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The Chessmen of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH PRELUDE - JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH Shea had just beaten me at chess, as usual, and, also as usual, I had gleaned what questionable satisfaction I might by twitting him with this indication of failing mentality by calling his attention for the nth time to that theory, propounded by certain scientists, which is based upon the assertion that phenomenal chess players are always found to be from the ranks of children under twelve, adults over seventy-two or the mentally defective—a theory that is lightly ignored upon those rare occasions that I win. Shea had gone to bed and I should have followed suit, for we are always in the saddle here before sunrise; but instead I sat there before the chess table in the library, idly blowing smoke at the dishonored head of my defeated king. While thus profitably employed I heard the east door of the living-room open and someone enter. I thought it was Shea returning to speak with me on some matter of tomorrow's work; but when I raised my eyes to the doorway that connects the two rooms I saw framed there the figure of a bronzed giant, his otherwise naked body trapped with a jewel-encrusted harness from which there hung at one side an ornate short-sword and at the other a pistol of strange pattern. The black hair, the steel-gray eyes, brave and smiling, the noble features—I recognized them at once, and leaping to my feet I advanced with outstretched hand. "John Carter!" I cried. "You?" "None other, my son," he replied, taking my hand in one of his and placing the other upon my shoulder. "And what are you doing here?" I asked. "It has been long years since you revisited Earth, and never before in the trappings of Mars. Lord! but it is good to see you—and not a day older in appearance than when you trotted me on your knee in my babyhood. How do you explain it, John Carter, Warlord of Mars, or do you try to explain it?" "Why attempt to explain the inexplicable?" he replied. "As I have told you before, I am a very old man. I do not know how old I am. I recall no childhood; but recollect only having been always as you see me now and as you saw me first when you were five years old. You, yourself, have aged, though not as much as most men in a corresponding number of years, which may be accounted for by the fact that the same blood runs in our veins; but I have not aged at all. I have discussed the question with a noted Martian scientist, a friend of mine; but his theories are still only theories. However, I am content with the fact—I never age, and I love life and the vigor of youth. "And now as to your natural question as to what brings me to Earth again and in this, to earthly eyes, strange habiliment. We may thank Kar Komak, the bowman of Lothar. It was he who gave me the idea upon which I have been experimenting until at last I have achieved success. As you know I have long possessed the power to cross the void in spirit, but never before have I been able to impart to inanimate things a similar power. Now, however, you see me for the first time precisely as my Martian fellows see me—you see the very short-sword that has tasted the blood of many a savage foeman; the harness with the devices of Helium and the insignia of my rank; the pistol that was presented to me by Tars Tarkas, Jeddak of Thark. "Aside from seeing you, which is my principal reason for being here, and satisfying myself that I can transport inanimate things from Mars to Earth, and therefore animate things if I so desire, I have no purpose. Earth is not for me. My every interest is upon Barsoom—my wife, my children, my work; all are there. I will spend a quiet evening with you and then back to the world I love even better than I love life." As he spoke he dropped into the chair upon the opposite side of the chess table. "You spoke of children," I said. "Have you more than Carthoris?" "A daughter," he replied, "only a little younger than Carthoris, and, barring one, the fairest thing that ever breathed the thin air of dying Mars. Only Dejah Thoris, her mother, could be more beautiful than Tara of Helium." For a moment he fingered the chessmen idly. "We have a game on Mars similar to chess," he said, "very similar. And there is a race there that plays it grimly with men and naked swords. We call the game jetan. It is played on a board like yours, except that there are a hundred squares and we use twenty pieces on each side. I never see it played without thinking of Tara of Helium and what befell her among the chessmen of Barsoom. Would you like to hear her story?" I said that I would and so he told it to me, and now I shall try to re-tell it for you as nearly in the words of The Warlord of Mars as I can recall them, but in the third person. If there be inconsistencies and errors, let the blame fall not upon John Carter, but rather upon my faulty memory, where it belongs. It is a strange tale and utterly Barsoomian. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1998). The Chessmen of Mars. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/1153/pg1153-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

JOHN CARTER COMES TO EARTH

A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . FOREWORD FOREWORD To the Reader of this Work: In submitting Captain Carter’s strange manuscript to you in book form, I believe that a few words relative to this remarkable personality will be of interest. My first recollection of Captain Carter is of the few months he spent at my father’s home in Virginia, just prior to the opening of the civil war. I was then a child of but five years, yet I well remember the tall, dark, smooth-faced, athletic man whom I called Uncle Jack. He seemed always to be laughing; and he entered into the sports of the children with the same hearty good fellowship he displayed toward those pastimes in which the men and women of his own age indulged; or he would sit for an hour at a time entertaining my old grandmother with stories of his strange, wild life in all parts of the world. We all loved him, and our slaves fairly worshipped the ground he trod. He was a splendid specimen of manhood, standing a good two inches over six feet, broad of shoulder and narrow of hip, with the carriage of the trained fighting man. His features were regular and clear cut, his hair black and closely cropped, while his eyes were of a steel gray, reflecting a strong and loyal character, filled with fire and initiative. His manners were perfect, and his courtliness was that of a typical southern gentleman of the highest type. His horsemanship, especially after hounds, was a marvel and delight even in that country of magnificent horsemen. I have often heard my father