THE CAMELS ARE COMING

by W. E. Johns

XII. THE BATTLE OF FLOWERS (Pages 169 – 177)

Biggles watches Algy making a garden and planting some sunflowers. Biggles tells Algy he can lie up in the morning. “I’ll take Cowley and Tommy on the early show”. Three hours later when Biggles is playing cards, Algy calls him to see something. A brilliant white light is slowing sinking earthwards. It’s a parachute flare and the aerodrome is just about to be bombed! Bombs start falling and everyone runs for cover. Later, an upset Algy comes to ask Biggles what machine did the bombing. Biggles says it was a Hannoverana and says it must have been from Aerodrome 29. At 3.30 am, Biggles is woken by Algy’s plane taking off and enquiries reveal he is heading for Aerodrome 29 with eight Cooper bombs. Biggles gets Cowley and Thomas and they go after him. Biggles finds Algy bombing the enemy aerodrome and gives an arm signal for him to return to base. Algy returns and is pleased to announce he got four out of eight hits. Biggles says he didn’t touch a single hangar. Algy meant the enemies geraniums. Flowers! Biggles turns and sees that where Algy had planted his sunflowers there was merely a big hole. Algy has gone and done the same to the enemy.