Page 91 - The Perpetrations of Captain Kaga

Recounting the Binary Neeks

An infant takes the largest existing number, adds one to it,
and takes his place in the hierarchy. Advancement is more
rapid the further down the ranks one is, owing to the demise
of older individuals higher up. Every death occasions
advancement below it but not above it; movement is
relatively slow in the upper levels. By custom, each individual
must notify the one below before advancing; thus, each
promotion proceeds like a wave down the ranks, with each
individual subtracting one from his number.

In contrast, instructions and information move through the
ranks in a chain reaction. Each individual is responsible for
contacting certain specific other individuals. He can
immediately determine the recipient of his message by
referring to his own number. If the message is to go down
the ranks, he conveys it to the two below him; they have the
same number as his with ‘1’ and ‘0’ at the end. If the message
is to go up, he takes off the last digit of his own number to
determine the one above him.

Upper Ranks of Hierarchy Showing Communication

This system is quite efficient, even in large numbers: without
electromechanical means, the entire population was aware of
our presence within one day of our being discovered by a
single individual. It remains to be seen, however, whether the
decision-making of the leaders can be effective, since they are
always quite elderly. It appears the system originated when
the population was much smaller. The material culture of this
group is very limited, the means of living chiefly derived from
plant sources such as...

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