Biggles In The Jungle Part 13

'What is it?'

If Biggles comes back and finds no one in the chamber he'll wonder what on earth has become of us.'

Algy clicked his tongue. 'I'm afraid he'll have to wonder,' he muttered wearily.

i6 CARRUTHERS TAKES A HAND.

THEIR fears in this respect, however, had they but known it, were groundless. Biggles was miles away, sitting in a sylvan paradise between earth and heaven, wondering what to do next. Dusky, being a man of the country, was concerned only with the immediate danger-the Indians, who could be heard laughing and shouting some distance away.

I'm glad they chose Bogat for a target, and not me,' remarked Biggles.

'Dey know Bogat. Dey want him for a long time. Dey take you for an Indian.'

Biggles thought that this was probably the correct explanation. Not being a hypocrite, he made no pretence of being sorry for the brutal Bogat, or the treacherous Chorro, who had got no more than their deserts. An idea struck him.

Is this carpet firm enough to walk on?' he inquired.

'Sure, ma.s.sa.'

'There's no risk of falling through?'

'No risk,' declared Dusky confidently. 'This stuff thirty or forty feet thick, maybe more.'

In that case we ought to be able to work our way along so as to get above the aeroplane.

The river will serve as a guide.'

Dusky shook his head. 'If we walk, dem old parrots will set up a squawking and tell the Indians where we are. Better if we wait. Presently de Indians go.'

'Won't they smash the machine?'

'Dey too afraid to go near it,' said Dusky definitely. 'Dey tink, maybe, it's a new G.o.d.'

Biggles was not so sure of this, but he was content to rely on Dusky's judgement. After all, he reflected, the old man had spent most of his life among the Indians, and should know their habits.

'Did you know the Indians were there?' asked Biggles, while they were waiting. He remembered that Dusky had stopped before the Indians had revealed their presence.

'Sure, ma.s.sa.'

'How did you know?'

I smelled dem,' explained Dusky simply.

Biggles nodded. He was prepared to believe anything.

That Dusky had judged the situation correctly was presently proved when the Indians pa.s.sed along the trail, in single file and in silence. As soon as they had disappeared into the dim corridors of the forest Dusky announced that it was safe to move. He did not descend straight to the ground, but kept to the treetops, picking his way carefully, with Biggles following. They were soon escorted by parrots and monkeys, which, coming close, but taking care to keep out of reach, set up a hideous clamour. Evidently they resented the intrusion into their domain, and left the invaders in no doubt as to their disapproval.

In several places there were holes in the floor, usually near the trunks of trees, such as the one through which they had made an entrance, and Dusky took care to keep well away from them. Eventually, however, he selected one, and stamping with his feet to make sure that he was on a branch, worked his way towards the hole. He pointed, and Biggles, to his infinite relief, saw the Wanderer almost immediately below. There was no sign of any damage.

Getting down to the ground was tricky and hot work, and Biggles was not a little relieved to stand once more on terra firma. Watching. the undergrowth closely, and with his rifle at the ready, he hurried to the machine, which, to his great satisfaction, appeared to be precisely as he had left it. Leaving Dusky on guard, he tore off the flimsy camouflage and prepared to cast off Okay, Dusky, come aboard,' he said in a tired voice, for strain, exertion, lack of sleep, and the humid atmosphere were beginning to tell. He was weary, hungry and thirsty, not to say dirty.

'Which way we go, ma.s.sa?' asked Dusky anxiously.

I'm just wondering,' returned Biggles frankly, for now that the moment for departure had come he found himself in doubt. Two courses were open. The others, he knew, would be anxious about him, and he had an uncomfortable feeling that he had left them in the lurch. He had not stuck to his plan-not that this was entirely his fault. Algy and Ginger would no doubt agree that he had done the right thing when they knew what had happened, but in the meantime they would be worried. Nevertheless, it was not easy to see how he could rejoin them-anyway, until night fell. But apart from this he felt that the wisest course would be to go down the river and tell Carruthers what had happened.