caution him against his wild recklessness, but he would only laugh, and say that the tumble that killed him would be from the back of a horse yet unfoaled. When the war broke out he left us, nor did I see him again for some fifteen or sixteen years. When he returned it was without warning, and I was much surprised to note that he had not aged apparently a moment, nor had he changed in any other outward way. He was, when others were with him, the same genial, happy fellow we had known of old, but when he thought himself alone I have seen him sit for hours gazing off into space, his face set in a look of wistful longing and hopeless misery; and at night he would sit thus looking up into the heavens, at what I did not know until I read his manuscript years afterward. He told us that he had been prospecting and mining in Arizona part of the time since the war; and that he had been very successful was evidenced by the unlimited amount of money with which he was supplied. As to the details of his life during these years he was very reticent, in fact he would not talk of them at all. He remained with us for about a year and then went to New York, where he purchased a little place on the Hudson, where I visited him once a year on the occasions of my trips to the New York market—my father and I owning and operating a string of general stores throughout Virginia at that time. Captain Carter had a small but beautiful cottage, situated on a bluff overlooking the river, and during one of my last visits, in the winter of 1885, I observed he was much occupied in writing, I presume now, upon this manuscript. He told me at this time that if anything should happen to him he wished me to take charge of his estate, and he gave me a key to a compartment in the safe which stood in his study, telling me I would find his will there and some personal instructions which he had me pledge myself to carry out with absolute fidelity. After I had retired for the night I have seen him from my window standing in the moonlight on the brink of the bluff overlooking the Hudson with his arms stretched out to the heavens as though in appeal. I thought at the time that he was praying, although I never understood that he was in the strict sense of the term a religious man. Several months after I had returned home from my last visit, the first of March, 1886, I think, I received a telegram from him asking me to come to him at once. I had always been his favorite among the younger generation of Carters and so I hastened to comply with his demand. I arrived at the little station, about a mile from his grounds, on the morning of March 4, 1886, and when I asked the livery man to drive me out to Captain Carter’s he replied that if I was a friend of the Captain’s he had some very bad news for me; the Captain had been found dead shortly after daylight that very morning by the watchman attached to an adjoining property. For some reason this news did not surprise me, but I hurried out to his place as quickly as possible, so that I could take charge of the body and of his affairs. I found the watchman who had discovered him, together with the local police chief and several townspeople, assembled in his little study. The watchman related the few details connected with the finding of the body, which he said had been still warm when he came upon it. It lay, he said, stretched full length in the snow with the arms outstretched above the head toward the edge of the bluff, and when he showed me the spot it flashed upon me that it was the identical one where I had seen him on those other nights, with his arms raised in supplication to the skies. There were no marks of violence on the body, and with the aid of a local physician the coroner’s jury quickly reached a decision of death from heart failure. Left alone in the study, I opened the safe and withdrew the contents of the drawer in which he had told me I would find my instructions. They were in part peculiar indeed, but I have followed them to each last detail as faithfully as I was able. He directed that I remove his body to Virginia without embalming, and that he be laid in an open coffin within a tomb which he previously had had constructed and which, as I later learned, was well ventilated. The instructions impressed upon me that I must personally see that this was carried out just as he directed, even in secrecy if necessary. His property was left in such a way that I was to receive the entire income for twenty-five years, when the principal was to become mine. His further instructions related to this manuscript which I was to retain sealed and unread, just as I found it, for eleven years; nor was I to divulge its contents until twenty-one years after his death. A strange feature about the tomb, where his body still lies, is that the massive door is equipped with a single, huge gold-plated spring lock which can be opened only from the inside. Yours very sincerely, Edgar Rice Burroughs. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (1993). A Princess of Mars. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/62/pg62-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

My First Recollection of Captain Carter is of the Few Months he Spent at my Father’s Home

The master mind of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs, is part of the HackerNoon Books Series. You can jump to any chapter in this book here . JOHN CARTER JOHN CARTER Half an hour before the evening meal we carried Xaxa and Sag Or down the spiral runway and placed them in the base of the Great Tur and Gor Hajus and I took our places on the upper platform behind the eyes and voice of the idol. Valla Dia, Dar Tarus and Hovan Du remained in the royal apartments. Our plans were well formulated. There was no one between the door at the rear of the Great Tur and the flier that lay ready on the roof in the event that we were forced to flee through any miscarriage of our mad scheme. The minutes dragged slowly by and darkness fell. The time was approaching. We heard the doors of the temple open and beyond we saw the great corridor brilliantly lighted. It was empty except for two priests who stood hesitating nervously in the doorway. Finally one of them mustered up sufficient courage to enter and switch on the lights. More bravely now they advanced and prostrated themselves before the altar of the Great Tur. When they arose and looked up into the face of the idol I could not resist the temptation to turn those huge eyes until they had rolled completely about the interior of the chamber and rested again upon the priests; but I did not speak and I think the effect of the awful silence in the presence of the living god was more impressive than would words have been. The two priests simply collapsed. They slid to the floor and