dn't need it
at all; government is a confession of weakness, isn't it? It's a
confession that part of the people won't cooperate with the rest and
that you need laws to restrain those individuals which a psychologist
calls anti-social. If there were no anti-social persons--criminals and
such--you wouldn't need laws or police, would you?"

"But government! You'd need government! How about public
works--wars--taxes?"

"No wars on Mars, in spite of being named after the War God. No point in
wars here; the population is too thin and too scattered, and besides, it
takes the help of every single community to keep the canal system
functioning. No taxes because, apparently, all individuals cooperate in
building public works. No competition to cause trouble, because anybody
can help himself to anything. As I said, with a perfect race government
is entirely unnecessary."

"And do you consider the Martians a perfect race?" asked the captain
grimly.

"Not at all! But they've existed so much longer than man that they're
evolved, socially at least, to the point where they don't need
government. They work together, that's all." Jarvis paused. "Queer,
isn't it--as if Mother Nature were carrying on two experiments, one at
home and one on Mars. On earth it's trial of an emotional, highly
competitive race in a world of plenty; here it's the trial of a quiet,
friendly race on a desert, unproductive, and inhospitable world.
Everything here makes for cooperation. Why, there isn't even the factor
that causes so much trouble at home--sex!"

"Huh?"

"Yeah: Tweel's people reproduce just like the barrels in the mud cities;
two individuals grow a third one between them. Another proof of Leroy's
theory that Martian life is neither animal nor vegetable. Besides, Tweel
was a good enough host to let him poke down his beak and twiddle his
feathers, and the examination convinced Leroy."

"_Oui_," confirmed the biologist. "It is true."

"But anarchy!" grumbled Harrison disgustedly. "It would show up on a
dizzy, half-dead pill like Mars!"

"It'll be a good many centuries before you'll have to worry about it on
earth," grinned Jarvis. He resumed his narrative.

"Well, we wandered through that sepulchral city, taking pictures of
everything. And then--" Jarvis paused and shuddered--"then I took a
notion to have a look at that valley we'd spotted from the rocket. I
don't know why. But when we tried to steer Tweel in that direction, he
set up suc