After they had halted Biggles turned to Liebgarten. "Unlock the safe," he ordered. "I'll have Mackail's money for a start."
Liebgarten threw a bunch of keys on the table with a gesture that was an insult in itself.
"I said open the safe," said Biggles, with iron in his voice.
Liebgarten hesitated, then thought better of it. He picked up the keys and inserted one in the heavy door. The safe swung open.
"Put the money on the table," ordered Biggles. Liebgarten withdrew a long drawer in which notes of
several nationalities were held in bundles by rubber bands. Biggles beckoned to Ginger. "
Count out six hundred
and forty pounds in English money," he requested. Ginger complied.
"Put that in your pocket for Angus," said Biggles. "Joe 1"
Joe stepped forward.
"Give him his money, Ginger."
"Five hundred and twenty quid," said Joe, grinning. Ginger counted out the notes while Joe stuffed them in his pocket.
"Next 1 " called Biggles.
And so, while the light of day came in through the windows the curious scene went on, one man after another marching up to the table and collecting his money while the piles of notes in the drawer got steadily lower. Stitzen sat watching, his chin on the back of his hands. Von Stalhein smoked, apparently unmoved. Durango paced up and down, alternately cursing and pleading, calling his companions cowards for allowing themselves to be robbed. When all those present had been paid Biggles returned the drawer to the safe, locked it and put the key in his pocket with the remark : "There are more to come yet." It wrung a groan from Durango.
All this took some time, and Biggles had barely finished when the drone of aero engines announced the arrival of the aircraft.
"Take over here for a bit," Biggles told Ginger. " go and bring Algy down. I want a word with him."
He went out and waved as the flying-boat roared low overhead. When he knew that he had been seen he made a signal to the aircraft to land, which presently it did, taxying up to the landing-stage where Biggles awaited it on the deck of the abandoned launch.
Algy stood up in the cockpit. "How goes it ? "he asked.
"It's all buttoned up," replied Biggles. "Make fast and come ashore. I'll put a guard on the machine. I've just paid off the British and United States contingent. They're in the house with as sorry a bunch of crooks as you ever saw in your life."
Algy, Bertie and Angus joined Biggles on the launch.
"What next ? " asked Algy as they went ashore."
"I'm afraid we're going to be busy for a bit," announced Biggles. "I'm going to bring everybody to the house, all nationalities, and then start to evacuate them."
"By air ? " Algy looked alarmed.
"No. We'll fly the sick people, and the women and kids, to Buenos Aires. The others will have to go down in relays in the launch. I think the government will lend a hand when they know what's happened here. When we've had a bite of food, Algy, I shall have to ask you to fly the first load down. Go to the British Consulate and hand in a letter which I'll write presently. Then come back here."
"Okay," agreed Algy.
"Let's go up to the house and get things sorted out," said Biggles.
Five hours later, when the Navigator returned from Buenos Aires, an extraordinary scene greeted Algy's eyes. There were people everywhere in the Doctor's garden, apparently enjoying a free-for-all picnic. It seemed that
the entire valley had converged on the Doctor's house—which in fact it had.
If Algy was surprised, so was Biggles when he saw the passengers Algy had brought with him. There were six, and they were introduced to him in turn. Among others were Sir Gyles Sayers, of the British Embassy, with his assistant. The others were officials of the Argentine government, headed by the Minister for the Interior and the Chief Medical Officer of Health. They, too, looked about them in amazement.
"I got your letter," Sir Gyles told Biggles. "What on earth's been going on here ? "
"Let us go up to the house and I'll tell you all about it." The proposal was accepted.
Then, in what had been Liebgarten's lounge, Biggles narrated the story of how Linton had sent for him in London, and all that had happened since. "I'm afraid I adopted unorthodox methods, Sir Gyles, and for that I must apologize to the Argentine government—if, in fact, this land is Argentine territory, about which there seems to be some doubt ? But I feel that in no other way could I have succeeded in rescuing my friend Mackail. I can only hope the authorities will take the view that the end justified the means."
