Ginger nodded slowly. "You're right. He'd take his lucky charm ; he'd need it in that forest."
"Exactly."
" What are we going to do about it ? "demanded Ginger. "That," answered Biggles slowly, "is something that will need very careful thought."
VI
TRAGIC NEWS
FOR some minutes the situation remained unchanged. Biggles, hands in pockets, maintained an attitude of bored indifference, but kept an eye on Pedro who, sombrero tilted on the back of his head, still sat on the doorstep, smoking and rolling fresh cigarettes with deft fingers. He seemed content to wait for someone whom he knew would not come.
At last Biggles spoke in a tone of voice which told Ginger that he had reached a decision.
"This silly game is about played out," he said softly. "The position in a nutshell is, they'
ve got Angus. I'm convinced of that, and I'm not going home without him. We shan't find him by hanging about this hut, though. My chief concern at the moment is Algy and the aircraft. Liebgarten is no fool ; he won't rest until he knows how we got here, and he may hit on the truth.
If he does, he'll hold all the cards. So far, I don't think it has occurred to him that we may be pilots, so be careful not to mention it. Without a machine we should have no better chance of getting out of here than anyone else. Liebgarten may send scouts down the river, or the presence of an aircraft might be reported by natives. In the light of what has happened the place we chose for a rendezvous with Algy is a bit too close to be healthy."
"We can't do anything about it now," observed Ginger moodily.
"We could get into touch with Algy. If you started now you should get to him before he takes off to go back to Bertie."
Ginger stared. "But what about Pedro ? He's not likely to let me go off alone."
"He can't be in two places at once. While we're together his job is easy, but if we split it would put him in a flap. I don't think the possibility of that has occurred to him."
"If I try to move off he'll raise an objection."
"He needn't know. This is the plan. Presently we'll go back to the hut. I'll stop at the step and talk to Pedro. You go in. He'll suppose you've only gone iriside. What you'll do is walk right through and out of the back door. Carry straight on to the river ; you should find plenty of cover there. Head downstream and make for the rendezvous. Try to avoid being seen, but don't behave like a fox making for a hen roost, in case you're spotted.
You should be a mile away before Pedro realises that you're no longer here."
"He'll kick up a stink when he does realise it."
"He can stink to his heart's content as far as I'm concerned," returned Biggles.
"What will you tell him ? "
"I shall tell him that you got browned off with waiting and decided to go for a walk instead—to collect wild flowers. You're crazy on botany. You might bring a bunch of flowers back with you to prove it. When I'm sure you've got a good start I shall probably drift back to Liebgarten's house. Come there."
"What do you want me to tell Algy ? "
"Tell him what has happened here and that we shall have to hang on for a bit. There's nothing he can do at the moment so he would be better out of the way. He can come over occasionally, say, once a day, to see if we've turned up ; but tell him not to come too near the valley. If we're ready we'll make a smoke ,fire to bring him down, at a suitable place.
He's not to land unless he gets a signal. The best time would be about dawn or as soon after as possible—that's the arrangement as it stands at present."
"He hasn't enough petrol to keep running to and fro," reminded Ginger. "He'll have to keep enough in hand to get us back to the coast."
"He has enough to do two or three trips, anyway. That should be enough. If we're not away in three days something will have gone seriously wrong. In that case either he or Bertie had better come along to find out what's happened to us"
"Fair enough," agreed Ginger. "But if I'm going to catch Algy before he leaves it's time I made a start. The place is a tidy step from here. When I've seen him I come back to the Doctor's house ? "
"Yes. You should find me there. Behave as if nothing unusual has happened. Play up to the story that you've been botanising. Say you got so interested that you went farther than you intended and didn't notice the time."
" Liebgarten may not believe that."
"It doesn't matter whether he does or not. He won't be able to say much without changing his tactics—and I don't think he'll abandon this hospitality pose of his until he's certain that we've seen through it. When that time comes the gloves will be off, anyway."
