BIGGLES AND THE PENITENT THIEF

by Captain W. E. Johns

13. GINGER GETS A FRIGHT (Pages 111 – 119)

“Ginger had made the same cautious departure from the cabin as Bertie had done before him. As he now had reason to expect, nothing happened, and he proceeded on what in his heart he felt was a useless mission”. He has no difficulty in finding his way as all he has to do is move downhill to the open ground in the middle of the island. The fog became worse instead of better. He reaches his objective and is bought to a halt by a solid wall of fog. Ginger stops and waits for some time. Suddenly, without warning, hands close around his throat and he finds himself in a struggle with a pale, thin man with a haggard face and a tangle of matted beard and two eyes ablaze with hate. Eventually, Ginger manages to kick the man off and pull out his gun. “What the devil do you think you’re doing?” asks Ginger. The man replies with a question of his own, asking Ginger who is he and what is he doing there. The man says he is the owner of the island, Angus Campbell. Ginger says he is there with friends to help him. “This of course was not strictly true, but to Ginger at the moment it was near enough”. Campbell says he thought Ginger was one of a gang of villains who had taken possession of his property, adding that a scoundrel named Raulstein had tried to murder him. Even after everything he had done for him, Raulstein had coshed Campbell from behind and thrown him off his boat into the sea. The cold water had bought him round and being a strong swimmer he had manage to get ashore. Raulstein had asked to go back to the island as he said he has lost his old mother’s last present to him, a gold watch, and he knew where he must have dropped it. Ginger tells Campbell that what Raulstein was really looking for was a quarter of a million pounds’ worth of jewellery hidden on the island, stuffed down a foxhole. Ginger says there are three of them, all police officers from London, together with the lad that Angus picked up. Ginger explains what all of his colleagues are doing, Inspector Bigglesworth is at the cabin and Bertie Lissie has gone to find food on Raulstein’s boat. Campbell says he doubts he will get any food as “There’s a big Negro left on board”. Campbell explains how he picked up Raulstein and Tommy from the island and that Tommy only stayed one night and then vanished. Raulstein was most upset about it. Campbell suggested Raulstein stay at the Blue Dolphin, Charley Murray’s place and gave him some money to tide him over. Raulstein later returned and told the tale about losing the gold watch and got Campbell to take him over to the island as a special favour. This was the evening before Campbell was due to leave on business. Campbell wasn’t aware that Raulstein had then left the island until he returned in the launch with his pals. Ginger says he intends to return to the cabin to find out what is happening there. Campbell says he will go with him. Ginger says that Raulstein’s gang have guns and without weapons Campbell wouldn’t be able to do anything to help. Campbell says he has fixed himself a club and has his hunting knife. Together, they both set off on the journey towards the cabin.