BIGGLES AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

by Captain W. E. Johns

5. MORE PROBLEMS (Pages 55 – 65)

“Breakfast finished and toilet complete, Biggles said: “Right. Now let’s go and have a word with Collingwood”. “You won’t get much out of him,” predicted Algy. Algy asks if they should run the plane up onto the sand. Biggles thinks it will be all right where it is. They go and see Collingwood. “Now what do you want?” he inquired coldly as they appeared in the doorway. “Can’t you leave me alone?” “No,” answered Biggles, bluntly. “I’ve come to ask you a question and I expect a straight answer. Did you know that decapods were in the habit of coming ashore along the reef?” “What about it” is the reply. Biggles’ expression hardened. “By thunder! You’ve got a crust. So you did know”. Collingwood says he heard shots. “Why didn’t you warn us?” asks Biggles. “Why should I? I didn’t invite you to come here. I thought you’d find out. I’m not a baby-sitter”. The last words were said with a sneer. “A baby-sitter is something we shan’t need, as you’ll learn,” retorted Biggles grimly. “You were hoping our aircraft would be damaged. Was that it?” “Why should I pretend to be sorry if it had been?” says Collingwood. “I see. So that’s how you feel. Then let me take this opportunity of saying you’re a stinker of a lower order than a skunk”. Biggles spoke with ice in his voice. Collingwood sipped his tea, apparently unconcerned. “Have you finished?” he asked. “No, I haven’t. Not by a long shot,” rapped back Biggles. They continue to argue and Biggles threatens to arrest Collingwood, saying they are police officers from Scotland Yard. “You’re a long way from Scotland Yard,” taunted Collingwood. “Not too far, as you’ll learn”. Biggles and Algy walk away. Biggles asks Algy if he noticed a queer smell in Collingwood’s hut, but neither of them can place it. They return to their aircraft to find the Gadfly free from its mooring and in the middle of the lagoon, being wafted towards the outer perimeter of the reef by a gentle breeze. Biggles and Algy run round different sides of the reef to try to keep the aircraft from colliding with the reef, “when it could hardly fail to do some damage”. They are soon on opposite sides of the opening in the reef, leading to the open sea, where due to the falling tide, water is surging like a mill-race, obviously dangerous, in that a swimmer would certainly be swept out to sea. The aircraft floats within twenty yards of Algy and he dives into the lagoon and grabs an elevator on the machine. “On to this he dragged himself, and then on to the top of the fuselage. Sitting astride he worked his way along it to the cockpit. The rest was easy. The engines started at first try and the machine was under control. He took it close enough to the reef for Biggles to climb on board and then taxied to the original mooring”. “Great work, old warrior,” Biggles said as he stepped ashore. Biggles says the mooring rope could not have snapped as it was a brand new nylon rope. They examine the end of the rope and find it has been cut. “It couldn’t have been Collingwood” Biggles confirms, as they were with him. There must be someone else on the island working with him. Algy doesn’t understand why they would want to wreck the plane and keep them there. Biggles concludes Collingwood doesn’t want them getting back to London to report. “I may have made a mistake in telling him we were from Scotland Yard”. Biggles says for all they know, Collingwood may not intend to stay there long himself. He might sail away leaving them there. Algy asks “Did you say sail away?” “It seems likely that’s how he’ll go when he departs. That breach wasn’t made in the reef to improve the landscape”. Algy says if Collingwood and an accomplice came by plane and the plane has left, there must be at least three people concerned with whatever Collingwood is doing there. Biggles says they can’t leave the aircraft unguarded from now on. If they lost the machine and their stores, they would find themselves living on coconuts, “or having to beg grub from Collingwood”. “I’d rather choke than ask him for anything” says Algy. “So would I” agrees Biggles. From now on they will both carry pistols and one or two spare clips of cartridges. Algy wonders if they should go home to report. Biggles says the chief will ask them what the man is doing here and when they say they don’t know, he will tell them to go back and find out. Biggles suggests that Algy takes the machine out into the lagoon where it can ride at anchor. “Then no one could get near you without being seen”. Algy wonders about the return of the decapod, adding “If the entrance is wide enough for a ship, it must be wide enough for anything that lives in the sea”. “The lagoon would be too shallow” Biggles tells him. “I sincerely hope, you’re right, brother,” retorted Algy. Algy takes the plane out as instructed and drops the anchor and Biggles goes to look round the island.