"Good enough," said Ginger. "I'll be off as soon as you're ready."
Biggles put the plan into execution by strolling back to the hut. He waited for Ginger to go in, and then finding a seat beside Pedro offered him a cigarette.
"Sorry to keep you waiting," he remarked, speaking in English, which he knew the black understood.
Pedro took a cigarette.
"I'm afraid my friend must have decided to give up farming," went on Biggles.
Pedro did not answer at once. He drew a heavy knife from a sheath under his jacket, poised it for a moment by the point, and then with a flick of the wrist sent it with deadly accuracy at a lizard that had emerged from a crack in the ground and lay basking in the sun. The knife cut the reptile clean in halves. Pedro got up, retrieved his knife and returned it to its sheath. This done he resumed the conversation as if nothing had happened.
" Mackail will not come back here," he asserted.
"You can't be sure of that, of course," prompted Biggles, partly to gain time but also in the hope that the black would let something slip. "He seems to have put in a lot of work here, why should he suddenly decide to leave ? "
Pedro was not to be drawn. He considered the shimmering landscape with inscrutable eyes. "Sometimes people go mad," he explained. He tapped his forehead. "The sun hits them."
Biggles continued to make conversation. "If the sun was going to hit my friend it would have happened; long ago," he argued. "He's been here for some time. Very nice too. I wouldn't mind staying here myself."
This statement, which must have been unexpected, brought Pedro's face round with a stare of incredulity. "You like this place ? "
"There's a lot to be said for it," asserted Biggles. "You don't have to wonder what is going to happen next, as do people who live in big cities. There's nothing to go wrong.
After all," went on Biggles warmly, "there must be something attractive about it or you wouldn't stop here yourself, would you ? "
Pedro considered a question which, judging from his
manner, had not previously occurred to him. "Yes, it is better than cities," he agreed at last. "There are no police to boss you about."
Biggles made a mental note that the man had probably been in collision with the police or he would not have made such a statement. It was not unlikely, ruminated Biggles, that the man was actually wanted by the police, and for that reason alone was content to stay where he was. "You don't like the police ? "he suggested.
The negro spat.
After that there was silence for some time. Biggles plied his guide—or escort, as he took him to be—with cigarettes, to keep him in a placid mood. But at last Pedro rose and looked at the sun, now sinking low in the west. " Mackail not come," he declared, in a tone of finality. "We go now. Mosquitoes come soon—very bad."
Biggles was satisfied. He had been allowed to waste more time than he expected. Ginger should be well down the river by now. Yawning, he got up. "Yes," he agreed, "we might as well go."
Pedro seemed suddenly to miss Ginger for the first time. He looked to all points of the compass and then took a quick step into the hut. He was out in a moment. 'Where your friend ? " he asked in a tone very different from the lazy drawl he had up to now employed.
Biggles was lighting a cigarette. "I don't really know," he answered, looking round. "He's never been in this par
t of the world before and the flowers fascinate him. He said something about going for a walk to collect some."
As Biggles had anticipated, this information threw the black into a quandary. He stared at Biggles, then at the surrounding country, as if seeking inspiration. Biggles perceived his problem clearly enough. The man didn't know whether to go or stay. The idea of reporting to his master that he had lost one of his charges would certainly be repugnant to him and he would avoid it if possible. Nor did the idea of staying any longer at the hut please him. But it had to be one or the other.
Biggles helped him out. "Don't worry," he advised carelessly. "He'll come back presently. Maybe he'll go straight to the Doctor's house. If he comes here and finds we've gone he's bound to make for the house knowing that I shall be there. He wouldn't go anywhere else—not without me."
Pedro breathed a sigh of relief. "Yes, that's right," said he confidently, as if to reassure himself. . "Let us go."
On the return journey to the house he made it clear, however, that he was far from happy.
