#8 TOB - บทที่ 3️⃣ The first man on Earth (4) : #อารยธรรมแรกบนดาวเคราะห์โลก
▪️ผู้แปล : อุดม (แอดมิน)
‘Gravity on Earth was stronger than on their planet and it was quite uncomfortable initially, for the two races, but eventually they adapted very well.
‘In building their towns and factories, they were fortunate to import from Bakaratini, certain materials which were very light and, at the same time, very strong.
‘I have not yet explained that, at that time, Australia was on the equator. Earth rotated on a different axis - taking 30 hours and 12 minutes to complete a rotation, and achieved a revolution around its sun in 280 such days. The equatorial climate was not as you will find it today. It was much more humid than now, for the Earth’s atmosphere has changed.
‘Herds of huge zebras roamed the country, in company with enormous edible birds, referred to as ‘dodos’, very large jaguars, and another bird measuring almost four metres in height, which you have called Dinornis. In certain rivers, there were crocodiles up to 15 metres in length and snakes 25 to 30 metres long. They, at times, nourished themselves on the new arrivals.
‘Most of the flora and fauna on Earth was totally different from that on Bakaratini - both from a nutritional and ecological point of view. Numerous experimental farms were established in an endeavour to acclimatise plants such as sunflower, maize, wheat, sorghum, tapioca and others.
‘These plants either didn’t exist on Earth or else existed in such a primitive state that they couldn’t be consumed. The goat and the kangaroo were both imported, for the immigrants were quite partial to these, consuming them in great numbers on their planet. They were particularly keen to raise kangaroos on Earth, experiencing enormous difficulties however, in acclimatising them. One of the main problems was food.
On Bakaratini, the kangaroo fed on a fine, hardy grass called arilu, which was totally unknown on Earth. Each time the Bakaratinians tried to grow it, it died, attacked always by millions of microscopic fungi. So it happened that the kangaroo were hand-fed, so to speak, for several decades, as they gradually adapted to the grasses on Earth.
‘The black race persevered in its endeavours and finally succeeded in growing the plant, but it had taken so long that the kangaroos no longer required more than their new pastures. Very much later, some arilu plants took root and, as there were no animals to eat them, they spread throughout Australia. They still exist under the botanical name Xanthorrhoea and the popular name “grass trees’’ 1
(1 “grass trees’’ - original text was ‘black boys’. This term is currently avoided in Australia due to the racist connotation. —Editor's comment)
‘On Earth, this grass grows much taller and thicker than it did on Bakaratini, but that often happens when species are introduced from other planets. This plant is one of the rare vestiges of those distant times.
‘It indicates, by being found only in Australia, along with the kangaroo, that the Bakaratinians remained in that particular part of the planet for a very long time before seeking to colonise other parts. I am about to explain this, but I wanted first, to cite the examples of the kangaroo and the Xanthorrhoea so that you might better understand all the problems of adaptation these people had to overcome; of course, it is only one small example among so many others.
‘The yellow race had settled, as I said, in the hinterland of the Bay of Bengal. Most were in Burma where they too, had established cities and experimental farms. Principally interested in vegetables, they had imported from Bakaratini cabbages, lettuce, parsley, coriander and some others.
For fruit, they brought the cherry tree, the banana and the orange trees. These last two were difficult to establish, for the climate of the time was generally colder than it is now. Thus, they gave some of the trees to the blacks who, by contrast, had enormous success with them.
‘In the same way, the yellow people had far greater success in the growing of wheat. In fact, the wheat from Bakaratini produced enormous grains, around the size of a coffee bean, with ears measuring up to 40 centimetres in length. Four varieties of wheat were grown and the yellow race wasted no time in establishing a very high production level.’
‘No, not at all. Rice is a plant absolutely native to Earth, although it was greatly improved by the yellow people on its way to becoming what it is now.
‘To continue, immense silos were constructed and soon, commercial exchanges began between the two races. The black race exported kangaroo meat, dodos (which were prolific at the time) and zebra meat. In domesticating the latter, the blacks in fact, produced breeds that were equal in taste, to kangaroo meat and more nutritious. Trade was carried out using Bakaratini spacecraft, bases for these vessels having been set up all over the land...’
‘Not so fast, Michel, not so fast. The first men on Earth were, indeed, the blacks and the yellows, but for the moment I will continue to explain how they organised themselves and how they lived.
‘Materially, they were successful, but they were also careful not to neglect the construction of their immense meeting halls, in which they practised their cult.’