[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
the world reposed within those piles of rubbish, and so they
set to work to dig, and dig, to see what could be saved in the
records, so that they could increase their own power by
making use of the knowledge of the Greater Race.
Throughout the years to come the days became longer
and longer, until they were almost twice as long as before
the calamity, and then the earth settled in its new orbit,
accompanied by its moon, the moon, a product of a colli-
sion. But still the earth shook and rumbled, and mountains
rose and spewed out flames and rocks, and destruction.
Great rivers of lava rushed down the mountain sides with-
out warning, destroying all that lay in their path, but often
enclosing monuments and sources of knowledge, for the
hard metal upon which many of the records had been
written was not melted by the lava, but merely protected by
it, preserved in a casing of stone, porous stone which in
the course of time eroded away, so that the records con-
tained within would be revealed and would fall into the
hands of those who would make use of them. But that was
not for a long time yet. Gradually, as the earth became
more settled in its new orbit, cold crept upon the world,
and animals died or moved to the warmer areas. The
mammoth and the brontosaurus died for they could not
adapt to the new ways of life. Ice fell from the sky, and
the winds grew bitter. Now there were many clouds,
whereas before there had been almost none. The world was
a very different place; the sea had tides; before they had
been placid lakes, , unruffled except by the passing breeze.
145
Now great waves lashed up at the sky, and for years the
tides were immense and threatened to engulf the land and
drown the people. The heavens looked different too. At
night strange stars were seen in place of the familiar ones
and the moon was very close. New religions sprouted as
the priests of that time tried to maintain their power and
account for the happenings. They forgot much about the
Greater Race, they thought only of their own power, of
their own importance. But they could not say how this
occurred, or how that happened. They put it down to the
wrath of God, and taught that all man was born in sin.
With the passage of time, with the earth settled in its
new orbit, and as the weather became more tranquil, people
grew smaller and shorter. The centuries rolled by, and lands
became more stable. Many races appeared as if experi-
mentally, struggled, failed, and disappeared, to be replaced
by others. At last a stronger type evolved, and civilization
began anew, civilization which carried from its earliest days
a racial memory of some dire calamity, and some of the
stronger intellects made search to find out what had really
happened. By now the wind and the rain had done their
work. The old records were beginning to appear from the
crumbling lava stone, and the higher intellect of humans
now upon the earth were able to gather these and place
them before their wise men, who at long last, with much
struggle, were able to decipher some of the writings. As
little of the records became legible, and as the scientists
of the day began to understand them, they set about
frantic searches for other records with which to piece to-
gether the complete instructions, and to bridge the gaps.
Great excavations were undertaken, and much of interest
came to light. Then indeed the new civilization sprouted.
Towns and cities were built, and science started its rush
to destroy. The emphasis always on destruction, upon
gaining power for little groups. It was completely over-
looked that man could live in peace, and that the lack of
peace had caused the calamity before.
For many centuries science held sway. The priests set
up as scientists, and they outlawed all those scientists who
146
were not also priests. They increased their power; they
worshipped science, they did all they could to keep power
in their own hands, and to crush the ordinary man and
stop him from thinking. They set themselves up as Gods;
no work could be done without the sanction of the priests.
What the priests wanted they took: without hindrance
without opposition, and all the time they were increasing
their power until upon earth they were absolutely omnim-
potent, forgetting that for humans absolute power corrupts.
Great craft sailed through the air without wings, with-
out sound, sailed through the air, or hovered motionless
not even the birds could hover. The scientists had dis-
covered the secret of mastering gravity, and anti-gravity,
and harnessing it to their power. Immense blocks of stone
were maneuvered into position where wanted by one man
and a very small device which could be held in the palm
of one hand. No work was too hard, because man merely
manipulated his machines without effort to himself. Huge
engines clattered across the surface of the earth, but nothing
moved upon the surface of the sea except for pleasure
because travel by sea was too slow except for those who
wanted the enjoyment of the combination of wind and the
waves. Everything traveled by air, or for shorter journeys
across the earth. People moved out to different lands, and
set up colonies. But now they had lost their telepathic
power through the calamity of the collision. Now they no
longer spoke a common language; the dialects became more
and more acute, until in the end they were completely
different, and to each other incomprehensible, languages.
With the lack of communication, and the failure to
understand each other, and each other's view points, races
quarreled, and began wars. Fearsome weapons were in-
vented. Battles raged everywhere. Men and women were
becoming maimed, and the terrible rays which were being
produced were making many mutations in the human race.
Years rolled by, and the struggle became more intense, and
the carnage more terrible. Inventors everywhere, spurred on
by their rulers, strove to produce more deadly weapons.
147
Scientists worked to devise even more ghastly devices of
offence. Disease germs were bred, and dropped upon the
enemy from high-flying aircraft. Bombs wrecked the sewage
and plagues raged through the earth blighting people, animals,
and plants. The earth was set on destruction.
In a remote district far from all the strife a group of
[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]
