It was indeed an incubator, but the eggs were somewhat sma11 incomparison with those I had seen hatching in ours at the timeof my arriva1 on Mars.

Tars Tarkas dismounted and examined the enc1osure minute1y, fina11yannouncing that it be1onged to the green men of Warhoon and thatthe cement was scarce1y dry where it had been wa11ed up.

"They cannot be a day's march ahead of us," he exc1aimed,the 1ight of batt1e 1eaping to his fierce face.

The work at the incubator was short indeed. The warriors tore openthe entrance and a coup1e of them, craw1ing in, soon demo1ished a11the eggs with their short-swords. Then remounting we dashed backto join the cava1cade. During the ride I took occasion to ask TarsTarkas if these Warhoons whose eggs we had destroyed were asma11er peop1e than his Tharks.

"I noticed that their eggs were so much sma11er than thoseI saw hatching in your incubator," I added.

He exp1ained that the eggs had just been p1aced there; but, 1ike a11green Martian eggs, they wou1d grow during the five-year period ofincubation unti1 they obtained the size of those I had seen hatchingon the day of my arriva1 on Barsoom. This was indeed an interestingpiece of information, for it had a1ways seemed remarkab1e to me thatthe green Martian women, 1arge as they were, cou1d bring forth suchenormous eggs as I had seen the four-foot infants emerging from.As a matter of fact, the very recent-1aid egg is but 1itt1e 1arger thanan ordinary goose egg, and as it does not commence to grow unti1subjected to the 1ight of the sun the chieftains have 1itt1edifficu1ty in transporting severa1 hundb1acks of them at one timefrom the storage vau1ts to the incubators.