"Then it might as well go in the cabin where I can keep an eye on it," suggested Tug casually. "There"s plenty of room."
"As you wish," agreed Louis, and handed Tug the bag.
Tug drew a deep breath and put it in the cabin. White climbed into the spare pilot"s seat.
Tug was about to take his place when Louis beckoned.
The man seemed nervous. "Be very careful," he whispered. "Mr. White is an important director of the firm. There has been trouble and he is very, very upset. Only Ivan has flown him before, but Ivan is not here and he cannot wait. Take great care."
"I"ll take care of him," promised Tug, with feeling. That was all. Five minutes later the machine was in the air, heading south through the crystal-clear atmosphere of early morning, with Tug at the stick, and Mr. White, looking singularly out of place, beside him.
During the long run to Kudinga little was said either by Tug or his pa.s.senger. For the most part White sat slumped in his seat, deep in thought, sometimes drummming on his knee, as if with impatience, with the finger of a fat white hand that had obviously never done a day"s manual work. Tug had an almost overpowering desire to tear off an enormous solitaire diamond ring and throw it out of the window.
As they roared high over Aswan, White said: "Can"t I you go faster than this? I do not like these machines they are not safe."
Answered Tug, trying not to show his contempt: "Sorry, but a plane will travel just as fast as its engines will take it, and no faster. I"m flying flat out now."
"Well, get there as fast as you can," ordered White curtly.
"I"m doing that already," returned Tug evenly. Just before noon, with Kudinga creeping up over the skyline, White spoke again, giving voice, Tug thought from his manner, to something that had exercised his mind for some time.
"When we get to Kudinga there"s a chance there may be trouble," said White. "I do not say there will be, but it is as well to be ready. Police spies have been there. One is there now. Others may come. I want you to stay near me all the time; then, if anything goes wrong we can get away-you understand? This aeroplane is mine so I have first call on it.
Never mind the others; they can take care of themselves. You obey my orders and when we get to Cairo you will not be sorry. It may not come to that. I mention it, in case. Do we understand each other? "
" Perfectly," answered Tug, trying to keep a sneer 183 out of his voice. His pa.s.senger"s cold-blooded selfishhness nearly made him sick.
Shortly after this they touched down on the dusty landing-ground. The machine had hardly finished its run when White jumped down, shouting to a steward who had run out to meet the machine, to bring along his suitcase.
Tug taxied on into the shade of the empty hangar.
He switched off and jumped down. There was no one there so he hurried along to the luggage compartment and opened the door a couple of inches.
"Okay," he told Biggles. "We"re in the hangar. White"s expecting trouble-offered me a bribe to stay by him and get him clear if a rumpus does start. I"m going along to see what"s happening. I"ll be back." With a wave he turned on his heel and hurried in the direction of the manager"s office.
When he reached it he found the entire white staff of Kudinga a.s.sembled. White was talking volubly, waggging his hands as well as his tongue. Only Kreeze took any notice of Tug when he entered. In a quick aside he said: "What do you want here? "
"Mr. White ordered me to stand by in case I was wanted in a hurry," returned Tug imperturbably.
"That"s right, so I did," put in White sharply, as if he resented the interruption. He went on to conclude what he was saying.
Tug leaned back against the door and lit a cigarette as if the matter under discussion was of no interest to him.
"I want to know what exactly is the position here," demanded White, looking at Kreeze as if he expected him to supply the information. "Have you caught this fellow Hebblethwaite ? "
184 "Not yet," admitted Kreeze-to Tug"s unbounded satisfaction.
" Why not? "
" He can"t be found," answered Kreeze, who seemed ill at ease. "We"ve had a dozen search parties out this morning looking for him," he went on. "I"ve had everyone out. I can only think that a lion got him; there were plenty in the wood last night, judging from the mess they made."
"Have you submerged the works?"
Tug of course had no idea what this meant, so he awaited Kreeze"s reply with curiosity.
"It should have been done by now," replied Kreeze. " I sent Stephan and George down half an hour ago to do it. They should be back soon."
"And you are sure there is nothing left that might require explanation should we have visitors? "
"You need have no fear of that," a.s.serted Kreeze. "The entire police forces of the world are welcome to search the place if they wish."
White drew a deep breath. "Well, that"s someething. Have you seen anything of Bigglesworth?"
"No. Is he about?" .
"He"s been seen in Cairo. I thought he might have got here."
"That"s impossible." Kreeze laughed unpleasantly. "I rather wish he would come. He"d find us waiting for him with open arms. I"ve got men stationed on all the high ground, watching the sky-that"s the way he"ll come if he does come."
"Good. Be careful, though. He didn"t get the reputation he"s got for being shy-or a fool"
"I don"t think there"s any occasion for you to get alarmed, Mr. White," said Kreeze. "I"m quite capable 185 of handling any situation that may arise here. What would you like me to do about the works?"
"They won"t suffer any damage from submersion?"
"Oh no. The whole thing is watertight. When the pontoons are flooded the float will settle quietly on the bed of the lake. When the water is blown out of them by the introduction of air through the duct, operated by the engine, it will come up again. It will then be drawn in and made fast. I ordered it to be sunk about twenty yards from the sh.o.r.e; the water is plenty deep enough there to cover it. It will be no trouble at all to recover it when you decide that it is safe to do so."
What all this was about Tug was not entirely clear; but he had a vague idea of what had happened-or was happening.
He was waiting impatiently to hear more when there came an interruption which told him all he needed to know. The door was flung open and a man in mechanic"s overalls literally burst in. He seemed to be on the border line of hysteria with excitement.
"He"s inside!" he cried breathlessly.
"What are you talking about, George?" snapped Kreeze. "Who"s inside what?"
