BIGGLES IN THE SOUTH SEAS

by Captain W. E. Johns

IX. THE LUCK CHANGES (Pages 138 – 150)

The following dawn, Biggles, Ginger and Algy cut the sheet metal and prepare the rivets to seal the hole in the flying-boat. Sandy, Full Moon and Shell-Breaker open the remaining oysters with their knives. “The yield of pearls is not quite as good as the first day’s catch, owing to the fact that, although there was a two days’ haul, there were not so many oysters, for Sandy had been working in deeper water and progress was consequently slower”. Although Sandy couldn’t fill his hat, he could half fill his hat when the seed pearls were included. Sandy puts them in the cache with the other pearls and suggests the “kids” go and catch some more fish for supper. Ginger, Full Moon and Shell-Breaker return to the pool they had discovered. Biggles tells Sandy and Algy he doesn’t like the look of the barometer in the aircraft. Sandy suggests they leave now, but Biggles doesn’t think they can move the machine until the tide comes in and lifts her. Sandy says the seas will come right over the reef it if blows hard. As yet there is only a slight breeze. Algy is sent to get the kids back. Biggles notices the entrance to the lagoon is a swirling smother of foam. A storm is coming. Algy returns saying he can’t find the kids, having been from one end of the island to the other. He found Ginger’s shoes and some fish they had caught. The machine begins to float, so they plan to take off the moment they arrive as they can’t go without them. The sun turns blood red and sinks. Darkness falls. “Well, that knocks on the head any idea of going to-night,” said Biggles quietly. The sea is now sweeping right across the reef into the lagoon and they have to put more anchors on the machine, so they use lumps of coral. Algy is again sent to look for the kids but returns half an hour later having seen no sign of them. They are all afraid something serious has happened and they speculate about shark attacks or them being dragged off by big waves. “Well, we can’t do anything about it. If it were daylight we might fly round and look for them, but in this darkness we shouldn’t see anything unless we were on the water, and taxi-ing is out of the question” says Biggles. He decides to split the team up to search. Algy takes the eastern end of the island, Sandy the middle and Biggles the western end. Biggles is away for an hour but when he returns, all have been unsuccessful. Biggles decides to standby until morning. If the machine looks like being damaged, they will try to get her off and head for Rutuona, cruising until it is light enough to see land. With the coming of dawn, the fury of the storm increases. Biggles says if they don’t go now, they will be there for good. The three of them get in the flying-boat, cut the ropes and have a dangerous take off. Biggles doesn’t head towards Rutuona, but heads out to the open ocean, as he has to allow for the wind drift to take him on the right course. When he gets to Rutuona, he lands in a creek between two cliffs to try and get some protection from the storm. They think they are about six miles from Roaring Waves’ village, but they will have to stay in the plane until the wind drops due to the danger presented by falling coconuts. Biggles asks Sandy where has he put the pearls. Sandy thinks Biggles had brought them. “They must be still under the rock where we left them”. “Pretty good” was all Biggles said “but there was more than a suspicion of sarcasm in his voice”.