He might be able to make a suggestion. If not, Biggles reasoned, he would have to come back and carry on the war single-handed.

'We're going down the river,' he told Dusky abruptly, as he made up his mind.

He started the engines and took off with a vague feeling of surprise that at last something was going according to order. He half expected the engines to break down. Indeed, on the journey to the coast he listened to their note with as much anxiety as he could ever remember, for if they let him down now he hardly dared think what the fate of the others would be.

The engines did not let him down, and he offered up a silent prayer of thankfulness when the sea came into view. In twenty minutes, leaving Dusky in charge of the aircraft, he was in the presence of the acting-Governor.

Carruthers looked him up and down with real concern.

I say, old man, you are in a mess,' he said sympathetically. 'You need a bath, a Biggles broke in. 'I know. There are a lot of things I need, but I haven't time to attend to them now. Things have been happening-they're still happening, and I've got to get a move on. My friends don't know I'm here-but I'd better give you a rough idea of what has happened. While I'm doing that you might get me a spot of something to eat.'

Carruthers sent his servant for a drink and some sandwiches, and these Biggles consumed as he told his story as concisely as possible.

'By Jingo! You have been having a time,' exclaimed the acting-Governor when Biggles had finished. 'What do you want me to do?'

'To tell the truth, I don't know,' confessed Biggles. 'I thought you might be able to make a suggestion. After all, we're working under you, and apart from personal considerations, I don't want to do the wrong thing.'

'We've got to rescue your friends and this American, and, if possible, arrest the Tiger.'

'That's it,' agreed Biggles. 'We'll grab these two crooks Warren and Schmitt at the same time. They deserve hanging for abandoning young Rockwell in the jungle. The trouble is, I can't be in two places at once. I rarely ask for a.s.sistance, but this seems to be a case where a little help would be worth a deal of sympathy.'

'That's what I was thinking,' murmured Carruthers, his lips parting in a faint smile.

'Do you really mean that?' asked Biggles sharply.

I might s.n.a.t.c.h a couple of days off to help you to clean up. If I could, what would you suggest?'

'Now you're talking,' said Biggles eagerly. 'You see, I can't be at both ends of that infernal stairway at the same time. The Tiger has got a guard posted at the top, to keep us trapped up there-at least, that's what he thinks. If we had some men at the bottom of the steps we could keep him trapped. Otherwise even if we landed an army on the plateau, he'd simply bolt down the steps and disappear into the forest. How many men can you spare?'

'Ten or a dozen-native police, of course. They're good fellows.'

'Got a machine-gun?'

I could get one.'

Biggles thought quickly. 'Two good men under a reliable N.C.O., with a machine-gun, could hold the bottom of the stairway against an army. Three or four others arriving suddenly on the plateau, with another machine-gun, should be enough to stampede the Tiger's half-baked gang. Remember, I've already got three men up there. Let me see, by unloading most of my stores, at a pinch I could transport ten people up the river, including myself. Ten should be enough. We could land at the place where I just took off and unload Dusky, an N.C.O. and two men, with a machine-gun. Dusky would act as guide. He could show them where to place the gun so that it would cover the steps. Are you seriously thinking of coming?'

'Certainly.'

'Good. Very well. You and I, and four others, would take off again and land on the plateau, and make a rush for this underground chamber I told you about. The idea of that would be to let my friends out. We should then have a force of nine men, which should be plenty. When the Tiger sees you he'll guess the game's up and bolt for the steps. His gang will follow him. We shall then have the whole bunch between two fires, and unless he's a lunatic he'll surrender. Believe me, that stairway is no place to fight a defensive action.'

Carruthers nodded. 'That sounds a good plan. When shall we start?'

'The sooner the better. How soon could you be ready?' In an hour.'

'Fine. I'll refuel, have a bath, and meet you at the river in an hour from now. That will be one o'clock. If all goes well we ought to be back up the river by five-- just nice time.

