by W E Johns
‘I made a rough note but we really relied on our memories.’
‘Carry on.’
‘Well, we stayed there for two days, drying and pressing our plant specimens and talking about our extraordinary find. We were having a last look round before sailing to Punta Arenas prior to going home when we were not a little astonished to see two white men coming towards us. I say surprised because these were the first people we had seen since leaving Punta Arenas. They spoke to us and asked us what we were doing there. They seemed put out, suspicious, at finding us there. We told them the truth, that we had been sent out to collect specimens, plants and seeds of flowers and trees. In fact, we showed them our collection. That seemed to satisfy them and they went off.’
‘They didn’t attempt to interfere with you?’
‘No.’
‘They said nothing about the gold?’
‘No. Neither did we. After they’d gone we decided that was what they were looking for. What else could it be? We wondered how they had got there because we hadn’t seen them arrive. The only craft we’d seen during our entire trip was a vessel named the Wespe, belonging, as we had been given to understand, to a man named Gontermann, whose hobby was sailing about the islands.’
‘You didn’t actually see the Wespe at the island?’
‘No, but we came to the conclusion that the men had been put ashore from it. We could think of no other way they could have got there.’
‘You suspected they were looking for the gold?’
‘Yes. What else could they have been looking for?’
‘Quite so.’
‘The rest happened much as I’ve already told you. We decided to push off rather than risk any trouble; but just as we were casting off the two men came running back. They shouted something but I didn’t catch what it was. We went on with what we were doing because I could see one of those confounded squalls coming up. When the men realized we weren’t going to stop one of them pulled out a pistol and fired at us. We weren’t prepared for anything quite as drastic as that. He fired three or four shots and the last one hit Barlow in the leg. That left only myself to handle the boat but I managed all right till the squall hit us. It was a particularly nasty one and I finished on the rocks. The Seaspray didn’t break up at once. She rolled about in the swell and that gave me a chance to get Barlow ashore, and what we had left of our stores. That’s about all. Those men were responsible for this. Had Barlow not been put out of action I think we could have managed. We had weathered such squalls before.’
‘As far as you know, the two men who attacked you remained on the island?’
‘Yes; but that was some time ago.’
‘I think you’re right about Gontermann being associated with them. It would account for a lot of things. He may be under the impression that the gold was in the Seaspray. He knows she didn’t return to port so he must think you perished in that squall. Maybe that’s why he told us he was sure you were dead. But that wouldn’t stop him from looking for the wreck of your boat, which might have been cast ashore. After all, the prize at stake is a big one.’
‘What about you? How do you come into this?’
Biggles told his side of the story, explaining how the gold had been dumped by the Dresden. ‘I thought we might find you, and there was a chance we might find the gold; but that we should strike both together was a bit beyond my imagination.’ He smiled. ‘You must have been shaken when you saw that pile of gold staring you in the face!’
‘Shaken! Of all the places in the world to find such a hoard! What do you suggest we do?’
‘You’ll want to get back to civilization. For a start we’ll get you to hospital for treatment. You won’t mind leaving us to deal with the gold?’
‘Of course not. What will you do about it?’
‘Send a signal home to say it has been found and wait here for a ship to arrive to pick it up. We shall have to show it the place. I take it you won’t mind telling us exactly where you buried it.’
‘Of course I’ll tell you. Having lost my bearings in the squall I can’t tell you exactly where the island is, but it isn’t far from here and I can describe it to you. As far as I know it has no name.’
Biggles was looking more and more often down the hill. He looked at his watch. ‘It’s time those fellows of mine were back.’
‘What’s your opinion of this business?’ asked Carter.
‘Gontermann and those two men know about the gold, that’s pretty certain. I’d say, although this is only guesswork, that Gontermann put the men on the island to locate the hoard. He might know the island the gold was left on, but that’s not to say he knows the precise spot. The job of those two men was to find it, with Gontermann going to and fro to Punta Arenas to supply them with what they would need in the way of food. The search might take some time, as apparently it has. Meanwhile, Gontermann has a job to do. That’s why he couldn’t stay with the others on the island. He’s the aerodrome manager.’