He stopped often to survey the landscape, obviously looking for the missing guest. This suited Biggles, who was in no hurry to get back. He wanted to give Ginger as much time as possible before his absence was reported to Liebgarten. For this reason, and to support the story he had told, he also made occasional halts, sometimes to admire a flower, light a cigarette, or discuss the farm they happened to be passing. Or he would point to a distant labourer, still working on his section of ground, and say : "Is that him ? "
To this question Pedro always answered no, which did not surprise Biggles, for, of course, he knew as well as his guide that the man indicated was not the one the black hoped to find before he got home. But by these methods Biggles wasted a certain amount of time ; so much indeed, that by the time the hedge surrounding the Doctor's garden came into view he judged that if Ginger had made an uninterrupted passage he ought to be well on his way back.
With Pedro looking more and more perturbed, as the moment drew near when he would have to report his loss to his master, they strolled on towards the house. But while they were still a little distance away the Doctor himself appeared at the gate, which led Biggles tq think that he must have been watching for their return, and observing that one of his guests had disappeared he was unable to restrain his impatience to discover why, so had come to meet them. His first words confirmed this surmise.
Addressing Biggles, he called, "Hello there! What has happened to your young friend ? "
Biggles smiled. "He got tired of waiting so he went off to collect some of your superb wild flowers. I think he must have lost his way—but there, no doubt he'll find it again. I wouldn't worry."
The Doctor treated Pedro to a frown of displeasure which he could not conceal.
However, he soon had himself under control again and was as courteous as ever. "I only hope he doesn't wander away into the forest," he said gravely. "He may not find it so easy to get out, apart from the natives, who are hostile ; and I trust that he will not be so ill-advised as to sit about after the sun goes down, or he might find himself laid low by a bout of fever."
"Oh, I don't think he'll be so silly as to do anything like that," returned Biggles. "He'll be along at any moment. I'll wait here for him, to let him know that I've come back. Don't let me keep you, though, Doctor."
"1 may as well stay with you," replied Liebgarten. "I've nothing more to do today."
Biggles did not protest. In fact, he didn't care. The Doctor's presence made little difference to the situation, except that it would prevent any intimate conversation between him and Ginger. He was anxious to hear that Ginger had made contact with Algy—but that could wait until they were alone.
Presently, as they stood talking about the farms Biggles had seen, Ginger appeared, looking hot and dishevelled, carrying a great bunch of orchids and lilies.
"Look what I've found!" he cried enthusiastically. "Aren't they gorgeous ? "
"They are indeed," answered the Doctor, but without Ginger's enthusiasm. "I hope you won't make a habit of wandering off alone, though."
"Why not ? "asked Ginger ingenuously.
"Because this is not England," said the Doctor smoothly. "Accidents happen here very easily."
" Accidents ? What sort of accidents ? " inquired Ginger.
"We have some exceedingly unpleasant snakes and
reptiles, for one thing," warned the Doctor. "Snakes have a habit of curling up in the paths, and a bite from some species means certain death."
"Well, I don't suppose they are any more deadly than some of the motor cars we have on our roads in England," answered Ginger calmly. "In fact, I'd bet they kill more people than your snakes."
On this point the Doctor was not prepared to argue. "Let us go in and have a cup of tea,"
he suggested. He turned to Pedro. "I shan't need you again," he told him curtly, and was moving towards the gate when the steward who had served drinks earlier in the day appeared. He made a sign to the Doctor that he wanted to speak to him.
"Excuse me for a moment, please," requested the Doctor, and going over to the man was soon engaged in a low, earnest conversation. This ended abruptly. The steward retired to a short distance and stood waiting, while the Doctor rejoined his guests.
"I am afraid I have bad news for you," he said, his eyes on Biggles' face.
"Indeed ? " Biggles' voice was expressionless.
"Yes. My man has just brought the dreadful news. We know now why Mackail was not to be found on his farm. I am afraid—he'll never—come back."
Biggles stared, startled by the Doctor's tone of voice, which was ominous. "What has happened ? "he asked.