lay there trembling, moaning and supplicating Tur to have mercy on them, nor did they rise before the first of the worshippers arrived. Thereafter the temple filled rapidly and I could see the word of Tur had been well and thoroughly disseminated. They came as they had before; but there were more this time, and they ranged upon either side of the central aisle and there they waited, their eyes divided between the doorway and the god. About the time that I thought the next scene was about to be enacted I let Tur’s eyes travel over the assemblage that they might be keyed to the proper pitch for what was to follow. They reacted precisely as had the priests, falling upon the floor and moaning and supplicating; and there they remained until the sounds of bugles announced the coming of the Jeddara. Then they rose unsteadily to their feet. The great doors swung open and there was the carpet and the slaves behind it. As they rolled it down towards the altar the bugles sounded louder and the head of the royal procession came into view. I had ordered it thus to permit of greater pageantry than was possible when the doors opened immediately upon the head of the procession. My plan permitted the audience to see the royal retinue advancing down the long corridor and the effect was splendid. First came the double rank of nobles and behind these the chariot drawn by the two banths, bearing the litter upon which reclined Valla Dia. Behind her walked Dar Tarus, but all within that room thought they were looking upon the Jeddara Xaxa and her favorite, Sag Or. Hovan Du walked behind Sag Or and following came the fifty young men and the fifty maidens. The chariot halted before the altar and Valla Dia descended and knelt and the voices that had been chanting the praises of Xaxa were stilled as the beautiful creature extended her hands towards the Great Tur and looked up into his face. “We are ready, Master!” she cried. “Speak! We await the word of Tur!” A gasp arose from the kneeling assemblage, a gasp that ended in a sob. I felt that they were pretty well worked up and that everything ought to go off without a hitch. I placed the speaking-tube to my lips. “I am Tur!” I thundered and the people trembled. “I come to pass judgment on the men of Phundahl. As you receive my word so shall you prosper or so shall you perish. The sins of the people may be atoned by two who have sinned most in my sight.” I let the eyes of Tur rove about over the audience and then brought them to rest upon Valla Dia. “Xaxa, are you ready to atone for your sins and for the sins of your people?” Valla Dia bowed her beautiful head. “Thy will is law, Master!” she replied. “And Sag Or,” I continued, “you have sinned. Are you prepared to pay?” “As Tur shall require,” said Dar Tarus. “Then it is my will,” I boomed, “that Xaxa and Sag Or shall give back to those from whom they stole them, the beautiful bodies they now wear; that he from whom Sag Or took this body shall become Jeddak of Phundahl and High Priest of Tur; and that she from whom Xaxa stole her body shall be returned in pomp to her native country. I have spoken. Let any who would revolt against my word speak now or for ever hold his peace.” There was no objection voiced. I had felt pretty certain that there would not be. I doubt if any god ever looked down upon a more subdued and chastened flock. As I had talked, Gor Hajus had descended to the base of the idol and removed the bonds from the feet and legs of Xaxa and Sag Or. “Extinguish the lights!” I commanded. A trembling priest did my bidding. Valla Dia and Dar Tarus were standing side by side before the altar when the lights went out. In the next minute they and Gor Hajus must have worked fast, for when I heard a low whistle from the interior of the idol’s base, the prearranged signal that Gor Hajus had finished his work, and ordered the lights on again, there stood Xaxa and Sag Or where Valla Dia and Dar Tarus had been, and the latter were nowhere in sight. I think the dramatic effect of that transformation upon the people there was the most stupendous thing I have ever seen. There was no cord or gag upon either Xaxa or Sag Or, nothing to indicate that they had been brought hither by force—no one about who might have so brought them. The illusion was perfect—it was a gesture of omnipotence that simply staggered the intellect. But I wasn’t through. “You have heard Xaxa renounce her throne,” I said, “and Sag Or submit to the judgment of Tur.” “I have not renounced my throne!” cried Xaxa. “It is all a——” “Silence!” I thundered. “Prepare to greet the new Jeddak, Dar Tarus of Phundahl!” I turned my eyes towards the great doors and the eyes of the assemblage followed mine. They swung open and there stood Dar Tarus, resplendent in the trappings of Hora San, the long dead Jeddak and high priest, whose bones we had robbed in the base of the idol an hour earlier. How Dar Tarus had managed to make the change so quickly is beyond me, but he had done it and the effect was colossal. He looked every inch a Jeddak as he moved with slow dignity up the wide aisle along the blue and gold and white carpet. Xaxa turned purple with rage. “Impostor!” she shrieked. “Seize him! Kill him!” and she ran forward to meet him as though she would slay him with her bare hands. “Take her away,” said Dar Tarus in a quiet voice, and at that Xaxa fell foaming to the floor. She shrieked and gasped and then lay still—a wicked old woman dead of apoplexy. And when Sag Or saw her lying there he must have been the first to realize that she was dead and that there was now no one to protect him from the hatreds that are leveled always at the person of a ruler’s favorite. He looked wildly about for an instant and then threw himself at the feet of Dar Tarus. “You promised to protect me!” he cried. “None shall harm you,” replied Dar Tarus. “Go your way and live in peace.” Then he turned his eyes upward towards the face of the Great Tur. “What is thy will, Master?” he cried. “Dar Tarus, thy servant, awaits thy commands!” I permitted an impressive silence before I replied. “Let the priests of Tur, the lesser nobles and a certain number of the Jeddak’s Guard go forth into the city and spread the word of Tur among the people that they may know that Tur smiles again upon Phundahl and that they have a new Jeddak who stands high in the favor of Tur. Let the higher nobles attend presently in the chambers that were Xaxa’s and do honor to Valla Dia in whose perfect body their Jeddara once ruled them, and effect the necessary arrangements for her proper return to Duhor, her native city. There also will they find two who have served Tur well and these shall be accorded the hospitality and friendship of every Phundahlian—Gor Hajus of Toonol and Vad Varo of Jasoom. Go! and when the last has gone let