside me, I took the brain of an

old man and transplanted it within the cranium of a youth.

When I had done Ras Thavas laid a hand upon my shoulder. "I could not have done

better myself," he said. He seemed much elated and I could not but wonder at

this unusual demonstration of emotion upon his part, he who so prided himself

upon his lack of emotionalism. I had often pondered the purpose which influenced

Ras Thavas to devote so much time to my training, but never had I hit upon any

more satisfactory explanation than that he had need of assistance in his growing

practice. Yet when I consulted the records, that were now open to me, I

discovered that his practice was no greater than it had been for many years; and

even had it been there was really no reason why he should have trained me in

preference to one of his red-Martian assistants, his belief in my loyalty not

being sufficient warrant, in my mind, for this preferment when he could, as well

as not have kept me for a bodyguard and trained one of his own kind to aid him

in his surgical work.

But I was presently to learn that he had an excellent reason for what he was

doing – Ras Thavas always had an excellent reason for whatever he did. One night

after we had finished our evening meal he sat looking at me intently as he so

often did, as though he would read my mind, which, by the way, he was totally

unable to do, much to his surprise and chagrin; for unless a Martian is

constantly upon the alert any other Martian can read clearly his every thought;

but Ras Thavas was unable to read mine. He said that it was due to the fact that

I was not a Barsoomian. Yet I could often read the minds of his assistants, when

they were off their guard, though never had I read aught of Ras Thavas'

thoughts, nor, I am sure, had any other read them. He kept his brain sealed like

one of his own blood jars, nor was he ever for a moment found with his barriers

down.

He sat looking at me this evening for a long time, nor did it in the least

embarrass me, so accustomed was I to his peculiarities. "Perhaps," he said

presently, "one of the reasons that I trust you is due to the fact that I cannot

ever, at any time, fathom your mind; so, if you harbor traitorous thoughts

concerning me I do not know it, while the others, every one of them, reveal

their inmost souls to my searching mind and in each one there is envy, jealousy

or hatred of me. Them, I know, I cannot trust. Therefore I must accept the risk

and place all my dependence upon you, and my reason tells me that my choice is a

wise one – I have told you upon what grounds it based my selection of you as my

bodyguard. The same holds true in my selection of you for the thing I have in

mind. You cannot harm me without harming yourself and no man will intentionally

do that; nor is there any reason why you should feel any deep antagonism towards

me.

"You are, of course, a sentimentalist and doubtless you look with horror upon

many of the acts of a sane, rational, scientific mind; but you are also highly

intelligent and can, therefore, appreciate better than another, even though you

may not approve them, the motives that prompt me to do many of those things of

which your sentimentality disapproves. I may have offended you, but I have never

wronged you, nor have I wronged any creature for which you might have felt some

of your so-called friendship or love. Are my premises incorrect, or my reasoning

faulty?"

I assured him to the contrary.

"Very well! Now let me explain why I have gone to such pains to brain you as no

other human being, aside from myself, has ever been trained. I am not ready to

use you yet, or rather you are not ready; but if you know my purpose you will

realize the necessity for bending your energy to the consummation of my purpose,

and to that end you will strive even more diligently than you have to perfect

yourself in the high, scientific art I am imparting to you.

"I am a very old man," he continued after a brief pause, "even as age goes upon

Barsoom. I have lived more than a thousand years. I have passed the allotted

natural span of life, but I am not through with my life's work – I have but

barely started it. I must not die. Barsoom must not be robbed of this wondrous

brain and skill of mine. I have long had in mind a plan to thwart death, but it

required another with skill equal to mine – two such might live for ever. I have

selected you to be that other, for reasons that I already have explained – they

are undefiled by sentimentalism. I did not choose you because I love you, or

because I feel friendship for you, or because I think that you love me, or feel

friendship towards me. I chose you because I knew that of all the inhabitants of

a world you were the one least likely to fail me. For a time you will have my

life in your hands. You will understand now why I have not been able to choose

carelessly.

"This plan that I have chosen is simplicity itself provided that I can count

upon just two essential factors – skill and self-interested loyalty in an

assistant. My body is about worn out. I must have a new one.