CHAPTER XI -Gulliver of Mars

In Chapter XI of “Gulliver of Mars,” our protagonist wakes with a renewed sense of duty, eager to rescue Heru from danger. Despite enjoying a final frolic with his light-hearted companions, he sets off alone, navigating through unfamiliar Martian waters aboard a sea-going canoe, equipped with a scarce supply of cakes and fresh water. Warned to avoid the ominous “River of the Dead,” he inadvertently drifts too far north, missing the supposed route and instead finds himself in a bleak, desolate landscape devoid of life, save for ghastly fauna that strikes a chord of loneliness and peril within him.

As night descends, the terrain becomes even more sinister, his isolation underscored by the absence of any signs of life or direction. His journey becomes increasingly surreal as he encounters a silent, solemn procession of Martians adrift on rafts, among them a deceased, regal Martian maiden whose presence symbolizes the voyage into death. This spectral fleet, a mix of the young, old, and erstwhile slaves, is being carried inexorably toward a frozen, foreboding region symbolic of Martian afterlife beliefs.

Gulliver’s desperate struggle to escape this grim flotilla only entangles him further, his efforts to reach the safety of a shadowy beach thwarted by the relentless current and the chilling companionship of the dead. With a combination of horror and determination, he makes a final, frantic attempt to escape the river’s deadly pull, only to find himself trapped on a solitary ledge, a temporary refuge from the inevitable plunge over the waterfall and into the abyss.

The chapter shifts from a tangible adventure into an ethereal, almost philosophical exploration of mortality and the afterlife, as Gulliver discovers a vast, frozen gallery of Martian history encapsulated within the ice-cliffs — an entire civilization preserved in death. This revelation paints a vivid picture of Martian cultural practices regarding death, and their acceptance of it as part of a grand, natural cycle. This macabre museum, both fascinating and horrifying, offers Gulliver a profound insight into the Martian way of life and death, deepening his understanding of the planet’s mysteries but leaving him physically isolated and pondering his next move in the chilling Martian night.