Biggles Buries a Hatchet

by W E Johns

  Miskoff’s boat was put on the water. It would only hold two, which really meant the transportation to the aircraft of one, since someone would have to bring it back. Several journeys would therefore be necessary. With the exception of von Stalhein all knew where the Otter was moored, so the order in which they went was not important.

  Biggles detailed Fritz and Pat to go first. The one who stayed in the aircraft would be able to tell Algy what had happened and what they were doing. There was, they saw, little risk of the boat capsizing in the reeds, which here formed a belt sufficiently wide to break the force of waves which the wind must have blown up on the open water.

  Pat and Fritz disappeared in the gloom. To Ginger it seemed a long time before Pat came back alone. On the next trip Pat took Bertie and Bertie brought the boat back. Bertie then took Ginger and Ginger brought the boat back to where Biggles and von Stalhein stood waiting, with Miskoff standing guard over the track behind them.

  Ginger found himself marvelling at a situation that he could not have imagined — Biggles and von Stalhein not only standing together but working together to the same purpose. He heard Biggles say: ‘Your turn, von Stalhein.’

  Von Stalhein answered: ‘No, you go next.’

  Returned Biggles: ‘I’m in charge here. I’ve given an order. Obey it. Get in the boat.’

  Von Stalhein clicked his heels, bowed slightly, and with a curt ‘Jawohl’ stepped into the boat.

  ‘You come back for me, Ginger,’ ordered Biggles. ‘If von Stalhein brings it we’re likely to stand here half the night, arguing.’

  Not a word passed between them as Ginger took von Stalhein to the Otter. He put him aboard, and when he returned for Biggles he could hardly repress a smile as the humour of the situation struck him. The picture of Biggles and von Stalhein, two white-draped figures, standing together on a hostile shore, was nothing short of fantastic.

  ‘I shall have to bring the boat back for Miskoff,’ said Biggles, as he got in the little craft. ‘I imagine he won’t want to lose his boat, so after he’s put me aboard it’s all his. Once he’s been out he’ll know the way back to the shore. I imagine he’ll hide the boat and take to the forest. If ever I saw a man able to take care of himself it’s Miskoff. Not that he cares much whether he lives or dies.’

  ‘You don’t think he’d come away with us?’ asked Ginger, as he paddled out to the Otter.

  ‘No. He’s already made it clear that he intends to stay here to bump off as many of his enemies as he can before they get him — as they will, at the finish, no doubt. What’s the sea like?’

  ‘It looked pretty rough from what I could see of it. The machine is feeling it a bit, but nothing serious.’

  ‘I suppose she has plenty of snow on her.’

  ‘She’s pretty well smothered. I haven’t been on the wings to see how deep it is, but I’m afraid it’s a heavy load.’

  ‘As long as it doesn’t freeze we should be able to shift it when we can see what we’re doing,’ declared Biggles, confidently. ‘This confounded storm can’t last much longer. You might put a few cans of food out ready for Miskoff to take with him after he’s finished with us. That’s the least we can do for him.’

  ‘I’ll do that,’ promised Ginger, as he stepped into the Otter.

  Biggles pushed the little craft clear to make its last journey for them. It was soon back, with Miskoff handling it with the ease of long practice. Biggles climbed on to the hull, to see what things were like, as he told Ginger, who stood waiting. Miskoff took the cans of food with a grunt of thanks. Another minute and the most tragic figure Ginger had ever known was swallowed up, for the last time, in the gloom of the land that had broken his heart.

  Biggles came into the cabin, snug with the warmth of human bodies and a spirit stove boiling water for coffee.

  ‘They’ve told me what happened,’ said Algy. ‘What do you think of it outside?’

  ‘Not much,’ answered Biggles, dryly. ‘We’ve done what we came to do, so we’ve nothing to complain about; but it’s no use talking about getting off in this murk and with this sea running. There’s only one thing we can do now and that’s wait. I’ll have my own clothes back, Pat, if you don’t mind.’

