BIGGLES HUNTS BIG GAME

by Captain W. E. Johns

XIV. EVENTS AT KUDINGA (Pages 160 - 175)

As Tug flies away from Kudinga, Ginger turns to Bertie and says "Well, that's that". Bertie is desperate for a bath as he is still dripping buffalo blood. Ginger says this is their opportunity to go and look at the power house, as it is the only roof for several hundred miles. They make their way through the pitch dark to the broken down fence and manage to get to the end of power house, the building that is on the float. Here, they discover to their dismay, the place is crawling with crocodiles! Bertie manages to scare them away. Ginger smashes a window so they can climb and is surprised to find inside that the internal door is metal. Inside Ginger and Bertie find a modern compact and highly elaborate printing machine. They also find American dollars, Italian lira, Greek drachma and Spanish pesetas. Ginger collects some samples. Both Ginger and Bertie sit down to rest, with their backs against the wall, and overcome by exhaustion they both fall asleep. The are awaken by a loud slamming noise and find everything in darkness. The time is a quarter to twelve and it should be light. Ginger soons realises the windows have been sealed and then notices that the building is rocking. He realises they are afloat. "What fools we are. We're in the part that's mounted on pontoons". Next Ginger and Bertie hear water gurgling and bubbling and they realise why the place is build like it is. It is so it can be sealed and sent to the bottom of the lake. Bertie takes aim at the closed metal shutter and fires three shots in an effort to get out whilst Ginger puts his hands over his ears.