BIGGLES IN THE GOBI

by Captain W. E. Johns

III. FENG-TAO TAKES A CHANCE (Pages 34 – 43)

“At this critical stage of the operation there occurred two incidents which had an immediate effect on the situation”. Ginger sees a moving black shape and makes it out to be two horsemen, close together. “Feng-tao appeared in a state nearer to excitement than Ginger would have thought possible from the man’s normal imperturbability. Talking volubly in his own language, which of course conveyed nothing, he gesticulated, pointing down again and again with a stabbing finger. The futility of having a guide whose language they could not understand was now apparent; but it was fairly clear from his pantomime that he was directing them to go down. Whether or not he had seen the horsemen was not so clear”. Biggles makes several trial runs before taking the risky chance of landing. Feng-tao makes it clear he wants to get out and when he does so he goes over to the two horsemen. (‘“What’s he up to?” said Biggles as Feng-tao ran over to the horsemen’ is the illustration between pages 30 and 31). Algy jokes that he is asking them the way and that turns out to be true. Feng-tao returns and points east, indicating with his fingers thirty-five and saying “Li”. “Thirty-five Li,” said Biggles, in a queer tone of voice. “That’s about thirteen to fourteen miles. For heaven’s sake!” “Ginger could have struck the satisfied grin from the yellow face”. The airmen are annoyed that they have taken the chance of landing, with all the risks associated with that, for very little purpose. Biggles decides that is too far to walk and they will have to find a landing place nearer. He is worried that “Feng must have told those blokes where we were going in order to find out the way”. The two horsemen, who Feng-tao referred to as Kirghiz, gallop off in the direction of Tunhwang. Taking off and flying the last fourteen miles, Biggles finds the land to be “sand dunes, or low hills with shallow basin between them, some large, some small, but all filled with sand, stones, loose rocks and an occasional dead shrub of some sort”. They see a stream and an oasis under a low cliff and Feng-tao says “Nan-hu!” At their destination at last, Biggles looks for somewhere to land, but there is nowhere within miles. “So near and yet so far” says Ginger. “Platitudes won’t help” replies Biggles. (A platitude is a remark or statement, especially one with a moral content, that has been used too often to be interesting or thoughtful). Biggles decides that he will take the machine home with Bertie. Algy and Ginger will parachute out and fix up a landing strip and Biggles will return in a week. The supplies, three heavy containers, and Feng-tao are also dropped. The plane flies off after all land safely and the new arrivals wait for the arrival of the people at the oasis to help carry the stores in. No one comes. Algy and Ginger decide they will walk to the cliff, which is only some sixty feet high, where they can look down and see the guest-house. It appears desolate. Finding the narrow path down the cave-pitted face of the cliff they smell an evil smell and find a dead horse that someone has tried to cover with sand. Algy picks up a brass cartridge case and says “We’ve come too late”.