21 Biggles In the South Seas

by Captain W E Johns

  He took a last plunge, determined to get dawn to forty feet and so break his own record.

  Exerting every ounce of strength he knew that he had succeeded, and was just turning to swim upwards when he saw a shadow pass slowly over a patch of white coral immediately underneath him. He was not particularly alarmed, for he assumed that it was either Shell-Breaker or Full Moon, coming down to tease him, as they often did, and he looked up to see which of them it was. To his unspeakable horror he saw a shark curving round, about twenty feet above him. It was looking

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  straight at him. It was not an ordinary shark, but an enormous brute well over twenty feet long and dirty-white in colour.

  He gave himself up for lost. He had no knife to defend himself, not that he thought for a moment that he would be able to use one even if he had. The most dreadful thing of all was that he had to go up towards the creature. He could not stay down for he was at the end of his endurance, and he knew, from previous experience with no danger threatening, that his lungs would be bursting by the time he reached the air. Struggling desperately to keep away from the great fish he began to rise. With ghastly deliberation the shark turned towards him.

  It was then that he saw Shell-Breaker and Full Moon coming down, for the scene was as clear as if they were on land. Shell-Breaker was swimming with unbelievable speed straight towards the shark. Ginger was still rising, but his strength was fast ebbing. In a nightmare of horror he watched. He saw the huge brute begin to turn over on its back in order to seize him, as a shark always must to bite its prey; he saw Shell-Breaker flash low across its head, saw him strike, and saw a dark stain spurt from the wound. Again Shell-Breaker struck. The shark turned swiftly, its mighty jaws agape, but by this time Full Moon was underneath and she drove her knife upwards into the shark's stomach.

  Ginger struggled upwards through water that was no longer clear, but stained with ugly brown patches that he knew must be blood. He saw no more, for the picture became blurred before his eyes; he was conscious only of a terrible sensation that the shark's jaws could close over his feet at any moment. He was at his last gasp when he reached the surface, to be dragged aboard by Algy and Sandy.

  For a few seconds he could only lie on the cabin floor, getting his breath in great gasps, almost overcome by nausea caused by shock. 'Are they up yet?' he managed to get out at last, referring to Shell-Breaker and Full Moon.

  `Not yet,' said Sandy.

  `But—there's a shark—down there.'

  Ì know, we saw it. The kids went down after it,' returned Sandy.

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  But it will kill them.'

  Not on your life,' declared Sandy, confidently. 'They're brought up on that sort of thing.

  A Marquesan is more than a match for a shark. Occasionally one gets grabbed, but that's only when the attack catches him unprepared from behind. Once they see it, I'd bet on the Marquesans every time. Shark-hunting is a sport with them.'

  Ìt doesn't sound like sport to me,' muttered Ginger, staggering to his feet in order to see what was happening in the water.

  Full Moon's head broke the surface, and she scrambled aboard. 'Aue! He was bad, that mako,' she muttered.

  Shell-Breaker followed a moment later, and Ginger saw that his shoulder was bleeding. '

  By heavens! he's been bitten,' he cried.

  'No, it's only a graze,' answered Sandy quickly. 'A shark's hide is like sandpaper—he must have bumped into it.'

  The two Polynesians sat breathing heavily on the flying-boat, talking swiftly in their own language.

  `What are they saying?' asked Biggles.

  Sandy translated. 'They haven't killed it. A swordfish butted into the fight and attacked the shark, which made off, with the swordfish after it. The kids say it was the blood in the water that brought it. Incidentally, they swear the swordfish was bigger than the shark.'

  `But they're not as dangerous, are they?' asked Ginger.

  Ì wouldn't say that,' returned Sandy. 'They don't attack human beings as often as sharks, but when they do—well, it's good-bye. That sword of theirs isn't just an ornament. There'

  s more than one case of a swordfish sticking its sword right through the bottom of a ship.'

  Ginger looked incredulous.