  Pat grinned. ‘Sure. I thought you’d soon have enough of that chain-gang outfit.’

  Biggles turned to von Stalhein. ‘I think you want to say something to me. Now’s the time.’

  CHAPTER 15

  VON STALHEIN SAYS HIS PIECE

  EVERYONE waited, eyes on von Stalhein.

  ‘I would like a straight answer to a simple question,’ he said.

  ‘Have I done anything to suggest that my answer wouldn’t be straight?’ inquired Biggles, evenly.

  ‘No.’

  ‘Then why bring that up? Having settled that, go ahead.’

  ‘What was behind your purpose in coming here on my behalf?’

  ‘That may be a simple question, but I find it a difficult one to answer in precise words. Is it important?’

  ‘Yes.’

  ‘In what way?’

  ‘Before I accept any more of your hospitality I would like to know the price I am expected to pay. I have my pride.’

  ‘Yes, and where did it get you?’ returned Biggles, bluntly. ‘It’s about time you realized that there are times when pride has to bow to common sense. I can’t recall saying anything that might imply that I expected payment for what I’m doing. On the contrary, I am at this moment doing my best to repay you for sending Fritz to warn me that certain of your associates had put me on the spot. Don’t imagine that I have forgotten that.’

  ‘Are you asking me to believe you took the appalling risk of coming here to rescue me simply out of — shall we say — sympathy, or affection?’

  ‘To you such a motive must appear strange,’ said Biggles, slowly. ‘Yet, strange though it may seem, it must have been something like that, or I wouldn’t have come here. I’m not acting under orders. There was no compulsion about this mission. You can believe that or not, as you like. I couldn’t care less.’

  ‘If you say that I believe you.’

  ‘That’s something, anyway,’ acknowledged Biggles, with a curious smile. ‘Let us put it like this. In the first place I appreciated the message you sent me through Fritz. We have a saying that one good turn deserves another. Secondly, Fritz’s high regard for you came into the picture. He was prepared to risk his life for you, and he nearly lost it by coming to me. Thirdly, I was shocked, but not surprised, by the injustice of your so-called trial, which was merely an excuse to dump you on Sakhalin for the rest of your days. I was hoping such a salutary lesson would have knocked that anti-British chip off your shoulder, but I’m afraid from your attitude now you are still running true to form.’

  ‘But if—’

  ‘Wait a minute,’ broke in Biggles. ‘I haven’t finished yet. While we’re at it we’d better get everything tidied up. I’m going to be quite frank with you. Quite obviously I couldn’t come here, using government equipment, on a purely personal matter. I had to get the authority of my chief, Air Commodore Raymond. It may be that he hopes you will be able to give him some useful information, but that has nothing to do with me. In my country we don’t extract information by torture, so how much you say, or if you say anything at all, is entirely a matter for you to decide. Boiled down it all amounts to this: as soon as it’s possible to get this machine off the water I shall make for England by the shortest route. I shall have to make stops to refuel. You may, if you wish, stay here, or you are at liberty to leave this aircraft at any port of call you wish on the way home. The alternative is that you come right through with me to England and stay there until you and Fritz have made up your minds what you’re going to do. After what has happened neither of you can return to Eastern Germany without the probability of being shot or hanged. If you choose to come with me to England, as far as I, personally, am concerned, there are no strings attached. You are under no obligation to see my chief, although I hope yo
u will, if only as a matter of courtesy. After all, you have him to thank for knocking off your shackles, although I did the actual work. That’s all. I’m not going to argue. All I ask is that you make up your mind what you want to do and let me know your decision.’

  ‘You realize that I have no money.’

  ‘That’s a detail that can be dealt with later.’

  ‘Very well,’ said von Stalhein. ‘Since you put it like that I will come with you to England. I shall have time to think things over on the way there. At this moment I can only say thank you. Do not suppose that I’m not grateful to you for what you have done.’

  ‘I am grateful, too,’ put in Fritz.

