"John Carter!" he exclaimed, and then a sudden troubled look came
into his eyes. "My Prince," he started, "where hast thou--" and
then he stopped, but I knew the question that his lips dared not
frame. The loyal fellow would not be the one to force from mine
a confession of the terrible truth that I had returned from the
bosom of the Iss, the River of Mystery, back from the shore of the
Lost Sea of Korus, and the Valley Dor.
"Ah, my Prince," he continued, as though no thought had interrupted
his greeting, "that you are back is sufficient, and let Hor Vastus'
sword have the high honour of being first at thy feet." With these
words the noble fellow unbuckled his scabbard and flung his sword
upon the ground before me.
Could you know the customs and the character of red Martians you
would appreciate the depth of meaning that that simple act conveyed
to me and to all about us who witnessed it. The thing was equivalent
to saying, "My sword, my body, my life, my soul are yours to do
with as you wish. Until death and after death I look to you alone
for authority for my every act. Be you right or wrong, your word
shall be my only truth. Whoso raises his hand against you must
answer to my sword."
It is the oath of fealty that men occasionally pay to a Jeddak whose
high character and chivalrous acts have inspired the enthusiastic
love of his followers.
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