the temple be darkened. I, Tur, have spoken!” Valla Dia had gone directly to the apartments of the former Jeddara and the moment that the lights were extinguished Gor Hajus and I joined her. She could not wait to hear the outcome of our ruse, and when I assured her that there had been no hitch the tears came to her eyes for very joy. “You have accomplished the impossible, my chieftain,” she murmured, “and already can I see the hills of Duhor and the towers of my native city. Ah, Vad Varo, I had not dreamed that life might again hold for me such happy prospects. I owe you life and more than life.” We were interrupted by the coming of Dar Tarus, and with him were Hovan Du and a number of the higher nobles. The latter received us pleasantly, though I think they were mystified as to just how we were linked with the service of their god; nor, I am sure, did one of them ever learn. They were frankly delighted to be rid of Xaxa; and while they could not understand Tur’s purpose in elevating a former warrior of the Guard to the throne, yet they were content if it served to relieve them from the wrath of their god, now a very real and terrible god, since the miracles that had been performed in the temple. That Dar Tarus had been of a noble family relieved them of embarrassment, and I noted that they treated him with great respect. I was positive that they would continue to treat him so, for he was also high priest and for the first time in a hundred years he would bring to the Great Tur in the royal Temple the voice of god, for Hovan Du had agreed to take service with Dar Tarus, and Gor Hajus as well, so that there would never be lacking a tongue wherewith Tur might speak. I foresaw great possibilities for the reign of Dar Tarus, Jeddak of Phundahl. At the meeting held in the apartments of Xaxa it was decided that Valla Dia should rest two days in Phundahl while a small fleet was preparing to transport her to Duhor. Dar Tarus assigned Xaxa’s apartments for her use and gave her slaves from different cities to attend upon her, all of whom were to be freed and returned with Valla Dia to her native land. It was almost dawn before we sought our sleeping silks and furs and the sun was high before we awoke. Gor Hajus and I breakfasted with Valla Dia, outside whose door we had spread our beds that we might not leave her unprotected for a moment that it was not necessary. We had scarce finished our meal when a messenger came from Dar Tarus summoning us to the audience chamber, where we found some of the higher officers of the court gathered about the throne upon which Dar Tarus sat, looking every inch an emperor. He greeted us kindly, rising and descending from his dais to receive Valla Dia and escort her to one of the benches he had placed beside the throne for her and for me. “There is one,” he said to me, “who has come to Phundahl over night and now begs audience of the Jeddak—one whom I thought you might like to meet again,” and he signed to one of his attendants to admit the petitioner; and when the doors at the opposite end of the room opened I saw Ras Thavas standing there. He did not recognize me or Valla Dia or Gor Hajus until he was almost at the foot of the throne, and when he did he looked puzzled and glanced again quickly at Dar Tarus. “Ras Thavas of the Tower of Thavas, Toonol,” announced an officer. “What would Ras Thavas of the Jeddak of Phundahl?” asked Dar Tarus. “I came seeking audience of Xaxa,” replied Ras Thavas, “not knowing of her death or your accession until this very morning; but I see Sag Or upon Xaxa’s throne and beside him one whom I thought was Xaxa, though they tell me Xaxa is dead, and another who was my assistant at Thavas and one who is the Assassin of Toonol, and I am confused, Jeddak, and do not know whether I be among friends or foes.” “Speak as though Xaxa still sat upon the throne of Phundahl,” Dar Tarus told him, “for though I am Dar Tarus, whom you wronged, and not Sag Or, yet need you have no fear in the court of Phundahl.” “Then let me tell you that Vobis Kan, Jeddak of Toonol, learning that Gor Hajus had escaped me, swore that I had set him free to assassinate him, and he sent warriors who took my island and would have imprisoned me had I not been warned in time to escape; and I came hither to Xaxa to beg her to send warriors to drive the men of Toonol from my island and restore it to me that I may carry on my scientific labors.” Dar Tarus turned to me. “Vad Varo, of all others you are most familiar with the work of Ras Thavas. Would you see him again restored to his island and his laboratory?” “Only on condition that he devote his great skill to the amelioration of human suffering,” I replied, “and no longer prostitute it to the foul purposes of greed and sin.” This led to a discussion which lasted for hours, the results of which were of far-reaching significance. Ras Thavas agreed to all that I required and Dar Tarus commissioned Gor Hajus to head an army against Toonol. But these matters, while of vast interest to those most directly concerned, have no direct bearing upon the story of my adventures upon Barsoom, as I had no part in them, since upon the second day I boarded a flier with Valla Dia and, escorted by a Phundahlian fleet, set out towards Duhor. Dar Tarus accompanied us for a short distance. When the fleet was stopped at the shore of the great marsh he bade us farewell, and was about to step to the deck of his own ship and return to Phundahl when a shout arose from the deck of one of the other ships and word was soon passed that a lookout had sighted what appeared to be a great fleet far to the south-west. Nor was it long before it became plainly visible to us all and equally plain that it was headed for Phundahl. Dar Tarus told me then that as much as he regretted it, there seemed nothing to do but return at once to his capital with the entire fleet, since he could not spare a single ship or man if this proved an enemy fleet, nor could Valla Dia or I interpose any objection; and so we turned about and sped as rapidly as the slow ships of Phundahl permitted back towards the city. The stranger fleet had sighted us at about the same time that we had sighted it, and we saw it change its course and bear down upon us; and as it came nearer it fell into single file and prepared to encircle us. I was standing at Dar Tarus’ side when the colors of the approaching fleet became distinguishable and we first learned that it was from Helium. “Signal and ask if they come in peace,” directed Dar Tarus. “We seek word with Xaxa, Jeddara of Phundahl,” came the reply. “The question of peace or war will be hers to decide.” “Tell them that Xaxa is dead and that I, Dar Tarus, Jeddak of Phundahl, will receive the commander of Helium’s fleet in peace upon the deck of this ship, or that