‘So I understand. What do you think will happen now?’
Biggles shrugged. ‘Your guess is as good as mine. It will probably depend on what Gontermann knows, or what he believes. Whether he thinks there’s a chance you may be alive, or is really convinced you’re dead. Again, whether he finds the place where the gold was hidden and realizes it has been moved. If he thinks you moved it, and it’s unlikely that anyone else could have done that, he’ll look for you or the wreck of the Seaspray. If you’re alive you hold the secret. If you’re dead he’ll look for your boat, on the off-chance that the gold was in it. He knows we’re looking for you, but he doesn’t know that we know about the gold although he may suspect it. He must also know that in an aircraft we had a better chance of finding you, or your boat, than he had from ground level. But it isn’t much use guessing. Things will have to take their course. The first business must be to get you and Barlow where you can recover from what you’ve been through.’
‘Here come your friends,’ said Carter.
‘Good.’ Biggles looked at them, coming up the hill. ‘They appear to be in a mighty hurry. I hope my machine’s all right. If anything happened to that we should be in the same fix as you.’
Ginger ran up and dropped his load. ‘Gontermann’s on his way here,’ he announced, breathlessly.
‘What! Are you sure it’s him?’
‘There’s no mistaking the Wespe with its black hull and orange sails. We’ve been watching it. That’s why we’ve been so long. It came from behind the island opposite behaving as though it was looking for something. Then Gontermann must have spotted the aircraft on the beach and headed straight towards it.’
‘You didn’t wait to see what he wanted?’
‘No. We thought we’d better let you know.’
Biggles nodded. ‘Okay. Stir the fire up and get some water on the boil. Bertie, give me that medicine box. We’ll attend to Mr Barlow, regardless. If Gontermann comes here leave me to deal with him.’
‘He isn’t alone,’ said Ginger. ‘There are at least two other men with him; I could see them.’
‘I wonder how they found us?’ said Mr Carter.
‘That’s an easy one to answer,’ returned Biggles. ‘They must have been watching the machine and saw it come down. That could only mean we’d seen something. They’re coming to see what it is.’
‘But I say, look here, old boy, why are they so interested in us?’ inquired Bertie.
‘They’re not so interested in us as in these two gentlemen here.’
‘All right. Put it that way if you like. Why are they so interested in them?’
‘Because,’ answered Biggles, succinctly, ‘they happen to have found the gold. Only they know where it is. Gontermann would like to know. That, I suspect, has been the real reason for all this sailing time he’s been putting in.’
Bertie stared. ‘Well, chase me round the gas-works,’ he gasped. ‘That’s a fair corker.’
Biggles threw the canvas aside for more light and went in to
attend to the wounded man.
Ginger made coffee and heated some soup.
Mr Carter, munching biscuits ravenously, watched the hillside.
CHAPTER 8
GONTERMANN SHOWS HIS HAND
BIGGLES finished attending to Barlow’s wound, and having seen him comfortable gave the others a quick account of what he had learned. Carter was sitting by the fire gulping hot soup with biscuits when Gontermann, with one companion, came into sight over the brow of the slope lower down. Seeing they were observed the two men halted, had a few words and then came on again.
‘I say, old boy, this is going to be a bit awkward, isn’t it?’ remarked Bertie, sipping coffee from a plastic mug.
‘I don’t see why it should be. If it is, it will be just as awkward for them,’ Biggles pointed out. ‘Remember, we’re not supposed to know anything about the gold, so they’re going to find it difficult to argue without bringing that into the conversation. I shan’t mention it. Be careful what you say, because should Gontermann get as much as an inkling that we know the whole story, the business is likely to wear a different complexion.’
The two men came on, Gontermann’s companion, dirty and unshaven, looking as though he had been living rough for some time.
