BIGGLES IN THE SOUTH SEAS

by Captain W. E. Johns

VII. AN AMAZING DISCOVERY (Pages 127 – 137)

“Sandy was bruised rather more than he had at first pretended, and it was two days before he felt able to continue diving”. On the third day, Sandy resumed diving operations. At lunch time, he was showing signs of the strain so Biggles suspended operations. Sandy had cleared the shallow area and gradually had to work deeper and deeper as he descended the slopes of the under-water mountain. Sandy admitted that deep-sea work was beyond his strength, ability, or inclination and the shell already gathered might yield enough to fit out a schooner with an experienced crew and hire expert Japanese divers from Thursday Island near the north Australian Coast, some of the best in the world. “And this was so obviously sound, common-sense reasoning that the others agreed without demur”. They decide to spend the afternoon examining the results of their first day’s catch. They go to the beach where the stench of rotting oyster is awful. The smell is being blown out to see and Sandy suddenly realises that it would be noticeable twenty miles out to sea. If Castanelli smells it, all he would have to do is follow it up. Biggles says in future, they will open the shell and bury the refuse as soon as they have finished with it. Sandy has a pail and an empty biscuit tin with him as he opens the dead oysters. The shell is stacked neatly for future collection as it is valuable. Sandy opens nearly forty shells before finding a small pearl, which he estimates to be worth at least five hundred pounds. “You’re going to be a long time getting a hatful at this rate,” put in Biggles, smiling. The next shell yields five small pearls, not very valuable. The work continued. A high spot was when Sandy found a huge heart-shaped gem worth five thousand pounds. When Sandy finished all the shells, the total catch was found to be five large pearls of considerable value, nineteen of medium size, one ‘double button’, or two pearls joined together, and a double handful of seed pearls – small pearls of no great value. Sandy thinks they are worth twenty thousand pounds. Sandy talks disparagingly of cultured pearls and explains that a pearl is made up of a number of skins like an onion. While speaking, he runs his hand through all the slush at the bottom of the pail, searching for any pearls that may have been overlooked. Ginger remembers the oyster that Full Moon first bought up, which he had put over by the tree and he goes to get it. Ginger opens it and is astonished to find a pearl the size of a marble. Sandy is astonished as well. Full Moon looks in the shell that Ginger has just thrown aside and finds another one. A perfect pair. Sandy says they are looking at something they will never see again, not if you live to be a million. Sandy says either pearl would be worth ten thousand pounds but as a pair, you could ask your own price and get it. Ginger wants to give one to Full Moon, but Sandy says they can’t be split. Full Moon asks for plastic beads instead. Ginger says she can have anything she wants from Lo Sing’s store. Sandy buries the tin of pearls under a conspicuous crag of sun-bleached coral for safe keeping. Full Moon and Shell-Breaker are sent fishing to supplement their stores. Ginger goes with them. They find a tiny cove with a beautiful pool. Here, they catch a number of fish. Full Moon goes swimming and disappears. Shell-Breaker goes looking for her and then he too disappears. Ginger is alarmed. Full Moon has been gone for five minutes and no human being could survive such immersion. Suddenly the water parts and Full Moon emerges, laughing, then Shell-Breaker also emerges. They ask Ginger to come with them and they all swim down to a gloomy cave about twenty feet under water. Ginger returns to the surface. The two natives return to him and Full Moon tells him there is plenty of air in the cave. Ginger swims down and finds a cave that he could not have imagined. A large cavity in the coral, the roof of which was above water level, an ethereal, fairy grotto, blue beyond anything he had seen. The two Polynesians sit on a shelf of coral. The cave is between thirty and forty feet long and half that distance in width. “This is certainly the most incredible place I have ever seen” says Ginger. They return to the surface and Ginger says they can bring the others along but keep the cave a surprise for them. They return to the camp with the fish they have caught.