Urs spoke. “Honorable Chairman, may I say that every man connected with Time Travel is loyal and conscientious. We all try to adhere strictly to the code. It was not Renar’s fault that this unforeseen emergency arose.” “Thank you, Urs.” The chairman raised a hand. A Security man approached and held something out. “Renar, is this what you caught hold of in the water?” Renar nodded. Urs gasped. It was the shining impregnium wand he had left in the rock! Back in the Time Traveler’s Bureau, the men looked at each other and started to talk excitedly. The Board members leaned forward in their recliners for a closer inspection of the sword. Urs and Renar exchanged a quick, hopeful glance. “You, Urs, allowed this wand to become a part of that ancient culture. It remained there for twenty years or so. The people of that time did not know how it was made, nor did they discover any of our techniques from it. It has now been removed from that time. “We are now faced with a matter of interpretation of Policy Rule number 86, Subhead C, which does not consider the subsequent removal of a knowledge or technique inadvertently left in the past. I shall call another witness.” Urs and Renar turned. A short, precise man in a rust-colored uniform came out of the side door and marched up beside them. “Morrey,” the chairman said, “will you please describe your work?” “Sir,” Morrey said in a businesslike voice, “I am an historical synthesist. I take the reports of the Time Explorers and fit them together into culture graphs. I analyze and interpret the data that comes in, and I make recommendations for further time explorations, as needed.” “Thank you. Now will you please tell Explorers Urs and Renar about the dominant personality in Great Britain during the period between their respective visits?” “Gladly, sir.” Morrey turned slightly toward the two. “We are not entirely certain, yet, how much is fact and how much legend, for the story of this man reached far forward in history. But we do know that he became famous because he was the only man who could pull the wand--which they called a ‘sword’--from the rock in which it was embedded. He kept it. Because of properties which we take for granted, the sword had a strange and wonderful appeal to the imaginations of his time. In their superstitious way, those people attributed magical qualities to it, and to the one who carried it. “That man became a king. He was one of the strongest forces for good, for order, and for justice that civilization there had seen. The man was a giant, in mind and stature. He had a tremendous impact on his time. As I said before, he became a legendary figure. His story retained the power to thrill people for centuries afterward.