could do. And so, I come to you, on behalf of
our governor, and of myself."

There was silence when Balgos finished. Then big Hobart Zircon boomed,
"If we assume your conclusions are correct, what can be done? There is
no way of stopping a volcanic eruption, much less an explosion. Man is
helpless before such natural forces. It would be easier to stop a
hurricane than another Krakatoa."

Balgos shrugged. "I agree. Yet, can we stand by and wait without even
making an attempt?"

"Certainly not," Hartson Brant replied. "First, we must develop more
data. Dr. Balgos had said that his conclusions are based on intuition,
and not facts. I, for one, trust his intuition. But we must know the
exact situation before we can even begin to study the possibilities of
doing something."

Tony Briotti objected. "Even with a study, what can be done? I'm not a
physical scientist, so this is outside of my field. But I've never heard
of anyone even attempting to change the direction of a lava flow, much
less control an eruption."

Dr. Balgos spread his hands expressively. "In mythology, Vulcan was the
blacksmith, the god of fire and volcanoes. We have grown too wise to
believe in myths, but we do believe in the scientific method. I come to
you, as some of its most famous practitioners. If anything can be
done--and I do not know if it can--then you are the scientific team that
can do it. If you can do nothing, then San Luz will die, violently,
under Vulcan's hammer!"

CHAPTER II

San Luz

Rick Brant awoke slowly. For a moment he lay with eyes closed while he
tried to identify the strange odor that smote his nostrils. It was a
noxious combination of medicine, burned matches, and ancient eggs. Then
he remembered, and sat bolt upright in bed.

San Luz! The smell of the hot springs burned his nose even through the
air-conditioning system. It must be awful outside, he thought. It had
been bad enough last night.

He looked over to the other bed in the luxurious room and saw Scotty,
wrapped like a cocoon in sheet and blanket. For a moment he was tempted
to heave a pillow at the ex-Marine, then reconsidered. Scotty needed
sleep. Let him wake up naturally.

Rick lay back on his pillow and closed his eyes. He could do with a
little more shut-eye himself. So much had happened in the past few days
that he was still spinning from the speed of it.

The arrival of Dr. Esteben Balgos had upset Spindrift more thoroughly
than anything e