"09 - Synthetic Men of Mars" - читать интересную книгу автора (Burroughs Edgar Rice)

it is for you to obey." He nodded toward the officer who had brought us in.
"Take them away."
I looked toward Janai. She caught my eye and smiled at me. It was a very brave
little smile. A pathetic little smile out of a hopeless heart. Then they led us
away.
CHAPTER VI
RAS THAVAS, MASTER MIND OF MARS
AS THEY CONDUCTED us down the corridor toward the main entrance to the building
my mind was occupied in reviewing the incredible occurrences of the day. These
few hours had encompassed a lifetime. I had passed through such adventures as in
my wildest dreams I could not have imagined. I had become an officer in the
hideous army of a city the very existence of which I had not dreamed of a few
hours ago. I had met a strange girl from far Amhor; and, for the first time in
my life, I had fallen in love; and almost within the hour I had lost her. Love
is a strange thing. Why it had come to me as it had, how it had come, were quite
beyond me to explain. I only knew that I loved Janai, that I should always love
her. I should never see her again. I should never know if I might have won her
love in return. I should never be able to tell her that I loved her. My whole
life hereafter would be colored and saddened by the thought of my love, by my
remembrance of her; yet I would not have relinquished my love for her could I
have done so. Yes, love is a strange thing.
At the intersection of the main corridor with another, John Carter and I were
led to the right. Pandar and Gan Had continued on toward the main entrance. We
called goodbye to one another and were gone. It is remarkable how quickly
friendships are formed in the midst of a common jeopardy. These men were from
strange cities commonly enemies of Helium, yet because we had endured danger
together I felt a definite friendly attachment toward them; and I did not doubt
but that they were inclined similarly toward John Carter and me. I wondered if
we should ever meet again.
They led us down this new corridor and across a great courtyard into another
building, above the entrance to which were hieroglyphics strange to me. No two
nations of Barsoom have the same written language, although there is a common
scientific language understood by the savants of all nations; yet there is but
one spoken language upon Barsoorn, which all peoples use and understand, even
the savage green men of the dead sea bottom. But John Carter is very learned and
reads many languages. He told me that the hieroglyphics read Laboratory
Building.
We were taken into a medium size audience chamber where an officer told us to
wait and that he would fetch Ras Thavas, that we might meet the man we were to
help guard and watch. He also told us that Ras Thavas was to be treated with
respect and consideration as long as he made no effort to escape. He had the
freedom of the laboratory and was, in a sense, all powerful there. If he called
on us to help him in his work, we were to do so. It was evident that the Council
of the Seven Jeds looked with awe upon him although he was their prisoner, and
that they had sense enough to make life as easy for him as possible. I was very
anxious to see Ras Thavas, of whom I had heard. He was called The Master Mind of
Mars, and although he had often turned his remarkable talents to nefarious
schemes, he was nevertheless admired because of his great learning and skill. He
was known to be over a thousand years old; and because of this fact alone I
would have been curious to see him, as the span of life upon Barsoom is seldom