Part 13 (1/2)

Ask me something easier. We've done about all we can do. Even if we could get down through the cave, which I doubt, I don't think we could take on a destroyer single-handed.'

'We could stop anybody from getting up here.'

'Yes, I think we could do that, but why need they bother to come up ? They know we can't get away. All they have to do is sit where they are and wait for us to fall off from want of food. We've one card up our sleeve though. They don't know we've got a machine up here, so it'll shake them when Algy takes off. I may as well tell him to go ; there 's no point in him staying here any longer now that the fireworks are over.'

One of the destroyer's guns flashed. A sh.e.l.l whined up and sprayed the rock with shrapnel.

'Who says the fireworks are over ?' muttered Ginger drily. 'They can see us evidently.

We'd better get down.'

Biggles turned towards where Algy was standing ; cupping his hands round his mouth he let out a hail. 'All clear!' he shouted, pointing to the sky. 'Tell Raymond we've flooded the place and bust up a destroyer and a drifter at the same time.'

Algy waved to show that he understood. 'Cheerio!' he yelled; 'I'll be back in a couple of days.'

Biggles caught Ginger's eye and smiled. 'Trust old Algy not to be left out of the finale.

All the same, I don't see what he can do if he does come back--but it 's no use telling him not to.' He sat down on a rock to watch the machine take off.'

Ginger squatted beside him. 'I shall be glad when he's up topsides,' he said anxiously. 'I am by no means sure that he 's got enough room to get off. If he touches those spikes of rock with his wheels 'Don't think about such things,' protested Biggles.

Algy was now in his seat. The propeller came to life.

I hope there isn't another piece of solder in that petrol pipe,' murmured Ginger.

'He's testing her now,' put in Biggles, as the noise of the engine rose to a crescendo, and then died away again as it was throttled back.

It doesn't sound too good to me,' declared Ginger, with his head on one side.

'She's giving her revs, anyway, or he wouldn't be so crazy as to try to take off,' returned Biggles. 'There he goes.'

The Platypus was racing across the flat part of the rock, apparently to certain destruction.

Fifty yards from the jagged teeth that barred its path the wheels had not lifted.

'He's deliberately holding her down,' said Biggles, whose face was deathly white.

Twenty yards from the edge of the cliff the Platypus jerked into the air, its wheels missing the rocks with a foot to spare.

Ginger wiped imaginary perspiration from his brow. 'Phew,' he gasped, 'I can't stand much of that. I ' He broke off suddenly and started to his feet.

Biggles, too, sprang up, his lips in a straight line. Comment was unnecessary. The engine was spluttering. There came the explosion of a backfire. The engine picked up again, but only for a moment. Another splutter, and it cut out dead.

As soon as the engine had started missing, the nose of the machine had tilted down. Now it went into a glide, and began a flat turn back towards the rock, about a hundred yards behind it.

'He'll never do it,' said Biggles in a dull voice. 'He can't get back. It's impossible. He'll go nose first into the cliff if he tries.'

What he had said was obviously so true that Ginger did not answer. He was incapable of speech. With his muscles as taut as if he were flying the machine himself, he could only watch. He saw the machine turn away from the island as Algy, too, realized that he was attempting the impossible. A moment later the Platypus disappeared from sight below the level of the cliff.

'He 's going down on the sea-it's all he can do,' snapped Biggles, and started off down towards the place where the machine had disappeared, jumping from rock to rock in a manner that was little short of suicidal. The Flight-Sergeant, Briny, and Roy were also racing towards the place. With his heart in his mouth, Ginger followed Biggles.

Breathless, they arrived at the edge of the cliff just as the snow began to fall again, although it was not yet too thick to prevent them from seeing the machine land heavily on the water. But the captain of the destroyer had also realized what was happening, and now the long grey hull, flinging a bow wave high into the air, came racing towards the helpless aircraft.

I'm afraid it's all over bar the shouting,' said Biggles heavily. 'He hasn't a chance.'

'He seems to be mighty busy doing something,' observed Ginger, staring at Algy, who was now standing up in his c.o.c.kpit. 'What's he doing ?'

I know what he's doing,' said Biggles bitterly. 'He 's tearing the British code-book to pieces so that he can set fire to them.'

'What! In the machine! He'll have the whole thing in flames in a couple of minutes. If his tank catches fire he'll blow himself up.'

'He'll risk that as long as he destroys the book,' declared Biggles. 'Confound the snow,'

he added viciously, as the blizzard suddenly thickened and blotted out the sea. They could not even see the water.

For a minute the watchers on the cliff stood still, listening, vainly straining their eyes.

I thought I heard a shout,' muttered Ginger.

The words had hardly left his lips when a violent explosion again shook the rock, although the noise was m.u.f.fled somewhat by the snow. A moment later came the sound of debris falling into the water.

'That's his tank gone up.' Ginger's voice was little more than a whisper.

Biggles said nothing. With his chin cupped in the palm of his hand he sat staring, white-faced, into the driving snow.

CHAPTER XIX.

MAROONED ON THE ROCK.

FOR some time n.o.body spoke. The only sound was the chugging of an invisible motorboat somewhere on the sea below.

At last Ginger tapped Biggles on the shoulder. 'Come on,' he said. 'There 's no sense in sitting here getting smothered with snow. If we don't soon get back to the cave we may not be able to find it.'

Biggles got up. 'I was trying to work out a way of getting that code-book back, but it 's got me stumped,' he said despondently. 'However, as you remark, it's no use sitting up here in the snow, unable to see a blessed thing; we may as well have a look at the cave- if it 's still there. If it isn't-well, it'll be interesting to see how they propose to get us off this rock. They won't just sail off and leave us here, that 's certain.'

'The only thing they could do would be to shoot us up from the air with machine-guns.'

Biggles reached for their own gun. 'Two can play at that game,' he said grimly. 'Poor old Algy ; if only he could have got away with those books I shouldn't have minded so much what happened here. Ah well! I suppose it was bound to come to this sooner or later. Let'

s get back to the cave.'

They all made their way through the drifting snow to the edge of the cliff.

'The ledge is still there, anyway,' observed Biggles, looking over the top as he tied the rope round his waist. 'Let me down first.'

With the gun in his hands he was lowered to the ledge. The others followed, Ginger, who came last, scrambling down at the end of a running line, with the rope looped round a projecting piece of rock at the top of the cliff.