I will receive him in war with all my guns. I, Dar Tarus, have spoken!” From the bow of a great ship of Helium there broke the flag of truce and when Dar Tarus’ ship answered it in kind the other drew near and presently we could see the men of Helium upon her decks. Slowly the great flier came alongside our smaller ship and when the two had been made fast a party of officers boarded us. They were fine looking men, and at their head was one whom I recognized immediately though I never before had laid eyes upon him. I think he was the most impressive figure I have ever seen as he advanced slowly across the deck towards us—John Carter, Prince of Helium, Warlord of Barsoom. “Dar Tarus,” he said, “John Carter greets you and in peace, though it had been different, I think, had Xaxa still reigned.” “You came to war upon Xaxa?” asked Dar Tarus. “We came to right a wrong,” replied the Warlord. “But from what we know of Xaxa that could have been done only by force.” “What wrong has Phundahl done Helium?” demanded Dar Tarus. “The wrong was against one of your own people—even against you in person.” “I do not understand,” said Dar Tarus. “There is one aboard my ship who may be able to explain to you, Dar Tarus,” replied John Carter, with a smile. He turned and spoke to one of his aides in a whisper, and the man saluted and returned to the deck of his own ship. “You shall see with your own eyes, Dar Tarus.” Suddenly his eyes narrowed. “This is indeed Dar Tarus who was a warrior of the Jeddara’s Guard and supposedly assassinated by her command?” “It is,” replied Dar Tarus. “I must be certain,” said the Warlord. “There is no question about it, John Carter,” I spoke up in English. His eyes went wide, and when they fell upon me and he noted my lighter skin, from which the dye was wearing away, he stepped forward and held out his hand. “A countryman?” he asked. “Yes, an American,” I replied. “I was almost surprised,” he said. “Yet why should I be? I have crossed—there is no reason why others should not. And you have accomplished it! You must come to Helium with me and tell me all about it.” Further conversation was interrupted by the return of the aide, who brought a young woman with him. At sight of her Dar Tarus uttered a cry of joy and sprang forward, and I did not need to be told that this was Kara Vasa. There is little more to tell that might not bore you in the telling—of how John Carter himself took Valla Dia and me to Duhor after attending the nuptials of Dar Tarus and Kara Vasa; and of the great surprise that awaited me in Duhor, where I learned for the first time that Kor San, Jeddak of Duhor, was the father of Valla Dia; and of the honors and the great riches that he heaped upon me when Valla Dia and I were wed. John Carter was present at the wedding and we initiated upon Barsoom a good old American custom, for the Warlord acted as best man; and then he insisted that we follow that up with a honeymoon and bore us off to Helium, where I am writing this. Even now it seems like a dream that I can look out of my window and see the scarlet and the yellow towers of the twin cities of Helium; that I have met, and see daily, Cathoris, Thuvia of Ptarth, Tara of Helium, Gahan of Gathol and that peerless creature, Dejah Thoris, Princess of Mars. Though to me, beautiful as she is, there is another even more beautiful—Valla Dia, Princess of Duhor—Mrs. Ulysses Paxton. About HackerNoon Book Series: We bring you the most important technical, scientific, and insightful public domain books. This book is part of the public domain. Edgar Rice Burroughs (2023). The master mind of Mars. Urbana, Illinois: Project Gutenberg. Retrieved October 2022 https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/69703/pg69703-images.html This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org , located at https://www.gutenberg.org/policy/license.html .

JOHN CARTER

Fresh off a victory against the Cat Cartel, these Canines are ready to pounce on the blockchain. Now, are you in? The Cartel doesn't take too lightly to people who are out... In the NFT world, animals have always ruled supreme. Whether it be Bored Apes, Cool Cats, Raccoons, or Sewer Rats, NFT pfp art notably rules the community. In such a crowded space, it’s vital for new incoming projects to consistently one-up and better one another in order to achieve a notable space in the community. is a new breed of ERC-721 tokens ready to take over the Blockchain. Minting at 0.05ETH, these canines are being released on the at 2PM EDT. The Canine Cartel 24th August 2021 The Canine Cartel does away with cutesy fluff, leave your Stoner Cats, Pudgy Penguins, and Punkbabies at home - this is an NFT project for the big dogs. The Canine Cartel was born in a fierce fight between the cats and the dogs of Sinaloa, Mexico. The cats were known for ruling everything with an iron paw. A hound couldn’t sell a spliff to a rat without being scratched and slashed by a crazy feline. Everything changed when a mean motherfucker by the name El Doge came along. El Doge was the leader the band of mutts needed to take back control of the streets. Pack by pack, he rallied the Dobermans, the Huskies, the Pitbulls and the rest of ‘em. Now, there are 10,000 unique canines ready to live and die for the cartel. Not your standard 10,000 degen project, the Cartel offers a unique service where to prove your loyalty, your canine can visit the official tattoo parlour. This will burn the NFT and a new Canine with a Cartel tattoo will be returned to you. Why not get a matching one? Looking at their , you can see that they’re one of only a few communities that have charitable donations guaranteed from the offset and clearly visible for the community to see. At just 10% of the sale, the cartel will donate 10ETH to dog shelters in a cartel decided-upon location. Beyond that, a cartel wallet will be set up where members can vote on what to do with the funds. roadmap The Cartel is rumbling with activity and is planning a fiesta for its members, when it’s safe to do so, everyone in the cartel will be welcome to a wild rager to celebrate victory against the cat cartel. Until then, everyone hangs out in the , otherwise known as their Discord server. Cigar Lounge There’s also The Pound. Though you might find that mutts don’t like to talk about The Pound, what goes on at The Pound, stays at the pound. If something needs settling, take it to The Pound. The rules of The Pound are simple; Do not talk about The Pound. Owning a Canine makes you part of the cartel. But, be warned, they’re a ride-or-die crew. Getting in is simple, getting out won’t be good for your health. If you wanted a standard NFT collectible project, you’ve come to the wrong place loco cabrón.

The Canine Cartel: How Much Is That Tattooed Dog NFT In The Window?

