NO REST FOR BIGGLES

by Captain W. E. Johns

VII. INTO THE TRAP (Pages 70 – 78)

“Ginger, now with Bertie for company, began a cautious return to the forest behind which lay the airstrip on which the Hastings had landed. It was slow work, for the unknown aircraft, flying low, was still quartering the ground. Ginger was convinced that it was looking for him; or if not for him personally then for possible passengers in the Hastings. At all events, he could think of no other reason for its behaviour. Often they were forced to take cover when it came near. Ginger took the opportunity to rest, for he was tired, and made no secret of it”. Ginger points out the anthills where the lions were yesterday. The lions may have heard their voices as one raises its head. Ginger confidently tells Bertie that “the old gentleman watching us isn’t the biting sort” as they start to make a detour. Bertie says “But he may not have been hungry yesterday – if you see what I mean”. Ginger says that he read in a book that if you don’t interfere with them, they don’t interfere with you. The lion gets us, flicking his tail from side to side. Then a lioness behind him gets up, growling horribly. There is no tree within half a mile. Ginger says “We shall have to stare them out,” he decided. “If we run we’ve had it. Pistols are no use against these brutes”. The lion charges and his mate follows. “Stand still,” gasped Ginger. “It’s our only chance”. “It may have been that the lion’s charge was never more than a half-hearted affair. At thirty yards he began to slow down. At twenty yards he stopped, looking puzzled”. The lioness stopped as well, then both lions walk away. “You know, old boy, it’s time you took a refresher course on the behaviour of lions,” stated Bertie, somewhat shakily. “Talk about butterflies in the stomach! My stomach fell out, butterflies and all”. They pushed on under a new blazing sun until the edge of the forest, with ears and eyes alert for natives, moving from cover to cover – usually anthills or stunted growths of acacia. “The khaki drill shirts and shorts they both wore blended well with the parched herbage”. They had a narrow escape when they stopped in a thicket for a rest and saw a native, who must have been standing dead still, suddenly move and strike out with his spear at the ground. He then runs into the tress. “What sort of game was he playing, do you think?” asked Bertie “The stinker seemed to be practising his hop-scotch”. Ginger thinks it must have been a snake. “The mamba is about the only snake that will attack without provocation”. Ginger and Bertie advance and Ginger points out “This is where I shot the man who tried to spear me”. The body has gone. Hearing voices, they back into an isolated patch of palmetto shrubs, stand still and watch. They see “a line of perhaps a dozen blacks spread out in the form of a crescent. The men walked slowly, each with his spear raised, eyes searching the ground in front”. Ginger thinks they have been seen and the men are looking for their tracks, then he realises they are looking for a snake. Spears are thrown and suddenly one of the men is bitten on the calf by the snake. “The doomed black screamed, and his reaction turned Ginger’s skin goose-flesh, as the saying is. He seized the writhing serpent with both hands, tore it from his leg, and in paroxysm of fury tried to kill it with his teeth. Then, hurling it down, he stamped on it. Others went at it, with their spears and in a matter of seconds the reptile had been hacked to pieces. The man who had been struck sank down. The rest took no notice of him, but at once engaged in a fierce altercation, presumably discussing the incident”. The noise lasted for about ten minutes, by the end of which time the stricken man was dead. The natives leave, taking the body with them. Bertie says “If that’s snake hunting give me foxes every times – yes, by Jove. These blighters aren’t human”. They press on through the giant trees until the airstrip shows as a light patch ahead. Ginger locates the spot where he hid his parachute, but it is not there. “They must know for certain that Biggles wasn’t alone,” he said. Their aircraft is still there and as there is no one around they go into the cabin. “Nothing appeared to have been touched, so, as the day was now well advanced they took the opportunity to sit down in comfort and have a quick meal”. They hear an aircraft come in to land. “That’s the machine which I’m sure had something to do with bringing us down,” declared Ginger. They don’t recognise the type of machine. “It’s got an American cut about it” says Bertie. The plane lands, taxis to the far side of the airstrip and disappears into the shadows. Shortly after, they see the jeep go off. They discuss what they are going to do and decide to locate the headquarters of the outfit as that is where Biggles must be and he must come first. They dash back into the forest and get into the trees. Their departure is well timed, because they then see “two of the uniformed negroes” walk to the Hastings aircraft and go inside. Ginger says luck was on their side but he couldn’t hear what the two men were talking about, but they were speaking English. “I know. It’s a rum go, laddie,” opined Bertie. ("It's a rum go" is an old-fashioned British slang phrase that means it is a strange, peculiar, or confusing situation or event. “Rum” meaning odd, peculiar or strange and “go” referring to an incident, occurrence or event). They go on through the forest as the light begins to fail. Then they hear native drums. When lights begin to show ahead, they know they are nearing the end of their journey. Figures looming in the darkness, one with a torch, bring them to a halt. They see a barbed wire gate dragged across the end of the track and they realise that the camp is enclosed with wire and they are on the wrong side. “All we can do is try to follow the wire” says Ginger and with their guns in their hands, in case they are discovered, they set off.