There will be an hour or two of daylight left.'

'That suits me,' agreed Carruthers.

An hour later the heavily loaded aircraft, after a long run, took off and headed back up the river. Carruthers, with a service rifle across his knees, occupied the spare seat next to Biggles. Behind, packed in the cabin, was the little force of fighting men, all of whom were making their first trip in the air.

Biggles did not trouble about height-not that he could have gone very high with such a full load even if he had wanted to. Generally speaking, he followed the river, so that he would be able to land his human freight safely should the emergency arise.

After some time the first landing-place, the bend where Bogat and Chorro had met their deaths, came into view, and Biggles set the Wanderer down gently on the water. Here four men were disembarked-Dusky, a sergeant, and two policemen. In addition to their small arms, they carried a Vickers machine-gun. They knew just what to do, for their part in the operation had been explained to them before the start. Under Dusky's guidance they were to proceed to the foot of the stairway and take up a position covering it.

Anyone attempting to come down was to be arrested.

Biggles watched them file up the forest trail, and then, with an easier load, took off and headed for the plateau.

He tried to visualise what would happen when he landed. As he worked it out, the Tiger and his white a.s.sociates would suppose that he was alone, in which case their mistake might cost them dear. Actually, he was not particularly concerned whether the Tiger fought or fled. His immediate concern was to get to the underground chamber and relieve Algy, Ginger and Eddie from their tiresome ordeal.

By air it was only a short distance to the plateau. Biggles did not waste time circling, for he knew there were no obstructions to be cleared. Lowering his wheels, he made for the spot he had chosen on the previous occasion.

'Tell your fellows to be ready to bundle out smartly as soon as the machine stops,' he told Carruthers. 'We're likely to come under fire right away, so get the machine-gun in action as quickly as possible. I don't think the Tiger will face it.' 'Leave it to me,' rejoined Carruthers quietly.

As he glided down to land Biggles could see men running from the village and many faces staring upward. It appeared as if the arrival of the machine had caused something like consternation. At the distance, however, he could not distinguish the Tiger.

The wheels touched; the machine rocked a little, and then ran on to a safe if b.u.mpy landing. Kicking on hard rudder, and at the same time giving the engines a burst of throttle, Biggles guided the machine towards an outcrop of rock which he thought would make good cover. As soon as the Wanderer stopped he switched off, and grabbing his rifle jumped down. The others poured out behind him. Shots were already flicking up the dust, so the men, under Carruthers' leadership, made a dive for the rocks and there a.s.sembled the machine-gun.

About a dozen of the Tiger's men, led by the Tiger himself, were by this time sprinting towards the aircraft; but as the machine-gun started its devastating chatter they acted as Biggles expected they would. They turned and fled, leaving two of their number on the ground. Biggles picked off another man and then jumped to his feet.

'Come on! Let's get after them,' he said crisply.

But now things took a surprising turn, a turn for which Biggles thought he should have been prepared, but as a matter of fact the possibility had not occurred to him. The labourers, who were really nothing less than slaves, were working in the trench. Biggles had noticed them before he landed, but they did not come into his calculations. It seemed, now, as if they suddenly realised that deliverance was at hand. They were nearly all natives from the coast, and perhaps they recognised Carruthers' spotless white uniform. Be that as it may, with one accord, and with a wild yell, they leapt out of the trench and attacked their masters, using as weapons the tools they held in their hands Biggles saw the gang-boss go down under a rain of blows from picks and shovels. The survivors of this onset, the Tiger among them, bolted for the steps, pursued by a yelling crowd. Some, in their desperate haste to escape, threw away their rifles.

'What on earth is happening?' cried Carruthers.

It looks as if the Tiger's slaves have decided to take a hand,' answered Biggles grimly.

