From: Owen Jones (oj@maths.anu.edu.au)
Date: Mon 01 Sep 1997 - 03:45:58 EEST
How's this for a pseudo-scientific explanation for how herd men survive
In practice, living amongst herd men, through contact with the herd men,
off leaves and grass: benign bacteria in the gut? The idea is that the
bacteria digests most of the celulose, producing various protiens as waste
products, which the herd man host then consumes. Alternatively, the bodies
of dead bacteria themselves are consumed - a sort of internally
manufactured grass based yoghurt.
you soon develop a bacterial colony of your own, and can survive on grass
like the herd men do. Conversly, the bacteria can not survive for long in
the presence of parially digested animal protein, and so do not live in
the guts of the nomads of Prax. Of course, neither Praxian humans nor
morokanth know of this, though you may get a morokanth ruminating; "Yup,
when first you fix dem humans, they don't take to the grass too well. But
after a few weeks most learn to like it. Pretty soon they're gobbling it
up like all dem other herd men."
A few solitary shamen may know the secret, which would explain their
ability to survive in the wastes with seemingly nothing to eat but twigs
and bark. But they don't let on, because they know Praxian's are supposed
to eat meat, and herd beats eat grass, and to say otherwise would get you
lynched pretty quick.
Owen Jones
Centre for Maths and its Applications, School of Math. Sciences
Australian National University, ACT 0200
Ph +61 6 249 2897 (office) 249 4552 (direct) Fax +61 6 249 4675
Web page http://wwwmaths.anu.edu.au/~oj/
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