BIGGLES AND THE LITTLE GREEN GOD

by Captain W. E. Johns

16. A TAKE-OFF TO REMEMBER (Pages 162 – 171)

“Looking at the lone explorer Biggles went on. “Atu-Hua turned up in London. It was sold. Pallimo bought it. He put it on a plane for Santiago”. Estiban knows the plane crashed. Biggles asks him “Where do you suppose the genuine article is now?” “I’d say Pallimo has still got it. It was never on the plane. He didn’t want the Indians to have it”. Estiban knows that as Pallimo told him. “He thought it might start trouble. That’s why he offered me a thousand escudos if I’d do a tour of this part of the country to say it was all lies about Atu-Hua coming back”. When the plane crashed and the Indians found Atu-Hua, the witch-doctor called Estiban a liar and a cheat and had him tied up. Estiban has managed to get free and made for here. Biggles nodded. “I believe you”. He asks who might have started a rumour that Atu-Hua was coming back? “I know only one man who understands the Indians anything like as well as I do. He’s been around quite a lot and he’s well up in local affairs. His name’s O’Higgins”. Biggles and Algy step outside to discuss in private. Biggles thinks Pallimo has got the original Atu-Hua at his home in Santiago, as he has now returned from London. Algy says it doesn’t make sense. Biggles says three men wanted Atu-Hua, Pallimo, Barrendo and O’Higgins, because the thing would become a symbol of power over the native population. Pallimo didn’t trust O’Higgins at all. “They’ve all been playing a deep game. But that isn’t really the point. Having bought the idol, Pallimo’s concern was to get it home. He decided to lay a false trail. What he did was go to a sculptor in London and have a cheap replica made”. It must have been Pallimo who had the fake copy made as he was the only one with the original and the time. He gave the fake copy to O’Higgins and he if stole it, Pallimo could prove him a cheat by producing the real thing. “The genuine god might even be used as a sort of blackmail”. Barrendo finds out that O’Higgins is taking a parcel home for Pallimo and, guessing what’s in it, books passage on the same plane. These two men, being the only passengers and knowing each other would talk. They would talk about Atu-Hua and may even have a peep at the contents of the parcel. They may have realised it was fake. Barrendo wasted no more time on it and left at Buenos Aires. O’Higgins would be furious at having been fooled by Pallimo and would try to think of a plan to get even with him. He planted the bomb on the plane and left at El Lobitos. “We can only guess what was in his mind”. For one thing he’d be a position to prevent Pallimo from claiming the insurance money, by declaring the whole thing a fraud. Pallimo would never be able to produce the real thing without incriminating himself. Biggles adds “I know this sounds complicated and hard to believe, but we must remember that these men we’re talking about would be unscrupulous in politics”. “A bunch of crooks,” sneered Algy. “According to you O’Higgins was prepared to murder the crew of the Caravana?” “They meant nothing to him in view of what was at stake” says Biggles, referring to political power. Biggles says he will think about what he is going to do on the way back to Santiago. “Frankly, I don’t care what these men do to each other. We were sent here to scotch an unsubstantiated insurance claim and that’s what I intend to do”. From some distance off, below in the forest, there comes the sound like the buzzing of a swarm of angry bees. “Sounds like the Indians getting worked up again,” Biggles said. “They’re coming this way”. They may be looking for Pepe or Huerta. In half an hour it should be light enough for them to get away. Algy waits outside to keep watch and Biggles starts the engines to warm them up. Outside, the Indians see the plane and fall silent. Then in a wild medley of yells, they approach. Algy gets in. “They’re coming – they’ve got spears”. The Merlin moves forward gathering speed over the bumpy ground. Striking something hard, they swerve towards the chasm that yawns like a bottomless pit. The Merlin tore on and shot over the edge and plunged down into a world of mist and shadows. The engines died as Biggles cut them. The inherent stability of the machine brings its nose up and there is room for the Merlin to recover from the stall before hitting the bottom of the gorge. “You’ll kill me,” Algy managed to gasp. “There’s still time for that,” answered Biggles crisply. Climbing more steeply now as the engines developed their full thrust, the Merlin suddenly burst out into sunshine under a blue sky. Algy breathed again. Algy checks on the passengers and all is well except they are suffering from shock. “I’m not surprised. So am I,” was Biggles answer. They fly to Los Cerrillos and Algy takes over flying whilst Biggles asks Pepe and Conchita to say as little as possible about what has happened until tomorrow, when they can make their official reports about the crash. “This being agreed, he returned to the cockpit and a few minutes later was landing at the airport”.