The colliding wizardry, who’d already crushed Smeems’s rickety ladder under thehobnailed boots of their steeds, set off at once, butting and barging forposition.

For a little while ‘Aho! The Megapode!’ echoed in the distance. When he wascertain they had gone, Nutt crept out from his refuge behind the Emperor,picked up what remained of the ladder, and looked around.

‘Master?’ he ventured.

There was a grunt from above. He looked up. ‘Are you all right, master?’

‘I have been better, Nutts. Can you see my feet?’

Nutt raised his lantern. ‘Yes, master. I’m sorry to say the ladder is broken.’

‘Well, do something about it. I’m having to concentrate on my handholds here.’

‘I thought I wasn’t paid to think, master.’

‘Don’t you try to be smart!’

‘Can I try to be smart enough to get you down safely, master?’

No answer was the stern reply. Nutt sighed, and opened up the big canvas toolbag.

Smeems clung to the vertiginous candle as he heard, down below, mysteriousscrapings and clinking noises. Then, with a silence and suddenness that madehim gasp, a spiky shape rose up beside him, swaying slightly.

‘I’ve screwed together three of the big snuffer poles, master,’ said Nutt frombelow. ‘And you’ll see there’s a chandelier hook stuck in the top, yes? Andthere’s a rope. Can you see it? I think that if you can make a loop around theEmperor it won’t slip much and you ought to be able to let yourself downslowly. Oh, and there’s a box of matches, too.’

‘What for?’ said Smeems, reaching out for the hook.

‘Can’t help noticing that the Emperor has gone out, sir,’ said the voice frombelow, cheerfully.

‘No it hasn’t!’

‘I think you’ll find it has, sir, because I can’t see the—’

‘There is no room in this university’s most important department for peoplewith bad eyesight, Nutts!’