The village was surrounded by a manuka fence. The only path across the thermal region started at a gap in this fence and Dikon found his way there easily enough. He could hear the pools working. The reek of sulphur grew stronger as he moved towards the gap. He felt and dimly saw wraiths of steam. When he put his hand to his face he found it was damp with condensed vapour. Now he was outside the hedge, his torch light found the white flags. He followed them. The ground beneath his feet quivered, alongside the path a mud pot no bigger than a saucepan worked industriously, forming ringed bosses that swelled and broke interminably. Out to his left an unseen vent hissed. He caught sight of a steaming pool. The path mounted and then encompassed the mound of an old geyser. A mass of whitish-grey sinter rose up in front of Dikon and his path veered sharply to the right.

He had felt himself to be very much alone and was startled to see the figure of a man, clearly silhouetted against a pale background of sinter. At first Dikon thought this man stood with his back towards him but as he moved forward he discovered that they were face to face. The man’s head was bent forward. Some trick of shadow, or perhaps of Dikon’s nerves, suggested that the stranger had turned sharply and now stood ready to defend himself. So vivid was this impression that Dikon halted.

‘Who’s that?’ he said loudly.

‘I was about to ask you the same question,’ said Mr Septimus Falls. ‘I see now that it is Mr Bell. I thought you were to drive back to the Springs.’

‘We heard someone scream.’

‘Yes?’

‘It seemed to be in this direction. Has anything happened?’

‘I have seen nothing.’

‘But you must have heard it.’

‘One could scarcely escape hearing it.’

‘What are you doing here?’ Dikon asked.

‘I came to look for Colonel Claire.’

‘Where is he?’

‘As I have explained, I have seen nobody. I hope he has reached the hill and gone home.’

Dikon looked across to where the hill that separated them from the Springs stood black against the stars.

‘You hope?’ he said.

‘Have you a good nerve?’ asked Mr Falls. ‘I think you have.’

‘Why do you ask that, for God’s sake!’

‘Look here.’

Dikon moved towards him and he at once turned about and led the way to the base of a hillock. The eruptive noises were now much louder. Falls waited for Dikon and took him by the elbow. His fingers were like steel. Dikon saw that they stood at a junction of red-and-white-flagged tracks on the native side of the mound above Taupo-tapu. It was on the summit of this mound that Dikon and Gaunt had stood on the evening that they first saw Taupo-tapu.