They could do nothing to prevent the ma.s.sacre that followed, for they were still a good two hundred yards away, and the slaves were between them and the fugitives. Biggles ran on, followed by the others, hoping to save life if it were possible, and anxious to get to the chamber.

Just before he reached it he saw a fearful sight. Five or six brawny natives, fleeter of foot than the rest, overtook the two white men, Warren and Schmitt, at the head of the stairway. The hunted men screamed as hands fell on them and pulled them down.

Carruthers, seeing what was likely to happen, shouted, but he might as well have saved his breath. For a moment there was a knot of struggling figures. Then they separated, and the two white men, clutching at the air, swung out over the awful void. Then they disappeared from sight, their screams growing fainter as they plunged to destruction.

Biggles left the rest to Carruthers. Feeling a, trifle sick, he dashed to the chamber, and saw, for the first time, the effect of the explosion. He realised at once that the others must have been trapped.

He beckoned to some of the ex-labourers who were standing about talking in excited groups and made them clear the masonry. As soon as the slab was exposed he opened it.

'Hullo there!' he called cheerfully.

There was no answer.

Biggles felt his heart miss a beat. He went down the first few steps and struck a match, holding the light above his head. His fears were at once confirmed. The chamber was empty. And there he stood, flabbergasted, until the match burnt his fingers.

'Hullo!' he shouted again, in a voice that had suddenly become hoa.r.s.e.

But there was no reply.

Slowly, hardly able to believe his eyes, he made his way back up the steps to the fresh air.

Carruthers appeared. 'What's the matter?' he asked quickly, noting the expression on Biggles's face.

'They're gone,' said Biggles in a dazed voice.

'Gone?' echoed Carruthers incredulously. 'Where could they have gone?'

Biggles shrugged his shoulders helplessly. 'Don't ask me,' he said bitterly. 'I'm no magician.'

17.

UNEXPECTED MEETINGS.

BIGGLES might well have wondered what had become of Algy, Ginger and Eddie; and, as the idol had swung back into place, he might have searched for a long time without finding them. The earth had-as near as may be-opened and swallowed them up.

Eddie was a long time recovering from his fall, for only on the screen do people who have been stunned by a blow on the head recover in a few seconds. Algy and Ginger could do little to help him. They had not even any water. All they could do was squat beside him, rubbing his hands and fanning his face, at the same time debating whether they should try to carry him down the cave which they could see stretched for some distance-how far they did not know. It appeared to plunge down towards the centre of the earth.

They lost all count of time; indeed, they did not even know whether it was day or night when Eddie, after a few weak groans, eventually opened his eyes. Once consciousness returned he made fairly good progress, and presently was well enough to ask what had happened. He himself had no recollection beyond groping about on the floor looking for a trap-door.

'You found it,' Algy told him with humorous sarcasm. 'Having found it, you dived through and landed on your head.'

Eddie struggled into a sitting position. 'Where are we?'

Ask me something easier,' returned Algy wearily. 'Still, if you're well enough to get on your feet we'll try to find out. It's no use going back, so we may as well go forward.'

Now, all this time Ginger had kept a small fire going by tearing pieces off his shirt, with the result that there was very little of the garment left.

Eddie got up, rather unsteadily, while Ginger recklessly tore the remaining piece of shirt into strips to provide illumination. With this improvised torch he led the way, the others following, Eddie leaning on Algy's arm.

For some time nothing happened. The cave, a rough, narrow tunnel just high enough to enable them to stand upright, took a winding course downward at a steep angle. It seemed to go on interminably, but then suddenly opened out into a tremendous cavity in the earth, not unlike a cathedral. Enormous stalact.i.tes, like rows of organ-pipes, dropped from the roof to meet spiky stalagmites that sprang upwards from the floor. From all around came the faint drip, drip, drip, of water, an eerie sound in such a place.

'Now what have we struck?' asked Ginger in an awed voice, looking round. He took a pace forward, but backed hastily. 'What's wrong?' asked Algy.

'The floor's soft.'