BIGGLES AND THE LITTLE GREEN GOD

by Captain W. E. Johns

12. DISTURBING EVENTS (Pages 122 – 131)

“Biggles and Conchita emerged from the forest on to the open plateau to see Algy, a gun in each hand, coming to meet them”. Biggles is more concerned with the marked change in the weather. “There was no wind, or rain, but the bright early morning sun had been blotted out by mist, a grey, moisture-soaked, ground mist, which filled the scene and reduced visibility to twenty or thirty yards. The Merlin had been enveloped as if in cotton wool and could not be seen”. There could be no question of them taking off. Algy says they should have pulled out while they had the chance. Biggles takes a gun and says there is no need to get in a flap. “It’s always easy to see what one should have done – after the event”. Biggles says he would do the same thing again as now they know “this infernal god we’re chasing was on board the Caravana after all, and we know where he is now”. Biggles says they will just have to wait for the mist to lift. Algy points out it could take days. “I’m well aware of it; but there’s no need to depress ourselves by looking at the black side”, Biggles tells him. The plane is facing the only possible direction for a take-off. Biggles suggests a nice cup of tea. “If our brown-skinned lunatic brothers come any closer we shall hear them. If that should happen I’ll go to meet them. If they turn nasty I’ll point out that they should be grateful to us for bring back their god”. In the aircraft, they have tea and biscuits. Biggles says it would be nice if they could take Atu-Hua with them. It would save London having to fork out the insurance money to Pallimo. “When I finish a job I like to leave everything clean and tidy. It’s time you knew that”. Conchita wishes she knew what happened to Pepe. Biggles asks how old was he and he is told that he was twenty years old. Time passes and in due course there comes an uproar of screams and yells from the direction of the crash and smoke rises. Algy thinks they are making a bonfire of what’s left of the plane, “Maybe in honour of dear old Atu-Hua coming home” he adds. Biggles thinks of the petrol in the intact main tank and moments after he expresses the thought, there is a tremendous explosion. This is followed by a pandemonium of screams, shrieks, howls, and the clatter of debris falling back into the trees. “So the silly asses have burnt their fingers,” Algy said. Biggles wants to go and help the injured but Algy says “If you attempt to interfere you’re likely to get more kicks than thanks. Why let them know we’re here?” Algy says Biggles will be making a mistake going near the thing. “Have a heart,” requested Biggles. “Remember, what’s happened down there may happen to us one day”. Biggles goes back to the crash site. “The whole area was littered with smoking debris, rags, feathers and other finery that had been torn from the bodies of the celebrating natives. The fuselage had practically disintegrated, and with its (sic) equipment, seats and the like, torn and mutilated, lay scattered far and wide. The remains of the petrol tank was a smouldering heap of twisted metal”. Three bodies are near it, they are beyond help. Biggles sees a man on the edge of the area trying to crawl away on his hands and knees. “As he hurried to him he observed that his skin was nothing like as dark as the others he had seen”. On the way he trips over a pole and attached to one end of it by leather thongs is Atu-Hua. Leaving it, Biggles goes to help the man, not much more than a lad, perhaps twenty years old. “Socorro! (help)” he gasped. The man has no wounds but has been badly burned on his face and hands. His clothes have been scorched and Biggles can see his clothes were some sort of uniform. Biggles asks if he can speak English and he can. Biggles asks if he was one of the crew of the plane and is he Pepe? “Si. I am Pepe. How you know?” Biggles explains that Conchita told him and she is safe. Pepe says he went to find food and was nearly dead when the Indians found him and took him to their village. Then they found the plane. “They were mad. Drunk. They could not understand. They must make a sacrifice because …” Biggles finishes his sentence. “Because they think Atu-Hua has come back to them?” Pepe is astonished he knows. Biggles tries to get Pepe to walk so he can take him back to their plane and dress his burns. Pepe struggles to his feet. “He was obviously still suffering from shock and his burns must have been agonizing”. “Biggles took him by the arm and they started off. Before leaving the spot he picked up the mud-bespattered idol that had caused so much mischief and carried it under his arm”.