BIGGLES FLIES
WEST
By Captain W.
E. Johns
XVI.
WARM WORK (Pages 232 - 247)
Dawn arrives and Algy is on guard
duty. He calls all hands to repel
boarders. The coaster approaches but
Algy can only see the man at the wheel.
Biggles says “Don’t be deceived by that.
I imagine they are all below, out of reach of our shot – or so they
think. They know all about the
swivel-gun now, but they know nothing about our heavy metal. If only we can aim straight
we can still give them a jolt”. Biggles
opens fire with the cannon at the coaster.
(Holding the Fort - is the illustration on page 241). The boat is peppered with fire but continues
its approach. The mainmast is taken down
by the cannon fire and members of the crew slash at the tangled cordage to
clear it. Musket fire and the swivel gun
soon stop them. The damaged coaster,
with engine still running gets below the walls.
Biggles uses a cannon to blast a hole in the wall so that the masonry
falls on the boat. Then they push the
cannon onto the boat as well. “It went
straight through the top deck as if the planking had been tissue paper, and disappeared
from sight. The boat shuddered under the
weight of the impact”. Deutch and half a dozen men have now landed and make for
the steps and get into the fort. Biggles
shoots a musket at Deutch but it misfires. Throwing the musket at Deutch,
it knocks his weapon out of his hand, so Deutch pulls
out a knife. Biggles turns to grab a
cutlass but his foot gets caught in the broken masonry of the wall and he falls
headlong. As Deutch
goes for Biggles with his knife, Dick shoots him dead. “Good work, Dick,” gasped Biggles,
breathlessly, for it had been a narrow escape.
“But during the second that he had been on the ground the whole position
had changed. The sole survivor of the
boarders, seeing Deutch fall and finding himself
alone, waited for no more. He saw
Biggles and Algy bearing down on his from either side, cutlasses in their
hands. Flinging aside his rifle, he
jumped clear off the rock into the sea.
The few men left on the deck of the boat were working furiously to push
it off”. “All right! Cease fire!” ordered Biggles, and looked
about him. The battle over, Biggles
looks around and sees Ginger’s cheek bleeding.
A bullet has knocked off a piece of rock, which hit him in the
face. Biggles notes they have lost their
boat, it was crushed flat by the coaster.
He wonders what has happened to Harvey as he is the only one who can get
away in their machine. Suddenly, they
see, racing towards the island a British Destroyer. “Trust the Navy to pop up when anything’s
going on” murmurs Biggles. “What about
giving them three cheers?” suggested Ginger.
“That should let them know we’re British anyway”. “Good idea,” agreed Biggles. “Let ‘em rip.
Hip hip - ” There is no answering cheer from the
destroyer. “Miserable blighters,”
grumbled Algy. The destroyer sends a
boat over to collect Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Dick. When the officer in charge of the boat sees
them and the way they are dressed, he says “Just what do you think you’re
playing at?” Biggles exchanges some
banter about Treasure Island. The
officer goes to pick up a doubloon that lays just under Deutch's
pocket but Biggles stops him. “Touch
that, and you’ll never make another landfall”.
Biggles throws Bawn’s doubloon into the sea. “There’s a story hanging to it” Biggles
explains quietly. “I think you’d better
come and tell it to Captain Crocker” says the officer. They follow him down the steps to the boat.