Biggles opened the conversation. ‘Hello,’ he greeted cheerfully. ‘What brings you here?’
Gontermann ignored the question. Ginger thought he looked a trifle agitated when he saw Carter sitting there.
‘So you’ve found them, I see,’ said Gontermann haltingly, lighting his pipe.
‘Yes. You seem to have found someone, too.’
‘I’ve picked up a couple of unlucky castaways, shipwrecked sailors. I suppose I should really say lucky, since they have been rescued.’
‘Where’s the other?’
‘I’ve left him to guard my boat in case Indians should come along and steal my belongings. Who is this you have here?’
‘Mr Carter.’
‘Where is Mr Barlow? Is he alive, too?’
‘Yes. He’s in the tent.’
‘How wonderful.’
‘That’s what we think.’
‘How did they manage to live?’
‘They have a rifle and were able to shoot deer and birds. That helped.’
‘I suppose you’ve talked to them.’
‘I have.’
‘What happened to their boat?’
‘It ran on the rocks in a storm and went down.’
‘Where?’
‘I dunno. Somewhere on the coast. They managed to get ashore and they’ve been here ever since. Queer you should find them on the same day as we have.’
‘It isn’t queer, really. I was out in my boat. I could see your plane much of the time, and noticing you going down guessed what had happened. So I came along to help.’
‘Aren’t you rather a long way from home?’
‘I often go far. I like to sail my boat. Can I help?’
‘How?’
‘I could take these gentlemen home in my boat.’
‘No thanks. I intend to fly them out just as soon as we’ve finished our soup and have made a stretcher for Mr Barlow.’
‘Why a stretcher? Can’t he walk?’
‘No.’
‘Ah! He is too weak.’
‘As a matter of fact he’s been shot.’
‘So. An accident.’
‘No. He was shot at by two men.’
‘Who would shoot at them here?’
‘How would I know?’
From this conversation it seemed to Ginger that Gontermann either did not know about the shooting, or if he did, was taking a chance that his companion would not be recognized. If so, it failed. Apparently this pretence of ignorance was more than Barlow could stand. Crawling to the opening in the tent and recognizing the man as one of those who had fired the shots he burst out: ‘That man with you shot me and he knows it.’
Gontermann looked astonished, feigned or otherwise. ‘Are you sure?’
‘Of course I’m sure.’
‘But why should he do that?’
‘Ask him.’
Gontermann turned to his companion. ‘Did you shoot this man?’
‘If I did it was an accident. I did fire one or two shots to frighten him away.’
‘Frighten him away?’ repeated Biggles incredulously.
‘I thought he might take us for Indians and shoot at us.’
Biggles smiled ironically. ‘Sort of nervous, aren’t you?’
The man did not reply.
Biggles turned away. ‘Well, let’s get on before another squall hits us. Ginger, Bertie, go over to that timber and cut a couple of poles to serve as runners for a stretcher. We can tie some of this canvas on to complete it.’
Gontermann stepped in again. ‘Just a minute,’ he said. ‘Do you mind if I speak to Mr Carter and Mr Barlow.’
‘Go ahead. I’m not stopping you.’
‘I mean—alone.’
‘Alone? What an extraordinary request. Is there some secret?’
‘Not a secret. Purely a personal matter.’
‘That’s up to them. They are their own masters.’
Carter answered for himself. ‘I don’t know what he’s talking about,’ he said, looking at Biggles. ‘I hardly know him. There couldn’t be anything personal between us. If he has something to say he can say it in front of everyone.’
Gontermann hesitated, as if not knowing how to proceed. Then he made a sign to his companion and they walked away. They did not go far, but presently stopped, heads together, obviously discussing the situation.
‘What are they hatching now?’ murmured Ginger, who was still there. ‘Are they contemplating getting tough?’
‘I doubt it,’ replied Biggles. ‘Not here. There are too many of us. They’d like to get Mr Carter alone, to ask him some questions. We can guess what about. They’re not the sort of questions they could ask in front of us, not knowing how much we know.’
