BIGGLES AND THE DEEP BLUE SEA

by Captain W. E. Johns

12. PLANS AND SPECULATION (Pages 126 – 136)

“As it turned out, the storm, typhoon, tornado, cyclone, hurricane – called by any name it is much the same thing – lasted only a matter of a few hours; which was long enough for the three men in the hut. The hail ended like a tap turned off, although it continued to rain. But the wind abated slowly. For some time it continued to blow a full gale before beginning gradually to ease off. The tearing gusts became less frequent. Between them conversation again became possible”. Collingwood opens the door to look out. “The sea was a terrifying spectacle. Mountains of waves, their crests lost in a world of flying spray as the wind tore at them”. There was no sign of the dhow. Biggles wonders how Ali has fared in all of this. Biggles tells Collingwood that he told Ali he cut the hemp down. Collingwood says “That’s a pity. We might have blamed the damage on the storm. Or we might tell him that you saw him pulling up the plants and thought you were helping him”. Biggles decides to look at their aircraft firstly. The aircraft needs to be pegged down again as foam from the lagoon has loosen the pegs and this they do. “The hull was only scratched and dented, but with the plane surfaces, the wings and elevators, it was a different story. They looked as if they had been under fire from shrapnel, which in a way they had. There were many holes, large and small, in the fabric; and some nasty jagged tears. Hailstones meeting with no obstructions had apparently gone clean through the wings”. Biggles says they have materials for patching and they should be able to fix the plane up enough to get to India, where they can then do the job properly. They see a dark mass cast ashore at the far end of the beach and going to investigate they find the remains of a giant squid. “If it isn’t your friend the decapod,” Biggles told Collingwood sarcastically. “It appears to be dead. It’s well out of the way. We’ve enough troubles without that. Either I killed it or made it too sick to stick in its hole, or wherever it lived, when the storm blew up”. Collingwood admits he had seen it crawling along the reef occasionally. “It wasn’t exactly friendly of you not to warn us,” replied Biggles coldly. Collingwood says “Why should I bother? You were nothing to do with me. In fact, you looked like being a nuisance”. Collingwood, with good reason, changed the subject. Looking at the sky he said: “The worst seems to be over”. Collingwood wants to go and see how Ali is and Biggles wants to go with him. They arrive at the hollow but Ali is not there. They then go to see if Ali has taken shelter in the mine, but there is no shaft and no hole as there has been a landslide and it has been covered in. “If he was inside when that happened, he’ll have had his chips, poor devil”. (Having had your chips is a phrase to do with gambling in a casino, rather than the potato variety. It means your luck has run out). “Not necessarily,” disputed Biggles. “There would be enough air in the shaft to keep him alive for some time, provided the whole thing hasn’t caved in and smothered him”. Biggles says they should be able to shift “this muck” and “Let’s pray the wretched fellow is alive”. Biggles adds that if Ali is the only one of the gang who can speak English they will need him to “do the parleying” with the Arabs when the dhow comes back. Biggles finds the entrenching tool half buried and picks it up, finding an oval-shaped piece of opal at the same time. He gives it to Collingwood saying “It’s your mine. I’m not a claim jumper” then adding “There’s a man inside. Let’s get him out”. They set to work and after ten minutes they expose a small black hole the size of a rabbit burrow. Calling for Ali, the man answers. They enlarge the hole and drag Ali out. “Allah is merciful” he says. “You came,” he croaked. “It was the will of God”. “It was the will of God that you were buried,” stated Collingwood, cynically. “We got you out”. Ali glared. “God is the knower,” he declared. The look the Arab gave Biggles, as if he had suddenly remembered what he had done to the hemp, was anything but friendly. “My friends will kill you when they come,” he concluded calmly. Collingwood offers to take Ali to the huts, but Ali wants to stay where he is. Biggles and Algy set off with Collingwood to return to the huts and call at the aircraft on the way, in order to get some food supplies. Collingwood asks Biggles if he gets back to England, will he report what Collingwood is doing there? “I’m keeping an open mind about that” Biggles tells him. Ali calls Collingwood back and Collingwood goes to see him. Collingwood then returns to Biggles and Algy to tell them that Ali was proposing that both he and Collingwood kill Biggles and Algy in their sleep. “That would save any argument when his friends come back”. “Charming,” murmured Algy, with biting sarcasm. Collingwood says he told Ali it was a good idea, but he had certain objections which he would explain tomorrow. Biggles asks when Mackay will pick Collingwood up, but Collingwood can’t say exactly. Biggles says his own arrangement is that if they were not back in a week, or no message was received, they should be collected by their comrades. It’s only been five days, so any rescue plane won’t start for another two days and it will be five days before it can be expected. Just before they reach the huts, Collingwood points out a spark of light far out to sea. “That could be the dhow now, on its way back” he observed. Biggles says he will get some food and join Collingwood shortly, but both he and Algy will spend the night at the aircraft.