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Nor did Gahan seem displeased with the excuse for further monopolizing the
society of his fair companion. His eyes seemed chained to her exquisite features,
from which they moved no further than to a rounded breast, part hid beneath its
jeweled covering, a naked shoulder or the symmetry of a perfect arm, resplendent
in bracelets of barbaric magnificence.
"
Your ancient history has doubtless told you that Gathol was built upon an
island in Throxeus, mightiest of the five oceans of old Barsoom. As the ocean
receded Gathol crept down the sides of the mountain, the summit of which was
the island upon which she had been built, until today she covers the slopes from
summit to base, while the bowels of the great hill are honeycombed with the
galleries of her mines. Entirely surrounding us is a great salt marsh, which
protects us from invasion by land, while the rugged and ofttimes vertical
topography of our mountain renders the landing of hostile airships a precarious
undertaking."
"
That, and your brave warriors?" suggested the girl.
Gahan smiled. "We do not speak of that except to enemies," he said, "and then
with tongues of steel rather than of flesh."
"But what practice in the art of war has a people which nature has thus protected
from attack?" asked Tara of Helium, who had liked the young jed's answer to her
previous question, but yet in whose mind persisted a vague conviction of the
possible effeminacy of her companion, induced, doubtless, by the magnificence of
his trappings and weapons which carried a suggestion of splendid show rather
than grim utility.
"
Our natural barriers, while they have doubtless saved us from defeat on
countless occasions, have not by any means rendered us immune from attack,"
he explained, "for so great is the wealth of Gathol's diamond treasury that there
yet may be found those who will risk almost certain defeat in an effort to loot our
unconquered city; so thus we find occasional practice in the exercise of arms; but
there is more to Gathol than the mountain city. My country extends from
Polodona (Equator) north ten karads and from the tenth karad west of Horz to the
twentieth west, including thus a million square haads, the greater proportion of
which is fine grazing land where run our great herds of thoats and zitidars.
"
Surrounded as we are by predatory enemies our herdsmen must indeed be
warriors or we should have no herds, and you may be assured they get plenty of
fighting. Then there is our constant need of workers in the mines. The Gatholians
consider themselves a race of warriors and as such prefer not to labor in the
mines. The law is, however, that each male Gatholian shall give an hour a day in
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