Edgar Rice Burroughs - Princess of Mars / Принцесса Марса. Уровень 2

About forty or fifty male Martians assembled around the steps of a rostrum on the floor of this chamber. On the platform, there was an enormous warrior. He was loaded with metal ornaments, gay-colored feathers and leather trappings set with precious stones. From his shoulders depended a short cape of white fur lined with brilliant scarlet silk.

What struck me most [21] what struck me most – что меня поразило больше всего is that the creatures were entirely out of proportion to the desks, chairs and other furnishings. Those were of a size adapted to human beings such as I. Evidently, there were other denizens on Mars. But the evidences of extreme antiquity of these buildings demonstrated they could belong to some long-extinct and forgotten race of Mars.

The leader and I proceeded into the audience chamber. There were few formalities observed in approaching the Martian chieftain. The chieftain rose to his feet and uttered the name of my escort. In turn, he halted and repeated the name of the ruler followed by his title.

My captor, whose name was Tars Tarkas, was virtually the vice-chieftain of the community, and a man of great ability as a statesman and warrior. He explained briefly the incidents connected with his expedition, including my capture. When he concluded, the chieftain addressed me at length.

I replied in our good old English tongue merely to convince him that neither of us could understand the other. But I noticed that when I smiled slightly on concluding, he smiled back. It convinced me that we had at least something in common – the ability to smile, therefore to laugh. But I was to learn that the Martian smile is merely perfunctory, and that the Martian laugh may cause strong men to blanch in horror [22] blanch in horror – побледнеть от ужаса .

The ideas of humor among the green men of Mars are widely at variance with our conceptions. The death agonies of a fellow being are provocative of the wildest hilarity. Their chief form of commonest amusement is to inflict death on their prisoners of war in various ingenious and horrible ways.

The assembled warriors and chieftains examined me closely, feeling my muscles and the texture of my skin. The principal chieftain then signified a desire to see me perform. He started with Tars Tarkas for the open plaza and motioned me to follow.

On the way here, Tars Tarkas was holding my arm and I could walk properly. Now, I was not attempting to walk, but went skipping and flitting about among desks and chairs like some monstrous grasshopper. After bruising myself [23] bruising myself – набив синяки severely, I tried to creep, but this did not suit the Martians and a towering fellow roughly jerked me to my feet.

As he banged me down upon my feet, his face was bent close to mine and I did the only thing a gentleman might do under such circumstances. I swung my fist squarely to his jaw and he went down like a felled ox [24] felled ox – поверженный бык . I expected the Martians to fight for him but suddenly they broke into wild peals of laughter and applause. None of them approached their fallen fellow.

Tars Tarkas came to me and gave me his hand. Thus, we proceeded to the plaza without further mishap.

They first repeated the word “sak” a number of times, and then Tars Tarkas made several jumps. He repeated the same word before each leap. Then, turning to me, he said, “sak!” I saw what they were after [25] I saw what they were after – я понял, что им нужно от меня . I “sakked” with such marvelous success that I cleared a good hundred and fifty feet, and landed squarely upon my feet without falling. Then I returned by easy jumps of twenty-five or thirty feet to the little group of warriors.

They wanted me to repeat the leap immediately, but I was both hungry and thirsty. Every time they repeated the commands to “sak”, I motioned to my mouth and rubbed my stomach.

Tars Tarkas and the chief exchanged a few words. The former called a young female among the throng and gave her some instructions. He then motioned me to accompany her. I grasped her proffered arm and together we crossed the plaza toward a large building on the far side.

My fair companion was about eight feet tall. She just arrived at maturity [26] arrived at maturity – достигла совершеннолетия , but not yet to her full height. She was of a light olive-green color, with a smooth, glossy hide. Her name, as I afterward learned, was Sola, and she belonged to the retinue of Tars Tarkas. She conducted me to a spacious chamber in one of the buildings fronting on the plaza.

The room was well lighted by a number of large windows and was beautifully decorated with mural paintings and mosaics.

Sola motioned me to seat upon a pile of silks near the center of the room. She made a peculiar hissing sound. In response to her call, I saw a new Martian wonder. It waddled in on its ten short legs, and squatted down before the girl like an obedient puppy. The thing was about the size of a Shetland pony. Its head bore a slight resemblance to that of a frog, except that the jaws were equipped with three rows of long, sharp tusks.

Sola stared into the brute's wicked-looking eyes, muttered a word or two of command, pointed to me, and left the chamber. The beast examined me intently for a moment, crossed the room to the only exit, which led to the street, and lay down full length across the threshold.

While Sola was away, I took occasion to examine more minutely the room. The mural painting depicted scenes of rare and wonderful beauty – mountains, rivers, lake, ocean, meadow, trees and flowers, winding roadways, sun-kissed [27] sun-kissed – залитые солнцем gardens. One could think those paintings portrayed earthly views but the coloring of the vegetation was different. And not a single one portrayed a living animal or human.

Sola returned with both food and drink. She placed them on the floor beside me and regarded me intently. The food consisted of about a pound of some solid substance of the consistency of cheese and almost tasteless, while the liquid was apparently milk from some animal. It came, as I later discovered, not from an animal, but from a large plant, which grows practically without water. A single plant of this species will give eight or ten quarts of milk per day.

When I was full, I felt the need of rest. I stretched out upon the silks and was soon asleep. When I woke up, it was dark and cold. A hand reached out and pulled the fur over me and I presumed that was Sola. I was not wrong. This girl disclosed characteristics of [28] disclosed characteristics of – показала склонность к sympathy, kindliness, and affection. Her ministrations to my bodily wants [29] bodily wants – физические потребности were unfailing, and her solicitous care saved me from much suffering and many hardships.

As I was to learn, the Martian nights are extremely cold. There is practically no twilight or dawn. The changes in temperature are sudden and most uncomfortable, as are the transitions from brilliant daylight to darkness. When two of the moon happen to be in the sky, the surface of the ground is brightly illuminated. The absence of both of the moons results in total darkness.

The green men of Mars is a nomadic race without high intellectual development and have crude means for artificial lighting [30] crude means for artificial lighting – примитивные средства искусственного освещения . They depend principally upon torches, a kind of candle, and a peculiar oil lamp, which generates a gas and burns without a wick.