"I think they will," opined Sir Gyles. "I've discussed the matter at some length with my Argentine colleagues on the way up, and they are as astonished as I am. They knew nothing about this, of course. In fact, they did not know anyone was here. The land has certainly never been applied for, much less bought, by anybody. They had no idea that such dangerous people as Stitzen and Durango were in the country. How they got here is a mystery. They will of course be put under arrest pending a full enquiry. Where are they now, by the way ? "
"Locked in their rooms in the bungalow," answered Biggles. "I've been looking through their papers and I fancy two of the men whom I hadn't identified when I wrote to you are a German engineer and his assistant—a fellow named Johann Kraft, one of Krupps'
armament experts. He was working on a new V-weapon, the V-17, when the war ended, and he's been trying to finish it htre. There's a workshop and a laboratory, and in the loft you'll find a mock-up of the weapon. By a curious chance it was the chemicals from the laboratory running into a ditch, thereby killing the cactus, that played a big part in our operations—but that's another story. Here are some plans I removed from the drawing-office for safe custody." Biggles handed over the drawing he had taken.
After a glance at them Sir Gyles looked grave. "This is a more serious business than I at first supposed," said he. "It begins to look as if you've done a bigger job than rescuing a friend. I think we'll go and have a word with these prisoners before we do anything else."
He turned to the Argentine officials. "Don't you think so ? "
They agreed.
"I'll leave you to it," said Biggles. "I've plenty to do and I want to get home myself.
Moreover, my fellows have been up all night so they could do with some sleep."
The party broke up, the officials going to the bungalow and Biggles joining the others in the house, where a meal had been prepared. He was not particularly hungry, so after a snack he curled up on the couch to snatch a few minutes rest, a preoccupation in which the others, disposing themselves in the comfortable arm-chairs, presently joined him.
From a short but refreshing sleep he was awakened by shouts punctuated by shots. It was evident that something was happening outside, but feeling that there were enough people there to handle any trouble that might arise he was not unduly concerned. Anyway, he felt disinclined for further exertion. So he yawned, lit a cigarette, prepared to allow the others, who were still asleep, to sleep on.
However, this pleasant state of affairs ended abruptly when Sir Gyles and his colleagues came into the room to announce some startling news. Stitzen, they informed him, was dead by his own hand, having hanged himself with the
cord of his pyjamas. That was only the beginning. Before taking this final step he had set fire to his room, presumably in the hope of destroying the bungalow and all that it contained, including the records of his own damning experiments. He may have overlooked the fact that his fellow-conspirators were confined in the same building, or he may have determined that they should die with him. That would never now be known.
However, the fire had been discovered, but by that time it had taken such a hold that it was necessary to remove the other prisoners. In the confusion some had tried to escape.
Durango had been shot and mortally wounded. Liebgarten and von Stalhein had tried to get away in the launch, but being frustrated in this had dived into the river and attempted to swim to the other s
ide. Liebgarten had been pulled under by a crocodile in full view of the spectators. Shots had been fired at von Stalhein, who may have been hit, but had succeeded in reaching the far bank where he had disappeared into the jungle. Search was being made for him. The others had been recaptured.
Biggles was not particularly upset. It was, he remarked, poetic justice that Liebgarten had been destroyed by one of the very factors on which he had relied to keep his victims in the valley. "As far as the others are concerned—well, I've no particular interest in them now," he concluded. "It may be all for the best that the secret weapon should go up in flames. The world will lose nothing by that, and it may gain a lot."
"By the way, there's no reason why you should stay here if you would like to get home,"
stated Sir Gyles. "My colleagues and I have talked the thing over and we've agreed that the best thing would be for the government to take over. They will attend to the evacuation. There's no shortage of food so another day or two is neither here nor there.
Some of the settlers may even decide to stay when they learn that the place is to be properly run under government control. If you will give us a lift to Buenos Aires we will set the necessary machinery in motion. I'll
take care of the British subjects. No doubt the other national offices will do the same for their people."
"That suits me fine," agreed Biggles. "I'll fly Mackail home. He needs treatment, so the sooner he's there the better. I'm supposed to be on holiday, and I think I can find a brighter spot than this to finish it. How soon will you be ready to start ? "
"We're ready as soon as you are."
Biggles stood up. "Then what are we waiting for ? Come on, chaps. Let's say good-bye to the boys and drift along. We'll try to squeeze Joe and his wife in with us. I like that couple. That's all I think. We haven't been here long, but I fancy we've seen everything that's worth seeing in the Valley of Paradise."
"Absolutely old boy—absolutely," agreed Bertie. "I'm all for better and brighter holidays."
"Still, you can't say it's been dull, so far," protested Ginger, as they walked towards the door.
THE END
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35 Biggles Takes A Holiday Page 19
