Chapter 16
Smyth Takes Charge
When Biggles left to go to the city, Smyth set about making Becca comfortable. He arranged the stores so as to provide a hiding space for her if they should receive another visit from the men in grey uniforms. In any case, he observed, she looked as though she needed some rest. Becca nodded. The adrenalin of the events in Krankenhausstrasse and the tension she had experienced when making contact with Biggles had drained her. She felt deathly tired and was grateful for the opportunity to rest.
Becca crawled into the small space, lay down on the blanket Smyth had laid out between the crates and fell asleep almost immediately.
Before she closed her eyes, she said gratefully to the mechanic, "thank you, Herr Smyth. This is the first time I have felt safe since the Germans came. I almost dare to hope."
"The Major and Captain Lacey will make sure you're alright," Smyth told her confidently as he moved a box of bully beef across to block the entrance to the hiding place. "Keep quiet and no-one will know you're there," he advised her. "If you hear anybody come into the hangar, just keep your head down. I'll be keeping watch outside the aeroplane."
With that he descended the steps and put the kettle on the primus stove. He checked carefully to make sure there was no sign of their guest should anyone decide to drop in. While he was about it, he made sure there were some packets of tea and sugar handy in case the men in grey came back. The last thing he wanted, he thought, was to have them poking around in the aeroplane on the lookout for what they could get away with.
At last the kettle boiled and Smyth made himself a cup of tea, reflecting as he stirred it, that if he had not decided to go to the restaurant for a change from evaporated milk, he would have missed Ginger. He wondered how the lad was getting on and whether he had managed to make contact with the others.
Time passed slowly. It always did drag when you were waiting for something to happen, mused Smyth. To keep himself busy, he decided to give the aircraft the once over. There was no point in finding that something was amiss if they needed it in a hurry, he said to himself as he walked round the fuselage, testing the control surfaces.
When he moved the rudder, the resistance suddenly disappeared and the tail plane went slack in his grip. Smothering a curse, the mechanic realised that one of the cables must have snapped. Thanking his foresight in checking everything he went inside the cabin and began to trace the control wires. He drew in his breath sharply when he saw that the linkage near the rudder pedal had been severed. The cut ends of the cable showed bright in the light of his torch. It was no accident.
Smyth realised it must have been done when he went to the restaurant. Those men in grey uniforms had not just been looking for booty, he understood at last. The question was, why, he asked himself. Hatred of foreigners, spite or did they suspect that the Trade Fair mission was a cover? As far as he knew, von Stalhein was not aware that their party was in Austria, so would he have been behind the attempt at sabotage?
Realising that he would be unlikely to find the answer to those questions, Smyth set about repairing the damage. If they had taken off, the control would have snapped the first time they tried to manoeuvre, he reflected. The consequences of that did not bear contemplation. He made a mental note that he had better make sure that he checked everything else out very carefully once he had completed this job.
The linkage was in an awkward place and the cable had slid back into its housing, making the work take longer than he had hoped. More than once, lying under the control column as he grappled with the cable, his body wedged in the confined space making the connections, Smyth wished Ginger had been there to help him. An extra pair of hands would not have come amiss and the youngster was a good ground engineer. Besides, thought Smyth with not a little envy, the lad was young enough and slim enough to be able to fit easily in the space by the rudder pedals.
When the repair was finally completed to his satisfaction, Smyth wiped his brow with the back of his hand and set about a thorough examination of the rest of the aeroplane. To his relief, no more unwelcome surprises awaited him.
He had just settled down to a much needed cup of tea when the hangar door rattled. Smyth looked up suspiciously. The door rattled again and after a short pause, he heard someone try the wicket.
Smyth snatched up a heavy wrench and made his way quietly up the steps into the cabin of the aeroplane. If whoever was trying to get in was up to no good, thought the mechanic grimly, they wouldn't have it all their own way.
Gently, he pulled the cabin door to behind him, leaving it slightly ajar so that he could see into the hangar without exposing himself to view, and settled down to wait. Unfortunately, he realised, the position of the aeroplane meant that the narrow aperture would not let him see the doorway. He decided he would just have to stay put and act as he saw fit when he knew what was happening and who the intruder was.
As Smyth waited in the cabin, straining his ears, he heard the wicket swing open. From the sounds he could make out that more than one person had stepped into the hangar before the wicket swung shut again, but as yet no one had come into his range of vision. He heard murmurs but whoever was talking was speaking in too low a voice for him to make out the words. Smyth gripped the wrench more tightly. The party that had come into the hanger was making its way towards the tail of the aeroplane, still obscured from his view. Smyth felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand on end.
He whispered a warning to Becca in case she was awake, but received no reply. He glanced once more at her hiding place, feeling sure that it would pass inspection as long as no one moved the crates.
As the unexpected visitors made their way towards his position, Smyth tensed. In a second or two he would glimpse the intruders. He got ready to fling open the door, leap down the steps and defend the aircraft.
