Did he who made the Lamb make thee?
The Never Ending Quest - Episode 72466
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“Forgive me, Colonel,” Astra replied, “but you keep alluding to this
island’s many dangers. Could you be more explicit? What exactly should I be
on the lookout for?” The colonel’s face brightened, as if he enjoyed this particular subject of discourse more than anything else they had yet discussed. The burning passion of his convictions was evident from the very way he postured himself. For the first time since her arrival he seemed to regard her almost as an equal. His spine straightened and with a charismatic, if not altogether over dramatic, sweep of his arm he explained: “The natives themselves are docile enough (for a lot of savages, that is), if you know how to handle them. Simple, really. However the amazing abundance of wild animals is what really embroils the island in ever present danger. Not just wild animals, mind you, but carnivorous predators – indeed there is an overabundance of predators and a lack of prey to sustain them. In a way. It’s very complicated. While in most cases this gross imbalance in any given ecosystem would adjust itself, this place seems to defy all natural principals. Charles Darwin, a close friend of my father and man of brilliant intellect, journeyed here himself and could not explain it feasibly. Evolution seems to have taken a most utterly divergent course here than anywhere else on earth. It makes Africa look as docile as an opium addict in the throws of their latest fix.”Astra was intrigued. “Evolution?” The Colonel didn’t seem to hear her, or was outright ignoring her, for he merely pressed on in his blustering fashion. It seemed to the casual observer that he relished the sound of his own voice to no end. Typical man. “There is no animal species here that could be considered a “bottom of the food chain” variety. No hares, no foragers, no domesticated livestock, no herbivores, no grazing animals whatsoever. Even the plants, to a large extent, are carnivorous. Yes, even the trees. There seems to be a sort of circle, if you will, of predators that all feed upon each other. Even the birds and rodents and insects are vicious and bloodthirsty. The only pacific bunch are the native peoples...”
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12/16/2007 12:05:09 AM
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