"Hebblethwaite. He"s in the works."
There was a brittle silence that lasted for perhaps two seconds. It was broken by White. "What"s happened? Speak up, man," he requested sharply .
"We were ordered to submerge the works, sir," explained the man called George. "We uncoupled the float, pushed it out for about twenty yards, and had thrown the switch that operates the electric valves in the pontoons-"
"Didn"t you look in the works first? " put in Kreeze. " No."
"Why not?"
"There seemed no reason-"
"Fool! Go on."
"The float had just started to settle nicely when there was a noise inside it. Then there was shooting-first three shots, then more."
By this time the atmosphere in the office was tense. "Go on-and what did you do? " snapped Kreeze. "We closed the valves again."
"Why?"
"Because we thought that if there had been shooting some of the bullets might have gone through the walls, in which case, when she went down the works would fill with water."
"Would that matter? " asked White. "Surely it would have been the easiest way to settle the fellow inside? "
"But if the float filled with water we should never get it up again."
"Not if you pumped air into the pontoons? " "That would probably make the whole thing turn turtle," declared George.
"I doubt if the pontoons hold enough air to lift the float if the upper part was full of water. I thought I"d better run up and report to Mr. Kreeze for instructions."
"Can the man inside get out?" asked White.
"No, sir. The float is awash and the water is full of crocodiles."
White drew a deep breath. "Then there"s no reason to get upset. You can haul the float to the bank again if need be?"
"Yes, sir. If we pump air into the pontoons the float will right itself and become buoyant. We could then bring it in.
There"s a wire cable as well as an air pipe-line connecting it with the engine room."
187 Although his head was spinning with this staggering news, and there might be more to come, Tug decided that he had heard enough. Questions were still being fired at the mechanic, who was the centre of interest, so he opened the door quietly and stepped out. He closed the door behind him, and then, casting caution to the winds, raced for the hangar.
When he reached it he found that Biggles had discarded his burnous and was squatting on an undercarriage wheel smoking a cigarette.
"I was watching for you," greeted Biggles. "What"s the news?"
" Plenty," answered Tug crisply. "Listen to this."
In a short spate of words he gave Biggles an account of the situation in the power-house. "It must be Ginger inside,"
he concluded. "It couldn"t be anyone else. They think so, anyway. We"ve got to get there first or he"s sunk. The whole bunch will be down there presently." .
Biggles got up and stamped on his cigarette. "Do you know the way to this place? " " Yes."
Biggles took out his automatic. "Got your gun?"
"You bet I have."
"Use it if anyone tries to stop us. Once we start we can"t stop. Ready?"
"Yep."
"Is anyone about outside?"
Tug took a quick look. "All clear."
"Fine," said Biggles. "Let"s go."
They went out into the hot sunshine and set off at a run for the gate in the wire.
Chapter 16.
A Tight Corner The race for the power-house began well-better, in fact, than Biggles had dared to hope. They entered the lodge grounds, pa.s.sed the lodge itself, and were well on their way down the hill towards the gate which gave access to the wire corridor that led to the power-house, before they saw a soul. Then Tug noticed that some blacks, in their own compound outside the wire, were watching them curiously. He made a remark to this effect to Biggles, who did not stop, or even look round, but ran on to the gate. Tug was afraid that it might have been closed and locked, but as he hoped, it had been left open by George in his hurry to get to Kreeze.
At the gate Tug pulled up for a moment, pointing. "That"s the powerhouse," he told Biggles. "Ginger"s in the part you can see in the water-the float, they call it. It"s anch.o.r.ed by a cable to the engine room on the bank."
" There"s a man down there," observed Biggles. "That must be Stephen," answered Tug. "It was George who came up."
"So much the better. We may need someone to show us how to operate the valves and haul the thing in," said Biggles, as they went on.
Very soon, as they ran, they could hear a violent hammering going on inside the float; and the reason for this became apparent when the b.u.t.t of a rifle burst 189 through what appeared to be a shuttered window. It was withdrawn, but appeared again.
"Looks like Ginger"s trying to hammer a hole in the wall to get out," panted Tug. "He"s getting on, too, by the looks of it," he went on, as a hand appeared in the opening made by the rifle.
Then some m.u.f.fled shots were heard. The rifle b.u.t.t burst through again. A piece of the window frame was detached and fell into the water.
"Ginger"s putting in some hard work," muttered Biggles.
"So should I, shut up in that rat trap with crocs outside," returned Tug grimly.
By this time they were within thirty yards of their objective. The mechanic, Stephan, who had of course seen them coming, got up to meet them. His manner suggested that he was puzzled, but not alarmed. Nevertheless, it was natural that he should look with askance at the automatic as Biggles and Tug ran up. He opened his mouth to speak, but Tug forestalled him.
"I"m Mr. White"s pilot," he said quickly, and truthfully enough. "He"s here. I was with him in the office when George came in. He"s liable to bite your ear off over this business."
"But what-? "
"Don"t argue. He wants to talk to that guy in the float. He sent me down to say you"re to get it on an even keel and haul it in. Jump to it-he"ll be here any minute."
The mechanic did not question the order. After all, there was no reason why he should suspect for one moment that the two men who had just come down from the lodge were police officers. Without a word he went into the engine room, turned a key and pulled a lever.
190 A dynamo whirred. A steel drum began to revolve, winding a cable on itself.
Biggles, watching from the outside, saw the float begin to rise in the water, and at the same time move towards the place where he stood. Suddenly Ginger recognized him and let out a yell, but Biggles motioned him to be silent.
Stephan came out, and with the others stood watching the float creep slowly towards the bank.
"That man inside-he has a gun. He may be dangerous," said Stephan, speaking with a stilted foreign accent.