  ‘Let’s leave the bouquets until we get home,’ suggested Biggles, smiling faintly. ‘We’re not there yet.’ He looked at von Stalhein. ‘I shall expect you to prove your gratitude by refraining from working against us in the future.’

  ‘That remark was quite unnecessary,’ stated von Stalhein. ‘Your opinion of me may not be very high, but I would hardly be as base as that. Incidentally, aren’t you afraid that your raid here will start a political rumpus?’

  ‘If we get home no one will know we’ve been here.’

  ‘But you couldn’t hope to leave here in daylight without someone seeing you.’

  ‘Seeing what? The aircraft? This machine is an obsolete type. It’s of orthodox standard design and might belong to anyone.’

  ‘What about its nationality registration letters?’

  ‘You haven’t had a chance to see them yet. When you do you may realize they won’t tell anybody anything. You don’t think I’d be such a fool as to come here wearing British nationality markings?’

  ‘What are your markings?’

  ‘S.K.’

  ‘What country do they represent?’

  ‘As far as I’m aware, no country at all. That’s why I put them up.’

  Von Stalhein stared. ‘You think of everything.’

  ‘I wish I could,’ murmured Biggles. ‘But that’s a bit too much to expect. Still, I do rattle my brain-pan trying to think of little things that might save me trouble. Now let’s see about snatching some sleep. We have a long way to go.’

  The rest of the night passed uncomfortably, the aircraft straining and sometimes jerking at its anchor. Wavelets slapping against the keel and the incessant rasp and rustle of the rushes drowned all other sounds. As a result, sleep for most of those in the now crowded cabin was taken in snatches, and Ginger for one was glad when dawn came to put an end to this state of affairs and give him an excuse to move. He went outside to see what was happening.

  It had stopped snowing and the air felt a little warmer. Breaks in the clouds through which a watery sun flashed fitfully, and a falling wind, showed that the storm was at last blowing itself out. Waterfowl which had found refuge in the reeds began to appear. Turning to the track, there was no one on it as far as he could see. Snow sliding from the overladen branches of the firs demonstrated that a thaw had set in.

  Biggles appeared. Looking at the water critically he said: ‘There’s still a bit of a swell running, but an hour or so should see it down far enough for us to take off. We shall need all that time to get rid of most of this confounded snow. We’d better cut a gap through those reeds in front of us, too, to give us a clear run. Call the others to lend a hand. Fritz can watch the track. Troops will be along presently, no doubt, to see what that fuss last night was about.’

  For about an hour, with everyone hard at work, all went well. Most of the snow, now soft and slushy, had been cleared from the wings, hull and tail unit. The fringe of rushes that had hidden the Otter from the seaward side had been thinned and Biggles went to the cockpit to start the engines, to give them a chance to warm up. In this he had a little difficulty, for they were of course stone cold; but after some anxious minutes and several failures first one and then the other came to life. He did not run them up to confirm they were giving their full revs for fear the volume of sound this would make would hasten unwelcome visitors to the spot. There would be time for that when they were ready to leave, he remarked. So after leaving them ticking over for some ten minutes he switched off again and joined Ginger on the hull.

  It was at this juncture that the patrol boat reappeared round the point of land on the far side of the estuary where they had last seen it, and it was clear from the white bow-wave it was making that it was travelling at speed.

  ‘They haven’t seen us yet; they’re heading towards where Miskoff’s shack used to be,’ observed Biggles, after watching the boat for a minute.

  ‘With the reeds gone they’re bound to see us if they look this way,’ returned Ginger.

  ‘They may not. If they don’t, so much the better. We can take our time,’ answered Biggles.

  ‘Does it matter if they see us? We’d still have time to get off.’

  ‘It might matter a lot. Don’t forget that boat is equipped with radio, and before we could get into the air it would be buzzing. I don’t know how far away the nearest enemy aircraft are, but there may be some too close to be healthy.’

