THE CRUISE OF THE CONDOR

by W. E. Johns

V. TROUBLE (Pages 52 – 66)

Flying over the Amazon, the largest river in the world, approaching Manaos, Biggles recalls the last month. They had taken ship at Liverpool and arrived at New York where they found “the huge case containing the amphibian that Biggles had purchased had already been opened by the industrious Smyth, Biggles’s old flight-sergeant mechanic at 266 Squadron, and the machine awaiting erection”. The previous owner has been killed in a motor race track accident so Biggles had got a bargain. “The open side-by-side cockpits in the nose, with dual controls, could be reached from the snug enclosed cabin in the boat-shaped hull”. “The machine was a biplane, with the engine mounted between the wings, and of the “pusher” type – that is, with the propeller behind the engine. The single Bristol Jupiter engine gave a maximum speed of a hundred and twenty miles an hour and a cruising speed of a hundred and five – ample for their requirements, since speed was not a matter of such importance as reliability”. Biggles had had an extra fuel tank fitted to give a range of nearly fifteen hundred miles. Dickpa had named the plane the “Condor” after the huge bird of the mighty Andean Range. It took a fortnight to assemble and test the machine and then they flew to Manaos. Landing on the river, our heroes are met by an angry official in a small launch. He recognises Dickpa and heads back to shore. Dickpa then goes ashore and Biggles and Algy wait two hours for him before another launch comes out to them, this time containing a man named Carter, Dickpa’s agent in Manaos. Carter had been cabled earlier to organise petrol. Carter tells Biggles and Algy that Dickpa is in jail and the local Mayor, Joseph da Silva, is in the pay of the crooks and he is out to stop Dickpa and his friends. Carter tells Biggles to meet him two miles down river by a ruined hut and he will bring the petrol to them in two-gallon cans. Dickpa is being held in a small jail in the middle of the town before being moved to the proper jail in the native end of town. “It’s full of Indians, n****rs, (This is the first Biggles book to feature the use of the very offensive “N” word by W. E. Johns. The word appears four times in the book, once in this chapter, “Trouble” and three times in Chapter XV, “A Perilous Passage”. Of course, in its day, the word was in regular use and not considered offensive at all, otherwise it would not have appeared in a children’s book, where even mild expletives are watered down. The word remained in all editions of this book up until, and including, the 1985 Dean edition. When Red Fox published their paperback version in 1994, the passage was changed to “It’s full of criminals, the scum of the earth …..” and remains so in all current editions). and half-breeds, the scum of the earth, and half of them rotting with fever, leprosy, and God knows what other horrors. It’s a pest-house, not a jail. If you want to see him alive again you’ll have to get him out to-night”. “In that case he’s coming out to-night”, muttered Biggles through set teeth, “and God help Mr. Slimy Silva if he gets in my way”. Carter tells them to leave immediately as “they’d tear this machine to bits if they got their hands on it, to prevent you going on with this business”. Carter also says that he has heard that Blattner and Steinburg are in New Orleans as they guessed that Dickpa would be making his way back here. Biggles thanks Carter and says he would hate to see him pulled into jail for helping them. “Rot! Never mind about that; we’re bound to stick to each other. If one Englishman can’t help another in a case like this, it’s a poor show” says Carter. Carter goes back ashore and a large launch comes towards the amphibian. Shots ring out and Biggles takes off urgently. Waiting at the rendezvous, Carter arrives with the petrol and they refuel the plane. Biggles asks Carter if there is any chance of bribing Dickpa’s guards, but Carter says they are too afraid of da Silva. “No, I’m afraid it’s force or nothing”. “Force it is then,” replied Biggles shortly. Biggles gets himself and Smyth a revolver and they leave Algy to look after the plane. They climb into Carter’s old Ford for the journey back to Manaos.