  `You don't believe it, eh? Well, you go and look up the Admiralty records. A swordfish once attacked a Plymouth ship called The Fortune and put its sword through the copper sheeting, a three-inch hardwood plank, and twelve inches of oak—and punctured an oil-barrel on the other side of it. A British man-of-war—I forget its name—was once holed by a swordfish and had to make for port with all its pumps going. Don't you get the wrong idea about swordfish, young feller.'

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  `Then we'd better be moving,' put in Biggles. 'I hate to think what one of the brutes could do to a ship like this, with only a fraction of an inch of metal between us and the water.'

  He turned quickly, as there was a loud splash in the water some distance away. 'Hello!

  What's going on?' he ejaculated.

  They all stood staring in the direction of the sound. There was nothing to indicate what had made it, but a patch of foam on the surface of the sea told them that they had not been mistaken.

  `Look! ' cried Ginger shrilly.

  The warning was unnecessary, for every one on the flying-boat saw what he had seen. A huge grey shark, either the one that had attacked Ginger or another, leapt high out of the water, so high that it seemed to hang in the air before falling back into the sea with a mighty splash. And it was not alone, for an instant later a giant swordfish broke the surface in the same place. It was fully twenty-five feet long.

  Apau! cried Shell-Breaker, alarm in his voice. 'Go! Go fast! '

  `Better get moving, Biggles; he thinks it's dangerous,' said Sandy quickly. 'And if he thinks it's dangerous you can bet your life it is.'

  Biggles dashed to the cockpit, while the others started feverishly clearing the gear that was lying about. Sandy was still in his diving-kit—without the helmet, for he had been resting—but he soon had it off. Glancing up, he saw the swordfish again break the surface less than a hundred yards away. It was coming directly towards the flying-boat. '

  Look out, everybody, he means business,' he shouted. Ì'm afraid he's spotted us.'

  The first engine started. The second followed. But thèScud' had only just started to move when it received a terrific shock that half lifted it out of the water. Every one was thrown down. What was worse, Biggles was hurled across the cockpit, and the machine, left to its own devices, yawed wildly before he could regain the joystick.

  An instant later the giant fish broke surface about thirty feet away. Biggles jammed the throttle wide open, using one engine only in order to turn the machine away from the fish; but before the aircraft could gather speed there was 80

  another violent shock. Something crashed against the hull, and five feet of sword appeared in the cabin, missing Sandy by a few inches. It was withdrawn swiftly, leaving a gaping hole through which water started to pour. Algy flung a towel on it and tried vainly to stem the flow. 'Tell Biggles to take off!' he yelled. 'We shall sink in a couple of minutes.'

  Ginger dashed forward to the cockpit. 'Get in the air! ' he shouted. 'We're holed.'

  Ì'm trying to,' snapped Biggles.

  Ginger saw the swordfish turning on the surface not fifty feet away. 'He's coming again! '

  he yelled and, whipping out his automatic, fired shot after shot at the mighty beast.

  Whether he hit it, he never knew; not that it really mattered, for by this time the 'Scud'

  was moving over the water faster even than the fish could travel. He hurried back to the others, to find the cabin in a state of chaos. In spite of their efforts to prevent it, the water was still pouring through the hole and the floor was already awash. 'Tell Biggles to keep going,' shouted Algy. 'If he can get off, the water will run out.'

  Ginger dashed back to the cockpit and told Biggles what was hap
pening.

  Ì can't get her off,' said Biggles tersely. 'I've tried. What with all that shell, and the water, she won't take it.' `What shall we do?'

  `Jettison everything. Chuck the diving-gear overboard—that's the heaviest.'

  As he shot back to the cabin Ginger glanced through a side window and saw that they were still a good two miles from the island. The 'Scud' was taxi-ing at terrific speed, but not fast enough to lift. 'Everything over the side,' he yelled. 'Get the diving-gear over. It's our only chance.'

  Sandy did not hesitate. He dragged the diving-kit, with the forty-pound leaden boots, to the side. It disappeared from view. The helmet followed. The pump, lines, everything portable went over the sides into the deep blue sea. Ginger began bringing the oysters out as fast as he could, but Full Moon stopped him. 'No! ' she cried. 'Me go,' and without giving the slightest warning of her intention she went like an arrow into the sea. Shell-Breaker followed.

