THE BLACK PERIL

by W. E. Johns

VII. WARNED OUT (Pages 94 – 108)

The Vandal lands at Holtenau Seaplane Station at Kiel in Germany and after the formalities, Biggles, Algy, Ginger and Smyth, their mechanic, go to the aerodrome café to get some food. They haven’t been there long when Blackbeard enters! In due course, Blackbeard notices Biggles in the mirror. Blackbeard leaves and Ginger follows him. The German who dealt with their passports comes and speaks to Biggles and asks him their plans. He warns Biggles about going further up to Danzig as the weather is not going to be good. Ginger returns and says a barge has been moored across their Vandal aircraft. As they leave the restaurant, Biggles sees another barge approaching and likely to crash into their plane. They all rush back to their plane and manage to start it and get it away before disaster strikes! However, they are unable to follow Blackbeard’s plane as he has got too much of a lead. Ginger had noted it was “a low wing monoplane on floats; it looked like a two or three seater …. it had a biplane tail unit which should make it conspicuous ….. it’s letters were D-XXYA”. Biggles noticed their plane has been searched. They fly off, initially West, to make observers think they are going home and then swinging round to the East, with a plan to head to the free port of Danzig. After a while, their engines cut out – their petrol tanks have been emptied. Had they continued heading West, they would have ended up in the middle of the North Sea. They are forced to land, Biggles thinks they are only five or six miles short of Danzig. Willing locals help pull the plane up onto the shore. Biggles rings the British Consulate Office in Danzig and arranges for fuel to be sent to them by lorry immediately. When it arrives they refuel and settle down to pass the night.