“BIGGLES” OF THE CAMEL SQUADRON

by Capt. W. E. Johns

XI. THE DRAGON’S LAIR (Pages 194 – 212)

Biggles, Algy and the Professor are flying in formation when they have to take evasive manoeuvres having seen a British Bristol Fighter spinning earthwards for no apparent reason. Back at their aerodrome they discuss this strange happening. Biggles says “There wasn’t a Hun in the sky, and no archie” (anti-aircraft gun-fire) – “I’ll swear to that”. Biggles had noted that there were three crashes on the ground within a mile of the same spot – all burnt out. “It looks like a new form of Hun devilment to me”. “Why a Bristol should fall in flames out of a clear sky was a mystery for which he could find no satisfactory solution. Nevertheless, for his own peace of mind, it was a problem he would have to solve routine he could once more proceed on ordinary before work”. (In all the John Hamilton editions the words ‘routine’ and ‘before’ have somehow been transposed in this sentence. This is corrected in the Dean and Son versions). Flying near to the danger area again, Biggles sees five crashes visible – circles of black-charred earth. “A quick look revealed an apparently harmless French landscape – a few scattered hamlets, and the ruins of the once magnificent Chateau Contrableu, wantonly destroyed by vandals in the German advance, shining whitely in its park of verdant green”. “Something – perhaps it was instinct – made him glance upwards, and simultaneously, so swiftly did his muscles respond to the will of his brain, he flung the Camel over in a wild turn that was neither a half-roll nor a bank, but an odd mixture of both. He had a fleeting glimpse of a dozen little white snake-like streamers of smoke missing his wing-tip by inches. (He had a fleeting glimpse of a dozen little white snake-like streamers of smoke missing his wing-tip by inches - is the illustration opposite page 198). Then he was stunting as he had never stunted in his life before, all the time working his way towards the Lines”. Glancing back “only a small, fleecy cloud, too large for an archie burst, broke the blue surface of the sky as it drifted sluggishly before the light breeze towards Germany”. Back at his aerodrome Smyth, his flight-sergeant, finds a teacup sized hole. “It looked as if a red-hot iron had been placed on the plane and allowed to burn its way right through it, to fall out on the other side”. He says it smells of matches. “You’ve got it!” exclaimed Biggles. “That’s it! Matches! Phosphorus! They’re throwing up big masses of phosphorus with an explosive charge inside to scatter it!” The charge bursts and sprays the stuff all over the sky, and whatever it falls on it burns”. When Algy asks Biggles if he has found it, he says “Not exactly”. It’s “a dragon that spits fire and brimstone!” Biggles, Algy and the Professor fly off to see if they can find the gun firing the phosphorus, using cloud cover to safely get near. The Professor tags on to the back of a formation of German Albatros scouts before darting back into clouds on being seen. This allows him to get a better look at the top of the chateau because any German gun can’t fire for fear of hitting its own planes. He sees the centre of the chateau is hollow and he sees people clustered around a big black thing. “They started dragging a canvas curtain across the top – but they weren’t quick enough”. Biggles comes up with a plan to blind the “beast” before they attack it. By dropping carefully positioned smoke bombs, the wind will blow it over the chateau, giving them cover. A bunch of Cooper bombs in the middle of it and the place will go up like an ammunition dump. Biggles and Algy will drop the smoke bombs and the Professor will do the bombing as he found the gun. The plan is carried out and Biggles sees a mighty explosion, so much so that he thinks “the Professor’s machine must have been blown to atoms. However, the Professor comes out of the smoke “twisting and turning like an autumn leaf in a gale” and is forced to land. His plane is undamaged however and the Professor is able to take off. Back at base the Professor explains that the smoked blinded him and was worse than poison gas. Biggles grins. “Come on, St. George, it’s time we had some grub!”