" Mackail is dead."
"Dead ! "
" Yes. For some reason which we may never know he went over to the forest—perhaps to cut wood, as he took the axe with him. There he was bitten by a poisonous reptile or centipede. His body was found half an hour ago by some men who were collecting firewood. A strange coincidence that he should die from precisely such an accident as I described only a minute ago. It is very distressing for me to have to break such tragic news to you, but there was no point in concealing the truth. I am very sorry."
Biggles took out a cigarette and tapped it on the back of his hand. "I'm sure you are," he said quietly. "So am I."
"It looks as if you have made a long and arduous journey here in vain."
"Yes, it looks that way," admitted Biggles.
"I imagine this will curtail your visit here ? "
"On the other hand," said Biggles slowly, "it may prolong it."
The Doctor seemed surprised. " Indeed ? "
"You see," went on Biggles without raising his voice, "I have a vindictive streak in me that I have never been able to control. I may stay on for a bit, until . . ."
" Until ? "
"Until I've destroyed the reptile that killed my friend," said Biggles coldly.
" Ah, quite so. A perfectly natural reaction," agreed the Doctor.
VII
DOWN THE RIVER
WHEN Ginger set off to make contact with Algy he did not expect to have any serious difficulty in reaching his objective. He hoped that he would not be seen, but he thought that even if his movements were observed it was unlikely that anyone would attempt to stop him. After all, as far as he knew there were only two men to consider ; Liebgarten and Pedro ; and the latter was safely occupied. What the Doctor was doing he did not know and he didn't particularly care so long as he was out of the way.
Thanks to Biggles' ruse he got away to a clear start, and had he adhered strictly to his programme everything might well have gone according to plan. That he did not was due to factors which he could not foresee ; and if he allowed these to interfere with his mission it was because he felt that Biggles would agree that he was justified.
Taking advantage of cover provided by growths of prickly pear on ground which no one had yet attempted to cultivate, he was soon out of sight of the hut. Hurrying o
n, in less than ten minutes he struck the river—not literally, because it would not have been easy to actually get within touching distance, the banks being guarded, as Biggles had presumed they would be, by a belt of dense jungle. As no one was in sight there seemed to be no reason why he should make his progress difficult by plunging into it. Instead, he kept on along the fringe, ready to step back into cover should anyone appear. In this way he made good time, and he did not stop until he was confronted by what at first sight appeared to be an insuperable obstacle. It was the cactus hedge that formed a barricade round the Doctor's house and garden, and now occurred at right angles across his path.
He could not see the house, but above the cacti he could see the tops of the trees that grew within the precincts.
The discovery was, to say the least of it, disconcerting, although, as he told himself angrily, he should have been prepared for it. He looked at the barrier. The spiny cacti started right at the water's edge and ran back for a distance of nearly two hundred yards, where it turned at right angles to run parallel with the river, forming the front hedge in which the garden gate was situated.
To force a way through the uncouth growth might not have been impossible had he been prepared to have his clothes and most of his skin torn off by the ferocious spines that made each bloated leaf look like a hedgehog ; which he was not. Even then a cutlass would have been necessary, and more time than he had at his disposal. The alternative was to go round, and so outflank the barrier. Considering the matter he saw there was another possibility, and that was the river on his left. He did not want to have to go round by the garden gate, with a chance of running into the Doctor, a meeting that would have been embarrassing.
Nor did he feel like going into the river. Crocodiles, water snakes and carniverous fish occur in most South American rivers. He was well aware of it and was prepared to treat the river with respect. Still, it had to be one way or the other.
Having considered the matter from all angles he chose the water as the lesser of two evils. At least, he was prepared to explore the possibilities. Nothing would have induced him to enter deep water and swim. He hoped that it would be shallow enough near the bank for wading, so that should danger threaten he would be able to retreat to dry land.
35 Biggles Takes A Holiday Page 7