  ‘They’ve seen us!’ cried Ginger. ‘They’re turning.’

  ‘Okay,’ snapped Biggles. ‘Let’s get weaving.’

  They hastened to the control cabin. The others, who had either seen or heard what was happening, were already in their places.

  ‘Sit tight,’ Biggles called to them in passing. ‘We may bump a bit.’

  In fact, the take-off was more than a bit bumpy, for the open water was rougher than it had appeared to be from the shelter of the rushes, and the Otter, robust though she was, made heavy weather of it. There were some nasty moments before she ‘unstuck’, and it was a wave that finally kicked her into the air; but once off there was no more trouble, and it was with a wan smile of relief that Biggles banked steeply away from the danger area. He made no attempt to climb, but held the machine down nearly on the water as he raced for the open sea. As soon as he was clear of the estuary, still keeping low, he took up his course for Japan.

  ‘You watch the sky,’ he told Ginger.

  ‘You’re not grabbing any altitude?’

  ‘No. We’ve less chance of being seen down here.’

  Ten minutes later the island was a great black mass behind them. In a few more minutes their objective showed as a faint smudge on the southern horizon.

  ‘Bandits!’ called Ginger, suddenly.

  ‘Where are they?’

  ‘Dead astern at about five thousand.’

  ‘How many?’

  ‘Three.’

  ‘What are they?’

  ‘They look like Migs.’

  ‘We should just about do it,’ said Biggles, his eyes on the land ahead, hardening with every passing minute. ‘They won’t dare to follow us over Japan. Tell Algy to make a radio signal to Colonel Bradfield. Say we have Pat on board. Give our position and say we are being pursued by three Migs.’

  ‘Okay.’ Ginger hurried aft.

  In the end it was touch and go. The enemy fighters, with the advantage of speed and height, overhauled the Otter rapidly, and were nearly in range when three Sabre jets appeared, coming from the opposite direction. The Migs, now over Japanese territorial waters, saw them at once, and turned away. The Sabres did not follow them, but buzzing the Otter as they flashed past led the way over the coast.

  With that, danger was a thing of the past. Biggles throttled back to cruising speed, which he maintained until, lowering his wheels, he landed to find Colonel Bradfield, and some pilots of Pat’s squadron waiting for them.

  Pat’s appearance in his prison suit was greeted with cries of banter and derision in the traditional manner of pilots everywhere who thus seek to hide their real emotions when a friend, feared lost, returns.

  ‘My — my,’ said Colonel Bradfield, looking at them, as one by one they stepped down. ‘You boys sure look as if you could do with a clean-up. Come along to my headquarters and while you’re having a bath I’ll get a meal fixed for
you. When you’re feeling more comfortable you can tell me all about it. Who’s this other fellow in a striped suit?’ he went on, looking at von Stalhein. ‘Is he the man you went to fetch?’

  ‘He’s the one.’

  ‘Smart work. I’m sure glad you helped Manton to escape.’

  ‘We didn’t,’ returned Biggles. ‘He did that on his own, in a way that deserves full marks. We merely gave him a lift home. No doubt he’ll tell you about it presently.’

  ‘Then let’s get on with it,’ said the Colonel. ‘This way.’

  Three weeks later the Otter arrived in England to touch down on its home airport with its crew looking none the worse for their perilous adventure. Von Stalhein, in a new suit bought in Tokyo to replace the prison outfit, was more like the man they had known for so long.

  He looked about him curiously as with the others he walked into the Air Police Operational Headquarters. ‘So this is where it all starts from,’ he murmured. ‘I never expected to find myself here.’

  ‘I can imagine that, but life is full of surprises,’ said Biggles, casually. ‘Have you made up your mind what you’re going to do? As I told you, you are free to go where you like as far as I’m concerned. I can let you have some money to go on with. You’ll need a new cigarette holder and a monocle, anyway. You wouldn’t be the same without them.’

  Von Stalhein managed to smile. ‘First I shall have to find lodgings for Fritz and myself.’