BIGGLES IN THE
JUNGLE
by Captain W.
E. Johns
XV. DESPERATE
DIVERSIONS (Pages
160 - 169)
“If Biggles supposed that Algy, Ginger and
Eddie were sitting quietly in the underground chamber waiting for him to come
back – and there was no reason why he should think otherwise – he would have
been wrong. Very wrong”. After the explosion, they waited a long time,
but Biggles doesn’t return. It begins to
look to them as if something has gone wrong.
They strike a match and examine the slab. In the dim light, Eddie realises the idol has
gone. They move down into the chamber to
investigate and Ginger tears strips off his shirt to burn to provide
light. “At first they could not
understand what had become of the idol, but as they drew near
they saw that the shock of concussion had caused it to tilt forward, revealing
a square aperture behind it, a hole into which the base of the idol has previously
fitted”. Algy climbs on the back of the
idol and it swings lower: It is in fact
a door, hinged at the bottom by a balancing device similar to the one that
worked the slab above. They walk down
some steps and when Ginger treads on the bottom step it seems to give under his
weight and the idol swings back into place locking them in. Algy wonders why
the air in this room is fresh. Ginger
sits in a chair which disintegrates and he then investigates the debris on the
floor and finds gold. “The objects were
not coins, but an extraordinary collection of small carved objects, trinkets,
flowers, ears of corn, and the like”.
Lighting more of Ginger’s torn shirt, they investigate how to get out
and Eddie examines the floor closely.
Suddenly his voice breaks off abruptly and there is a soft thud. Eddie has disappeared. By investigating the marks made in the dust
on the floor by Eddie, they find a slab where the cracks around it are wider
than the others. Algy says “The dust on
this slab has disappeared. It probably
fell into the hole, or whatever there is underneath, when Eddie went
through. We’re getting warm. I expect it’s a case of applying weight to
one particular spot”. The stone tilts
and Algy starts to slide, but Ginger drags him back. Ginger then uses a wand or sceptre from the
treasure to jam the stone open. They
drop a lighted match down and see a six-foot drop with Eddie apparently
unconscious, lying crumpled at the bottom.
Algy drops down and notices a definite draught of air, refreshingly
cool. He examines Eddie who has a nasty
bruise on his head. “The blow knocked
him out, but I don’t think it’s serious” says Algy. Ginger joins Algy and they see they are now
in cave. Ginger says that if Biggles
comes back, he will wonder what on earth has become of them. “I’m afraid he’ll have to wonder” mutters
Algy wearily.