  `Stop—stop! ' screamed Ginger.

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  `You needn't worry about them,' sna

  s only a mile to the island, and a mile is nothing

  to them.'

  The 'Scud', relieved of her excess load, rose slowly into the air, becoming more and more buoyant every moment as the water poured back through the leak and fell into the sea.

  By the time she skimmed low over the reef all the water had gone.

  Biggles circled over the lagoon. He beckoned to Ginger. `Tell the others that we shall sink if I land on deep water,' he said. 'I'm going to put her down near that sandy part, and beach her. Get out as fast as you can as soon as I touch. The lighter she is the higher up the beach she'll run. We'll get the shell out of her and drag her higher as soon as we're down.' Ginger returned to the others and gave them Biggles's message. 'We'll jump clear as soon as she slows down enough for it to be safe,' he said. 'Stand by. He's going down.'

  Biggles brought the big machine in as slowly as he dared. But her keel was no sooner touching the water than water began pouring through the hole. Straight towards the beach the 'Scud' raced, sinking lower and lower into the water, and slowing down appreciably as water poured through the leak.

  Fifty yards from the beach, while the machine was still travelling at a good twenty miles an hour, Ginger jumped overboard, and coming to the surface struck out along the creamy wake. Algy and Sandy had followed him, for he could see their heads bobbing up and down just in front of him. The 'Scud' held on her way, and slid smoothly up the shelving coral sand.

  By the time the others had reached him Biggles was waist-deep in water at the cabin door dragging out the shell, but as soon as the rest of the party joined him he got back into the cockpit and by opening the throttle in short bursts gradually got the machine up on the sand inch by inch as the shell went overboard. When everything portable had been taken out of the aircraft he switched off and examined the damage. 'Well, I suppose you have to take this sort of thing as it comes, in this part of the world,' he observed philosophically. 'I was fully prepared for the machine to be knocked about a bit on the coral, so I

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  brought some sheet metal along, but I must say that I didn't make allowances for fish trying to get on board.'

  `The sword came right through into the cabin and missed Sandy by an inch,' Ginger told him.

  `You evidently need armour plate in these parts,' smiled Biggles. 'Never mind. It will mean a day's work patching up the hole, but nothing worse, I hope. We can fix it up , well enough to get home, and as far as I can see, now that , we have finished pearling, there's no particular hurry.'

  `Confound it! Of course we shall have to go home now that we've lost the diving-kit,'

  muttered Ginger in tones of disappointment.

  'It looks that way to me,' admitted Sandy. 'I suppose those kids are all right?'

  `Yes, here they come,' Ginger told him. 'I've been watching them for some time, otherwise I'd have made Biggles taxi out to pick them up, hole or no hole.'

  The two natives were not in the least exhausted by their swim. 'Kaoha,' they called, smiling, as if the whole thing was a huge joke.

  'All in the day's work as far as they're concerned,' murmured Sandy. 'Well, we'd better see about heaving all this shell up high and dry. I'll spend to-morrow opening it, while you're mending the ship. The kids will help me.'

  Biggles nodded. 'That's the idea,' he said. 'If the oysters open up as well as the last lot we shall have made a good thing out of the trip. I suppose you'll buy a schooner, Sandy, and come back for more?'

  Sandy rubbed his chin. 'I'm not so sure,' he said. 'I'd like to, of course, but in the past my luck with pearls hasn't been too good. Something usually happens to upset the blessed apple-cart. I think we'd better see about getting this lot home before we talk some more.'

  'All right, you old pessimist,' agreed Biggles. 'By tomorrow evening we ought to be back in Rutuona. Come on, let's get the shell ashore ready for an early start in the morning.'