Level One: Runtime, Transparency & Security In this mini-series we look at today’s centralized gaming models, also touching on how the emergence of blockchain technology is giving gaming a boost into a world of new opportunities for both gamers and developers, all through the power of decentralization. We’re also going to take a peek at how Cartesi holds the cheat codes that can enable the decentralized gaming industry to level-up in 2021 and beyond! As graphics quickly improve, gaming experiences are becoming ever-immersive and, with the global pandemic trapping most of the world’s population indoors, the gaming industry has continued its growth year-over-year. With the worldwide gaming market , rocketing up from just over $70 billion in 2012, the gaming industry has seen rapid technical advances in recent years. forecasted to be worth just over $200 billion in 2023 Today’s most popular games such as Minecraft, Grand Theft Auto, and Fortnite, see millions of people around the globe play alongside each other inside virtual worlds for hours on end, building, driving, fighting and exploring vast hyper-realistic landscapes. But these games (and in fact the vast majority of games on the market) share something in common; they all run on centralized servers, , from in-game commands to online store purchases. processing gargantuan amounts of data every second With centralized gaming models, all game-related data is stored on servers that are fully controlled by the game developers or administrators, with the data including everything from user account information to all of the events and in-game assets they collect on their virtual travels. This presents several issues, as not only does this data being held on centralized servers mean that the , but that the aforementioned is all at risk of being stolen or even lost forever should the servers get damaged or shut down by the game developers themselves. players themselves never actually own their own data or the in-game items they spend countless hours earning These are serious issues that need to be addressed before the gaming industry can progress to its next stage of evolution and below we take a look at them in more detail. Level One: Runtime, Transparency & Security Security Several incidents in recent years have highlighted how dangerous keeping data, whether from gaming platforms or from a variety of other industries, stored in one centralized location can be. for the hugely popular MMORPG (massively multiplayer online role-playing game) Steam game Rust, destroying all user’s saved data; this was one of the worst incidents in recent years, with around 3.6 million websites across 464,000 distinct domains also taken offline as a result of the fire. A catastrophic fire in France recently took down 25 EU servers Fires are not the only incidents that can damage centralized servers though. Exploits and hacks have become more commonplace in recent years within the gaming world, with even the biggest game developers and publishers targeted. Last year it was discovered that may have allowed hackers to remotely crash games and even take control over third-party game servers. critical flaws in a core networking library powering Valve's online gaming functionality Hackers have been able to acquire the personal details of countless gamers over the years, with popular games such as the MMORPG CS:GO falling victim to such attacks (thankfully the most recent was perpetrated by a white-hat hacking group ). With full control over the user’s system, hackers are able to steal passwords, banking information and more. Secret Club and highlighted exploits that have now been addressed How Can Blockchain Technology Solve This? Publishers and their developers building decentralized games on blockchain platforms can massively improve upon (and essentially rid of) vulnerabilities prevalent within current centralized gaming systems. Games can use blockchains to decentralize data and execution across multiple locations; even if a hacker does manage to gain access to one or a few of the blockchain validator nodes, the system remains resilient as a majority of validators can preserve the correct history and state of the game. Transparency Let’s face it, we’ve all cheated at monopoly once in our lives but in the online gaming world, fair gameplay is a very serious topic. With gaming tournaments now regularly offering the world’s best gamers , the stakes are high and coordinated cheating has become . millions of dollars in rewards a big problem in the gaming industry in recent years Most centralized online games use one of two communication models: client-server and peer-to-peer. Both of these architectures are open to manipulation and can be rigged by players with cheat codes negatively impacting gamers' experiences around the world, but also posing a big challenge for game developers and publishers. If cheating continues to be a problem, gamers following the rules may eventually get tired of bad actors and leave for other platforms, lowering game traffic and shrinking company revenues. How Can Blockchain Technology Make Gaming More Transparent? The distributed nature of games hosted on blockchain platforms makes them near impossible to hack, as they run on distributed servers. With a single point of failure as seen in centralized models, games can be modified and cheats can disrupt and ruin gamers’ experiences; with blockchain-based games, manipulation of game mechanics can only be executed if a network of voters rules in favour of the change, ensuring fairness. As the stakes in gaming get higher, provability becomes more and more important. The immutability of blockchain technology and smart contracts makes cheating basically impossible, with verifiable data etched into the blockchain and uneditable forever. This can help massively when attempting to verify gamer credentials and in-game actions. and it’s what is needed if the professional gaming industry in particular is to continue growing. Provably fair gameplay is becoming increasingly important Besides eliminating hacking risks, building games with decentralized models takes the ownership and decision-making power from the game developer and central game servers. Arbitrary rule updates can frustrate gamers and depreciate their in-game assets; decentralizing the decision-making process puts the power back at the hands of the gamers and other stakeholders. This in itself is a topic worth talking about in more detail, and we will look deeper into the opportunities for gamers to have more decision-making power, true ownership of their in-game items, as well as the verifiable scarcity of items and achievements that comes with decentralized gaming in part two of this mini-series! Runtime Earlier this month millions of Sony PlayStation fans were presented with error codes that prevented them from accessing online features when the . Centralized games are in theory able to be shut down at any time, anywhere, by the developers, publishers or by outside attacks such as DDoS attacks ( ). Sony Playstation Network went down that have been occurring a lot in popular games such as Apex Legends Players currently have very little control over what happens to their coveted in-game items or game saves that they may have worked for untold hours to have got to - if a game shuts down or is out of action for a period of time, they must simply sit on their hands and wait until the servers come back online. Gaming on Blockchain = No Downtime Decentralized gaming models, however, can run autonomously and are unstoppable, no server maintenance costs or backups required. With no centralized servers, damage or outages at one location simply mean that power is diverted to another location, meaning that players can enjoy 24/7 uptime. But… and there is a BIG But , there are still major limitations that prevent decentralized gaming from reaching its full potential. Tight computational limits and limited storage on-chain make for big barriers that have prevented game publishers and developers fully diving into decentralized gaming models; large computational tasks are very expensive, many popular blockchains are extremely inefficient, and they also suffer from other inefficiencies such as low throughput, a high propagation delay, and long latency to finality. As Cartesi CEO Erick highlighted in a past article Then there’s also the issue of accessibility and a lack of support for OS and mainstream software components or stacks. Game developers have for several years used familiar tools and programs to create the amazing games we all love to play today; , but blockchain platforms do not currently support these or in fact any of the software stacks, engines, and libraries that are so integral to a game developer’s programming toolkit. C++ and Java are two of the most popular languages utilized to build many of today’s games Up until now, publishers and game developers have sacrificed decentralization for better accessibility, higher throughput, programmability and more computational power. Blockchain still has a way to go if we are to play our favourite real-time 3d shooters on a decentralized platform, but at Cartesi we are making important and exciting steps toward opening up a universe of opportunity for developers wanting to build decentralized games. Cartesi: The Decentralized Gaming Power-Up is a second layer system that moves complex computation off-chain while preserving the security guarantees of the blockchain. The Cartesi Machine, a custom virtual machine that emulates a RISC-V microprocessor, runs an embedded Linux distribution and is capable of booting a real OS. Why is this such a big step forward for the gaming industry? Cartesi Cartesi brings Linux infrastructure to blockchain applications, giving developers access to the stacks, libraries, and tools that they’re accustomed to using with mainstream operating systems but within a decentralized environment. For the gaming industry, this is huge as it opens up avenues not previously accessible for developers; they can now can utilize 30 years of open-source software evolution algonside the enormous computational power underneath Cartesi’s engine. “I expect people to be able to create much more interesting games with Cartesi that weren't conceivable before on blockchains” says Cartesi CEO Erick de Moura. “A whole universe of turn-based multiplayer indie games or even completely decentralized RPGs can now be built with the access and tools Cartesi provides game developers.” , but the strong security guarantees of the blockchain are still maintained. We’re offering the best of both worlds to game developers and publishers; all of the decentralization that blockchain technology offers, but with tens of thousands more computation capacity and the convenience closer to what exists for centralized games when it comes to programming. Game logic processing is performed off-chain with Cartesi Make sure you lookout for the next two articles in this mini-series to learn more about what Cartesi brings to the table for the future of gaming! Ready for Level Two? In next week’s article, we explore how DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) can give gamers a voice and a vote on the future development of their favourite games, as well as how the emergence of NFTs is bringing about an evolution in open in-game economies, allowing for different entities and players to bring liquidity to the gaming world. Check out what we are doing at and say hello to us on ! Cartesi.io Twitter

Unlocking the Next Level of Decentralized Gaming with Cartesi Pt. 1

has been nominated for a 2020 Noonie in the Merlin is a content writer from New Zealand that's been living in Germany for the past 15 years. Let's learn more about him below! Merlin Carter from Germany Technology category. 1.  Which 2020 Noonie have you been nominated for? Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - CLOUD COMPUTING 2. Tell us a bit about yourself. I'm an in-house writer at Project A Ventures in Berlin. I work there part-time and spend the other part tinkering with various art projects. I'm originally from New Zealand but have lived in Germany for 15 years. 3. Tell us about the things you make / write / manage / build. I mostly write about what our developers get up to. They're too busy to write so I do it for them. Project A provides operational support for our portfolio companies, so our devs are always out and about helping various startups scale their operations. That's why I tend to write about DevOps and cloud computing. 4. What are you most excited about right now? RunwayML. I love it. 5. What are you worried about right now? Everything. I'm always worried. It's my natural state. 6. What's the most useful advice you've ever given somebody? "Mate, worry about that shit later. Focus on the what you need to get done today." 7. How has the pandemic changed your life and/or career? I love working from home but sometimes it's not healthy. I keep falling asleep on the couch. I'm allowed to work in the office now, but I have to force myself to make the commute. So my self-discipline has been challenged like never before. 8. If we gave you $10 million to invest in one thing right now, where would you put it? I would create a clone of "Whisk" (https://clickhole.com/amazing-watch-how-this-one-startup-is-changing-the-way-1825126164/) except it would be dudes dressed as Popeye, and they would put you in an adult-sized pram waiting outside your front door. 9. What's an opinion you have that most people don't agree with? WhatsApp voice messages are pointless and annoying as hell. 10. Which apps can't you live without? Apps that allow me to listen to things. Like Audible, Spotify and SoundCloud. 11. What are you currently learning? How to do 3D compositing on live action footage (because Art) Make somebody’s day and nominate them to be recognized in the Internet’s most independent and community-driven awards: NOONIES.TECH . Most importantly, don't forget to and help him win the award for ! vote for Merlin Hacker Noon Contributor of the Year - CLOUD COMPUTING

"Focus on the what you need to get done today" - Merlin Carter, 2020 Noonie Nominee

Bitcoin Bear Market Diary Volume 9 with Nic Carter

