Part 11 (2/2)

Roy showed no signs of recovering consciousness, and there was nothing more that they could do to help him.

'We'd better carry him down, sir,' suggested Briny.

I doubt if we can manage it-apart from which, I think it would be dangerous,' muttered Ginger. 'He ought to be moved carefully until we see how badly he's hurt. There's a stretcher down below; I'll go and fetch it.' He spoke slowly, for he was wondering what else there might be below. Algy had told him that when he, Algy, had taken off to bomb the German supply depot, he had left Biggles to sleep off his exhaustion. Why had he not come up the cave with Roy if an attack had been made ? Again, there had been no shooting; at least, he had heard none, and he felt certain that if shots had been fired he would have heard them. The more he thought about it, the more inexplicable the affair became.

I'll tell you what we'll do,' he said at last. 'You stay here and look after Roy. If he comes round before I get back, and is able to walk, try to get him down. If not, wait till I return with a stretcher. I'll go on and see what's happened at the depot.'

Ay, ay, sir.' Briny touched the peak of his ancient cap. 'I remember once seeing a cave- ' he began, and then shook his head sadly as Ginger set off quickly down the fissure.

Ginger hurried on, but as he neared the base he slowed down, for he still had an uneasy feeling that something was amiss. Approaching the final opening, he saw that the lights were still on, so he instinctively switched off his torch and adopted scouting tactics.

He heard the Germans before he saw them, and his heart went cold. Peeping round the final obstruction, he knew at once what had happened, for several German marines were standing on the catwalk. Breathless, he could only stand still and watch, wondering what had become of Biggles.

He was still watching when the door of Biggles's room opened and Biggles himself came out. His manner was nonchalant, but behind him walked von Stalhein, an automatic in his hand. There was a gruff word of command. A file of eight marines, armed with rifles, whom Ginger now saw for the first time, marched forward from the back of the mess that had hidden them.

Von Stalhein halted. With military precision he turned to Biggles, clicked his heels and saluted. Then an N.C.O. in charge of the marines stepped forward. He, too, saluted, and said something in a harsh voice.

Biggles nodded. 'Get on with it and get it over,' he said in English.

The words gave Ginger a clue as to what was happening, and for a moment he was nearly overcome by a sense of his own helplessness. But it did not last long. A look of almost savage determination set his lips in a hard line, and he sidled out of the cave to the rear of the signal room. Pausing only for a moment to make sure that he had not been observed, he then slipped cautiously to the canvas-covered pile of stores behind the mess, where, as it was practically dark, he could only grope for what he sought. With a feeling akin to exultation his hands closed over the barrel of a Bren machine-gun, and he drew it out, holding his breath as it clanked against the rock floor. Blessing his foresight, or the lucky chance-he wasn't sure which it was-that had caused him to examine the stores before exploring the pa.s.sage, he pulled out a box of ammunition and loaded the gun.

Another surrept.i.tious peep round the end of the mess showed him that he had not a moment to lose, for Biggles, smoking a cigarette, was standing with his back to the wall, with the marines in single file in front of him.

Several other Germans were about, but none of them was looking towards the inner extremity of the cave, which in the circ.u.mstances was not remarkable ; their eyes were on Biggles, so Ginger was able to creep back to the fissure without being seen or his presence even suspected. There, to his joy, he saw that he had the file of marines in line; only the N.C.O., who was standing a little in front of the others, was clear of his enfilade as he brought the gun to bear and squinted down the sights. Von Staihein was leaning against the door of the mess, a spiral of smoke rising from the long cigarette holder which he held between his fingers.

At a word of command from the unteroffizier eight rifles came to the present.

Ginger was trembling with excitement. Without taking his eyes from the sights, or his finger from the trigger, he shouted at the top of his voice, 'Biggles! Run this way!' Then he squeezed the trigger.

Tac-tac-tac tac-tac-tac . . . tac-tac-tac .. .

spat the gun, rolling a hideous tattoo in the confined s.p.a.ce and filling the air with the acrid reek of cordite smoke.

To Ginger, the rest was a nightmare in which he seemed to be only a detached spectator.

He saw Biggles, twisting and turning as he ran, racing towards him, and he saw that there was a danger of hitting him. So he jumped clear of the cave, and stepping aside, stood in the open, holding the dancing gun while he sprayed everything and everybody in sight.

The marines, those who remained on their feet, bolted for cover. Only von Stalhein stood his ground, shouting orders that were not heeded, punctuating them with snap-shots from his automatic in Ginger's direction. A ricochetting bullet tore a long splinter from the mess door not six inches from his face, and he, too, darted back out of sight.

Biggles reached Ginger and s.n.a.t.c.hed the machine-gun from his hands. 'Steady with your ammunition,' he grated, and began to sweep the depot with short bursts of fire. But answering bullets soon began to splash against the rocks around him, and Ginger caught him by the arm. 'Come on,' he cried shrilly. 'Let 's get out of this. This way.'

'Where to ?' shouted Biggles.

I'll show you. Keep going. Everybody is up here.' Ginger darted into the fissure and switched on his torch.

Biggles waited only to send a final burst down the catwalk, and then, still carrying the gun, he followed at Ginger's heels.

'This is a useful place,' he observed calmly. 'Knowing that we've got this gun, it'll take a brave man to follow us up this drain-pipe. How far does it go ?'

'Right to the top of the rock.'

Is Roy in here by any chance?!

'Yes.'

'Has he got the code-books ?'

'Yes.'

'Thank G.o.d for that,' said Biggles earnestly; 'that's all I care about. You know the way.

Lead on, Macduff.'

CHAPTER XVII.

REUNION.

FOR some time they pushed on as fast as they could go, occasionally stopping to listen for sounds of pursuit; but as none came, Biggles called a halt and demanded to know what had happened, and what was still happening, on the top of the rock. So in as few words as possible Ginger described his own adventures, and explained how Algy, Briny, and the Flight-Sergeant came to be where they were. He then told him about Roy.

'He must have seen the Huns coming, and bolted with the code-books,' declared Biggles.

'I wonder why he didn't warn me.'

'Did he know you were there ?'

Biggles clicked his fingers. 'No, now I come to think of it he didn't. He was asleep when I got back. I was asleep, too, when von Stalhein walked in on me. I didn't hear a thing.

When I opened my eyes and saw von Stalhein there-well, I'll leave you to guess how I felt. But we'd better get on. With one thing and another we seem to be in as pretty a mess as we were ever in.'

'We could hold this cave indefinitely-against an army,' said Ginger emphatically.

'We could-if we could live on air,' agreed Biggles. 'We'll talk about that when we get to the others. Come on. Apparently von Stalhein thinks he's got us bottled up, so he's not in a hurry to chase us.'

'How many men has he got down there ?' I don't know.'

'Well, we've got to break through them, or we shall be here for the rest of our lives. Two might get away in Algy's machine, but that's all.'

'You seem to have forgotten standing orders,' said Biggles seriously.

'What do you mean ?'

I mean that our first job, now that we've been discovered, is to destroy the depot. That stuff mustn't fall into German hands. After we've attended to that we'll see about getting away-not before. But I shall have to have a word with Algy before we decide anything definitely. Hullo, here 's Roy and Briny.'

They found Roy sitting up, looking shaken, but he smiled when he saw Biggles coming. '

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