We make the dark pools bubble and hiss
Till the waters leap up the trees to kiss,
With a roar, and a whirr and a rush so high
That the bright drops sparkle and dance in the sky
Then fall with a soft tra la la la! tra la la la!
And we laugh as they fall. Ha ha! ha ha!
Then they danced around the roaring geyser, till the waters fell lower and lower, and amid sobs and sighs died away in the deep dark hole, and all was still and silent as before in the mysterious bird’s nest.
Without waiting to hear the children’s wondering remarks, Santa Claus took them by the hand, and they seemed to pass quickly over a large tract of country, until they came to a creek, which they soon saw from its steaming sides was hot, and which ran into a lake lying quiet and peaceful;—only the pukekos[17] rose now and again, screeching from the reedy shallows. Pushing their way through thick scrub, and walking with great care between bubbling cauldrons and deep holes from which steam belched forth with a mighty roar and thud, Hal found it difficult to carry the Star of Love safely, and asked Santa Claus what he should do with it.
“Hold it high overhead, and then stop for a minute and watch,” replied Santa Claus, and, doing as he was bid, Hal was astonished to see the Star float away into the pale grey sky, becoming fainter and fainter, till it disappeared in the misty dawn.