Said Carter: ‘Don’t you think it was a queer thing to do, to bring that man here knowing I’d recognize him as one of the two scoundrels who shot at us?’
‘On the face of it, yes,’ agreed Biggles. ‘But you must remember he didn’t know you were here—not alive, anyway. You can’t see the tent from the beach. Moreover, you were sitting behind the smoke. He didn’t see you until it was too late to go back. He stopped when he did see you—at least, I think that was the reason. Apparently he decided to take a chance that you wouldn’t recognize the man.’
‘That’s understandable,’ admitted Carter. ‘When I last saw him he didn’t look so much like a castaway.’
‘What I think has been happening is this,’ resumed Biggles. ‘Gontermann is associated with these two men. That’s obvious. They’re looking for the gold. We can assume they knew about it. How, doesn’t matter, although the fact that Gontermann’s father served in the Dresden may be the explanation. His method has been to put the two men on an island and leave them there, searching, while he kept them supplied with food. When one island failed they moved to another.’
‘Which means that Gontermann doesn’t know for certain on which island the gold was left.’
‘That’s how it seems. All he knows is the rough position of it. He’s been taking the islands in turn, which is what we’ve been doing from the air. It was purely by chance that you and Mr Barlow happened to be on the same one at the same time. Why they should attack you is not so clear, but it rather looks as if they saw something which indicated they were on the right island at last—as in fact they were. Tell me this. Did you happen to notice when you were there if it was possible to see the two mountains, Sarmiento and Italia?’
‘Yes, they were clear, and with one behind the other they made such a grand picture that I took a photo of them.’
Biggles nodded. ‘That’s it. That was the clue we had. Now let’s do a little more guessing. When Gontermann next called to see the two men he was told they were on the right island, but so far
they’d been unable to locate the gold. He would be told about you and may have assumed you knew something about it. They’ve been looking for you ever since, or for the wreck of your boat, thinking the gold might be in it. Gontermann knows I also have been looking for you, and I have no doubt that he’s been watching me. When, earlier today, he saw me circling, and then go down, he hurried along to see what it was I’d found.’
Carter nodded agreement. ‘That’s about it.’
‘If we’re right, the gold island can’t be far from here.’
‘It isn’t. It’s in that direction.’ Carter pointed. ‘I’ll give you a description of it.’
‘They’re coming back,’ warned Ginger.
The two men returned. ‘Are you sure we can’t do anything?’ said Gontermann.
‘No, thanks all the same,’ Biggles told him. ‘We can manage.’
With a curt nod the German walked away, his associate following.
Biggles frowned as he watched them go.
‘What’s worrying you?’ asked Ginger.
‘With so much at stake I wouldn’t trust that pair a yard. They’ve got a boat, don’t forget. If they damaged our machine we’d be stuck here, and that I’m sure would suit them. They must know that if Carter and Barlow know where the gold is, and they go to England, they can say good-bye to it, whether or not we were told about it. Another thing that occurs to me is, in view of his job and the possibility that he served in the Luftwaffe, Gontermann may be able to fly. We’d look silly if he flew off in our machine. I’m not going to risk it. Let’s see what they’re doing. Bertie, you cut the poles. Ginger, you come with me. We can’t leave Algy down there alone with those two dangerous customers about. Not knowing what we know he won’t suspect any dirty work.’
They set off at a brisk pace down the hill with Gontermann perhaps two hundred yards in front of them. Talking to the man with him he did not once turn and so must have been unaware that he was being followed. The aircraft came into view and he made a slight turn that would take him to it. Or so it appeared. Certainly he was not going direct to his boat, for that was moored close in a good two hundred yards higher up the beach. A rowing boat had been pulled up clear of the water with the man who had put it there standing beside it. At first Algy could not be seen, presumably being in the machine to get out of the wind; but as the two men drew near he got out and stood as if waiting for them.