Life on other planets -- Fiction; Mars (Planet) -- Fiction; Science fiction
In between the two poles and scattered over all the arid waste lands
of the dead sea bottoms, often inhabiting the ruined cities of another
age, are the feared green hordes of Mars.
The terrible green warriors of Barsoom are the hereditary enemies of
all the other races of this martial planet. They are of heroic size and
in addition to being equipped with two legs and two arms apiece, they
have an intermediary pair of limbs, which may be used at will either as
arms or legs. Their eyes are set at the extreme sides of their heads, a
trifle above the center, and protrude in such a manner that they may be
directed either forward or back and also independently of each other,
thus permitting these remarkable creatures to look in any direction, or
in two directions at once without the necessity of turning their heads.
Their ears, which are slightly above the eyes and closer together, are
small cupped shape antennae, protruding several inches from the head,
while their noses are but longitudinal slits in the center of their
faces, midway between their mouths and ears.
They have no hair on their bodies, which are of a very light
yellowish-green color in infancy, deepening to an olive green toward
maturity, the adult males being darker in color than the females.
The iris of the eyes is blood red, as an Albino's while the pupil is
dark. The eyeball itself is very white, as are the teeth and it is
these latter which add a most ferocious appearance to an otherwise
fearsome and terrible countenance, as the lower tusks curve upward to
sharp points which end about where the eyes of earthly human beings
are located. The whiteness of the teeth is not that of ivory, but of
the snowiest and most gleaming of china. Against the dark background
of their olive skins their tusks stand out in a most striking manner,
causing these weapons to present a singularly formidable appearance.
They are a cruel and taciturn race, entirely devoid of love, sympathy
or pity.
They are an equestrian race, never walking other than to move about
their camps.
Their mounts, called thoats, are great savage beasts, whose proportions
harmonize with those of their giant masters. They have eight legs and
broad flat tails larger at the tips than at the roots. They hold these
tails straight out while running. Their mouths are enormous, splitting
their heads from their snouts to their long, massive necks. Like their
masters, they are entirely devoid of hair, their skins being a dark
slate color and exceedingly smooth and glossy, with the exception of
the belly, which is white, and the legs, which shade from the slate
of the shoulders and hips to a vivid yellow at the feet. The feet are
heavily padded and nailless.
Like the red men, the green hordes are ruled by jeds and jeddaks,
but their military organization is not carried to the same detail of
perfection as is that of the red men.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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