WORRALS IN THE WILDS

by Captain W. E. Johns

VII. A GRIM DISCOVERY (Pages 70 – 78)

The following morning, just before ten, Worrals lands the Kingfisher aircraft at Keetmannshoop and collects Frecks and Uncle Dick. Shardwell “and his ugly pal” also arrive with another man, who runs towards their aircraft beckoning, but Worrals takes off. Our heroes exchange stories. Frecks says she saw that new fellow arrive in a car – a Buick. Frecks thought he was a prosperous business man and he spent most the evening talking with Shardwell and Gronk. The party of three men were shaken when Uncle Dick arrived about ten o’clock. Frecks found out from the barman next morning, the third man was called Dayne and he was a stockbroker in Cape Town. Worrals says “We’ve got to find Bill, and I have a feeling that we’ve no time to lose. Shardwell must know by now that we’re bucking his scheme and he’ll stump us if he can”. Worrals lands at Impala as close to the villains’ hidden petrol dump as possible. She notices immediately that Mahomet’s grave has been disturbed. The hole is empty and the body has gone. Bare footprints around the hole indicate the work of natives. Nearby they find a dark blue rag. It is a piece of aeroplane fabric, nine by three inches, and Worrals recognises it as being from Bill’s Dragon aircraft. Worrals and her companions fly in the direction of the Ovambo country and after some twelve miles they see a party of natives carrying along an object swinging on a pole. The object is dark blue. The men hide under trees, but not before Worrals sees Wongorobo. There is no question of landing as it is too dangerous. Instead, our heroes press on to Magube Drift to unload the stores.