He nodded and gave a low whistle. Three strong young men, also wielding machetes, clambered through the hole. Together they picked up Douglas on the stretcher. They’d hardly taken a step when Singkepe entered the hut. Seeing them, his brow shot up, and he levelled his FN machine gun at their stomachs.

‘Stopim nau!’

Mia stepped between them, hands raised in the air.

‘Please, don’t shoot, Sergeant. These young men are my wantoks.’

The muscles in Singkepe’s face were clenched. Beads of sweat appeared on his brow. Tense seconds passed and Mia prayed none of Paomente’s men would try anything, then, unbelievably, Singkepe lowered his weapon and stepped aside.

‘You’re a good person, Doctor Carter. I will not stand in your way.’

She wanted to hug him, but made do with taking his hand.

‘Bless you and your family, Sergeant. Please take care. And help Rob if you can.’

He nodded without conviction. ‘I will try. God bless.’

Unblinking stars studded the firmament as they slipped through the village. There was little moon, and Mia marvelled at how Paomente and his men had reached Hufi in the dark. It was a reminder that, not so very long ago, men like these would have come as a raiding party to steal women and kill warriors for trophies and meat.

Tracking the river, they used faint pathways in the rustling kunai grass. Mia could hear the guttural throb of big salties on the hunt, and hoped there were none in their path. The men maintained an effortless jog which she soon struggled to keep up with.

Inside the rainforest, the darkness was absolute, yet the men slowed only slightly. How they navigated, she could not explain, for the only illumination was occasional fluorescent patches of fungi. Above them, possums called alarms, and bats crashed and swooped in showers of half-eaten fruit. When they took their first break, a ten-minute layover underneath a forest giant festooned in glowing green mushrooms, she heard a large snake gliding through the leaf litter.

‘Longwe?’ Mia asked, hoping he would contradict her.

Paomente’s teeth gleamed, as if under black lights in a New York disco.

‘Ten pela, twenti!’

Hours later, they came to another fungal nightspot, this time by a creek. Badly dehydrated, Mia had no choice but to drink deeply. The water was delicious and cold, with a hint of tannin from the leaves carpeting the bottom. She conveyed some water by hand to Douglas’s lips, and to her surprise he drank greedily.

‘Strewth, I must be dreaming.’

He was looking up at her with a bewildered child-like expression, and she realised the fluorescence was making her blonde hair appear as a dazzling halo.

‘We’re taking you to a hospital, Frank.’

He was silent for a moment. ‘Where’s Robbie?’

There was no point worrying him.

‘He’ll catch up with us later.’