Not without an ample dose of skepticism, 2018 can indeed be referred to as the year of the stablecoin. Amid against Tether, and yet high demand for stable cryptocurrency as a means of settlement, a growing cohort of stable coin solutions were rolled out to the market. These appear to be the stablecoins that enjoy most credibility among crypto exchanges today: Paxos Standard , Gemini , Circle , Carbon , TrustToken’s . Yet, it’s safe to say that none of the above products is truly decentralized, essentially being more of a token with the right to claim a fiat USD equivalent stored in a centralized storage (most often on a bank account). total backlash PAX GUSD USDC CUSD TUSD What it means is that the use of those coins is linked to the same array of difficulties as those of conventional fiat money, i.e. while their value is guaranteed by the emittent, their use is most often than not accompanied by complicated , with the risk of bank accounts being suspended due to the coins considered as ‘illegally acquired’. Hence, the use of the majority of stablecoins is completely irrational in financial services of , or the ‘free Internet’, since it implies a significant amount of risks. It’s safe to suggest that in a perfect world a stable means of payment for Web3 should be emitted by the community, with its value regardless of actions of the third parties. KYC/AML procedures Web 3.0. Today it seems that the only stable coin that is securely emitted in a decentralized manner is MakerDAO’s DAI. It is also one of the most popular in Ethereum ecosystem. What is it that makes DAI so unique generating an explosive amount of community trust? Here we will touch upon the core mechanics of MakerDAO emission system, and shed some light on how you as a Ethereum user can benefit from that today. #DeFi apps In essence, at the core of MakerDAo product is the mechanics of emission of a stable means of payment (i.e. money) deployed as a number of smart contracts in Ethereum network. In principle, the scheme of emission is akin to that of money emission secured by gold, with ETH taking the place of gold here. A specific amount of ETH is sent to a smart contract that generates a stable token (DAI), and then sends it to the user. DAIs created in this manner become the debt outstanding to MakerDAO (that in itself becomes a decentralized emission system) secured by the collateral — in exact same manner as traditional fiat money is essentially debt outstanding to a central bank. However, in contrast to traditional central banks, with DAI any user can create new decentralized money without any obstacle. At the same time, due to complete automation of MakerDAO system by design, it’s impossible to create money not secured by ETH, and the system is completely transparent to monitor. MakerDAO concept — how does a decentralized stable coin operate? An elephant in the room is how would DAI actually secure the stability of DAI exchange rate of $1? The concept of excessive consumption comes into play here. When emitting DAI, the secured collateral should be no less than %166, i.e. the debt in the amount of 100 DAI should be emitted to each $166. The emission made by an individual user becomes a CDP, or a collateralized debt position, each of which can be monitored on a . When ETH price drops, provided that the index of position coverage drops below 150%, the position will start to liquidate. And the collateral asset, i.e. ETH, is sold at the discount for DAI that are used to cover the debt. The recent drop in ETH price from $200 to $86 over a short time span resulted in the mass close up of the debt positions due to the insufficient coverage ratio, yet DAI exchange rate stuck to ~$1.00, which confirms the high level of system stability. dedicated web-page More so, the community trust in DAI is extremely high. According to the latest data points, the system has accumulated enormous amount of 1.7 million of ETH, or USD 255 million, as the collateral (which makes up >1.5% of all the ETH existing at the moment). More than 70 million DAI has been generated so far, which equals to ~$70 million of stable coins, with the total of collateral coverage amounting to 370%. Many dApps are also integrating DAI to provide their users with the option to make settlements in stable currency. There is another token used in MakerDAO system — a Maker token — designated to give a voting right, when managing percentage stakes (since DAI emission is akin to the emission of conventional money with its borrowing rate), and used to pay off the borrowing rate. Paying off the percentage for the emission of DAI in MKR token is a unique economic precedent in itself. This mechanics allows to avoid a typical concern with fiat money, when the debt of the central bank exceeds the amount of issued money. DAI emission system overrides this concern completely. How you can use DAI and MakerDAO to your advantage right now The use of MakerDAO emission mechanism can prove interesting for the purpose of crediting with ETH collateral, or receiving a decentralized credit leverage. Hence, having ETH 100 ($15,000), one can generate up to $9,000 in DAI that later can be spent to purchase some extra ETH. DAI emission system can also become an accessible credit solution. With ETH as collateral, it will be possible to create a certain amount of DAI that will be reimbursed later from the future proceeds. With the interest rate of 2.5%, and the absence of banking commissions, MakerDAO might look like a decent alternative to a bank collateral credit line. Is DAI to become a viable alternative to the ‘banking cartel’ of stable coins? Despite the technological innovation, durable lines of codes tested by the array of events at the crypto market, and respect of crypto enthusiasts, mass adoption of any decentralized financial product is no easy task. First off, since all of DAI are created under the ETH collateral, the total amount of DAI is restricted. If 10% of all the ETH is used as collateral, with the exchange rate of $150, only $939 mln DAI can be created. Of course, once ETH returns to the peak of its $1000 price, this amount will surge, yet it will still be insignificant on a global scale. The second issue is liquidity and accessibility for sale-purchase. However, despite the recent l , DAI is traded mostly against . At the same time, it’s apparent that mass adoption of DAI, the entry and exit points into fiat are very much needed, since the majority of DAI use cases (like payments and crediting) would eventually require the exit to fiat. Yet, there is not so many options to sale-purchase DAI for fiat currencies — there are only two exchanges that have those trade pairs at the moment. One of them is Ethfinex, yet it cannot boast the most convenient ways to deposit and withdraw funds. The other one is EXMO, who recently announced and MKR and introduced fiat pair to USD. Oddly enough, there are no more instances of DAI against fiat with non-zero liquidity at the market currently. isting of DAI and MKR on Coinbase ETH support for DAI This is partially due to the fact that the majority of larger exchanges for apparent reasons would be way more interested in cooperating with institutional players rather than decentralized (i.e. completely independent) system of electronic cash flow. Therefore, despite some apparent advantages of DAI for an average user, such as transparency and independence of the third parties and all sorts of middle men, the competition with the banking cartels will be exceptionally strong. Still, DAI has apparently created a niche of its own that is bound to expand gradually, with restriction of total volume of issued coins and liquidity influx being the major factor contributing to its adoption in Web 3.0 ecosystem. Fast forward to today and we’ve witnessed the growing excitement in the space, with more than $70 million US dollars created in MakerDAO ecosystem, compared to only ~$3 million of the last year. Knowing that the cryptomarket has historically shown interest to vacant means of payment, we can only guess how many DAI will be generated and subsequently used one year from now.

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