be better if they did not,” said Rodriguez.
“I do not understand,” said Brenner.
“You cannot just go about taking people’s beliefs away,” said Rodriguez.
“I have done so,” said Brenner. “The beliefs are false. They must go.”
“And what will you put in their place?” asked Rodriguez.
“That is not my concern,” said Brenner.
“I thought you might have some developed ideology in mind,” said Rodriguez, “something that might be useful in the exploitation of colonials, or something.”
“No,” smiled Brenner.
“It might be better, if you had,” said Rodriguez.
“Be serious,” said Brenner.
“Do not expect gratitude,” said Rodriguez.
“There are no totems,” said Brenner to the Pons. “That is all over now. I am going to free the git.”
Brenner righted the cage, where it lay on the ground, and carefully put his hand into it. The git was crouched down, quivering, in one corner.
“Do not corner it,” said Rodriguez.
“I won’t,” said Brenner. Then he held his hand, open, near the git. In a moment or two it moved out of the corner. A little later it climbed onto Brenner’s hand. “It’s a heavy one,” said Brenner.
“Be careful,” said Rodriguez.
Then, very carefully, not closing his hand, Brenner lifted the git up and out of the cage, and held it, nestled, against his shirt. “I won’t hurt you,” he said to it. Then he said to the Pons. “See? It is not a totem. It is only a little animal. We are going to free it now, and as I free it, so, too, you are freed, from misery, from backwardness and superstition. In your world this is a great step. You will begin your climb now toward civilization.”
Brenner then slowly walked toward the gate of the palisade. When he reached that point he put the git down, at a point between two of the palings of the gate. It stayed there for a moment, and then, suddenly, rushed out the opening, hurrying away.
“It is gone now,” said Brenner, straightening up. “It is all over. Go back to your huts now.”
The Pons looked at him.
“Do you grasp what has occurred here?” asked Brenner.
“Three?” asked one of the Pons. That was the one which Rodriguez had derisively christened ‘Archimedes’.
“No,” laughed Brenner, touching its head. “Billions, and billions.”
The Pon looked at him, puzzled.
“There are no totems,” said Brenner. “You are free now, to love and grow.”
“We go back huts,” said Archimedes.
“It seems you have an ally,” said Rodriguez.
“We good Pons,” said Archimedes.
Brenner pointed to the injured Pon in Rodriguez’ arms, and to the tiny female who clung close to Rodriguez. “Good Pons, too,” he said.
“Good Pons?” asked Archimedes.
“Yes,” said Brenner. “All Pons good.”
“Yes,” said Archimedes. “All Pons good.”
“Go to your huts now,” said Brenner.
“Yes,” said Archimedes. “We go huts now.”
“They are still maintaining the distances,” said Rodriguez, as he watched the Pons withdraw.
“It will take time,” said Brenner, “for them to understand how far-reaching are the effects of today.”
“And what are the effects of today?” asked Rodriguez.
“Billions, and billions,” said Brenner. “The opening of a whole new world.”
“You were clever with the git keeper,” said Rodriguez. “He would either handle it or not. If he refused to handle it, it would seem he feared the totem might injure one of its children, thus betraying a lack of faith in his own dogmas. If he handled it, either it would injure him or not. If it did not injure him, he would, at the least, in his handling of it, have suggested, and perhaps even demonstrated, its simple animal nature, that it was no more than any other animal. And if it did injure him, as perhaps fortunately for you, and not so fortunately for him, it did, that, of course, as the totem animal is not supposed to injure its children, would make clear the fallacy of totemism.”
“Precisely,” said Brenner.
“It was very nicely done,” said Rodriguez.
“Thank you,” said Brenner.
“You have ruined the study, of course,” said Rodriguez.
“Yes,” said Brenner.
“We can always fake the report,” said Rodriguez. “It would have to be faked anyway, if it were not politically congenial.”
“True,” said Brenner.
“What are we going to do with these Pons?” asked Rodriguez.
“We will keep them in our hut until we are sure they are safe,” said Brenner.
“This one is asleep,” said Rodriguez, of the Pon in his arms.
“He has lost a great deal of blood,” said Brenner.
“He is your little friend, is he not?” asked Rodriguez.
“Yes,” smiled Brenner. “He is.”
“I thought so,” said Rodriguez.
“The female,” said Brenner, “is the one we saw with him, several days ago, behind the huts, closer to one