'Up with you!' said George, holding the swaying ladder. 'Wait on top till we join you. What a good thing I had my flask.' It was. The strong spirit nerved the invalids to the effort they were obliged to make, and in a few minutes the four of them were standing on the ledge outside the _pah_, and by means of the ladder easily scaled the palisades. The clamour still continued, and George and Terence swiftly piloted their exhausted friends to the fence behind their hut. Here the ladder came into play again, and they made for the underground world, George explaining its peculiarities to Paeroa as they sped along. 'You will be safe enough if you do not wander far from the entrance,' he assured the Maori. 'We will manage to visit you before long.' They left the basket of food and the flask with the refugees, and, still hurrying, for every minute was precious now, reached the shelter of their _whare_ without encountering any of the Hau-haus. 'Have you found your club?' Terence asked, carefully bestowing cartridges in his various pockets. 'No,' George answered gloomily. 'I must have dropped it last night between the fence and the underground world. The strange part of it is that I should not have missed it till just now.' 'The thing is always generating mysteries,' grumbled Terence. 'I hope we shall find it, though; for it may make all the difference between life and death to us.' 'You are right,' said George, who seemed much upset. 'Of course I do not agree with you that there is anything supernatural about the club; but still--but still----' Terence's eyes grew round. 'You don't agree with me! Why, you old humbug, when did I say that the thing had any supernatural power?' 'You talked of the English lack of imagination,' George replied stiffly. Terence laughed. 'The most wonderful thing about that blessed club is that it has twice brought you and me to the brink of a dispute. I really believe---- Hullo! Here he is.' Unheard and unannounced, as usual, Te Karearea had entered. A grim smile, quickly suppressed, parted his thin lips for an instant, and he bent a frowning gaze upon George, who, angered out of himself at the loss of his _mere_ and the memories which the sight of the chief recalled, had sprung to his feet and was glaring defiantly at the intruder. 'Salutations, friends!' said Te Karearea coldly. 'You did not meet me at the gate, so I have come to----' He interrupted himself, his furtive eyes gleaming. 'Where is the _mere_ of TUMATATJENGA, Hortoni? It hangs not at your side.'