  T THE pink of dawn the following morning saw them all at their respective tasks: Biggles, Ginger, and Algy working on the machine, cutting a length of sheet-metal and preparing rivets to seal the hole in the flying-boat; and Sandy, with Full Moon and Shell-Breaker, opening the oysters with their knives. The two natives were a little way along the beach, where the previous day's catch had been dumped. Every now and then a triumphant yell from one of them, or from Sandy, announced the finding of another pearl. And so the day passed pleasantly enough. By the time the blue of the sky was fading thèScud' had been repaired to Biggles's satisfaction, and only a few more oysters remained to be opened. The yield of pearls was not quite as good as the first day's catch, owing to the fact that, although there was a two days' haul, there were not so many oysters, for Sandy had been working in deeper water and progress was consequently slower. Moreover, he- had to come up to rest more often. However, he declared that the pearls were well up to average, and although he had not realized his promise about filling his hat with pearls, there were certainly enough to half-fill a hat when the seed pearls were included. He was quite prepared to continue operations with a new diving-suit if the scheme met with the approval of the others. Biggles promised to consider it, for, as Ginger pointed out, there was no reason why they should not go on after they had refitted.

  `What about you kids going and catching some more fish for supper?' suggested Sandy, putting the pearls in the cache with the others.

  À fish nearly made a meal of me,' laughed Ginger, with a wink at Full Moon and Shell-Breaker, whom he had already thanked for their courageous rescue. Picking up the fishing line he accompanied them to the pool where they had had so much luck on the previous occasion.

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  The sky was ablaze with all the colours of a Pacific sunset as Biggles walked across to make the final survey of thèScud'. Happening to glance at his instrument-board he stared hard at it for a moment, and then hurried back to where Sandy and Algy were sitting.

  `What's wrong?' asked Sandy, after a glance at his face. Ì don't like the look of the barometer,' Biggles told him, with a worried frown.

  Sandy glanced round the sky. 'It looks settled enough,' he said.

  Ì don't know anything about that; I'm talking about the aneroid. It's down to thirty.'

  Sandy started. 'What?'

  Ì said it was down to thirty, and still falling.'

  Sandy rose quickly. 'We'd better get packed up,' he said. `When the barometer falls like that it means there's going to be a blow, so we'd better get the machine afloat ready for a snappy take-off. I'd feel inclined to take off right away.'

  `We can't.'

  `Why not?'

  Ì don't think we can move the machine until the tide comes in and lifts her.'

  `Well, let's try,' returned Sandy, emphatically. 'At Rutuona I don't think we should take any harm, even if a real snorter came along, but if we were caught out here the machine would be pulp in about five minutes. The seas will come right over the reef if it blows hard. Hark at it
now.'

  There was as yet only a slight breeze, but already the combers were pounding on the outer wall of the reef with a roar like distant thunder. Columns of spray rose- high into the air.

  `They're getting it now, somewhere,' muttered Sandy. Ì've heard the combers talk like that before.'

  Àll right,' agreed Biggles. 'Let's get down to the machine and see if we can move her.

  Where are the kids? It's time they were back. Algy, you'd better go and see if you can find them. Tell them not to trouble about the fish—w:: shan't need it if we're going.'

  Algy went off at a run in the direction in which Ginger

  had disappeared, while the others hurried to the machine.

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  Biggles put his weight against the bows and pushed, but thèScud' did not move. 'She's still resting on the sand,' he said. 'Another ten minutes ought to see the water high enough to lift her off. By James! Take a look at the gap in the reef.'

  Sandy looked in that direction. The entrance to the lagoon was a swirling smother of foam. 'Aye, it's coming right enough,' he said.

  Ìf we're not away in ten minutes it will be dark before we get to Rutuona, anyway,' went on Biggles anxiously. Ì don't like the idea of night flying over the open sea, or of trying to get down without any landing-lights. That bay is too exposed to be of any use to us; we should have to find somewhere under the lee of the island.'

  Sandy said nothing. He was staring along the beach. Biggles turned and saw that it was Algy. He was alone. `What the dickens are the kids doing?' shouted Sandy.

  `We're waiting to push off.'

  Ì can't find them,' answered Algy.