THE BLACK PERIL

 

by W. E. Johns

 

 

XIV.        BLACKBEARD SPEAKS  (Pages 181 – 199)

 

Biggles is shaken awake by Ginger who tells him they are drifting ashore.  Ginger can hear waves lapping.  Biggles steps out to find himself in two feet of water but he doesn’t know whether this is just a sandbank or not.  They tie a rope around Algy and he goes off into the fog to explore.  He returns to say it is a sandbank, but he can hear two or three people arguing.  Biggles says it stands to reason it’s Blackbeard as they would have drifted at the same rate.  Ginger saw the enemy had a machine gun when they landed.  Ginger asks “Why not attack them now while they are unprepared?”  “Biggles smiled.  “That sort of thing may be all right in books,” he said, “but it doesn’t work in real life.  This is nineteen thirty-four.  (It is most unusual to have a reference to a date in a Biggles book.  Suffice to say this was removed from the reprints).  What on earth should we do with them if we caught them?  Kill them?  That’s murder.  No, we can’t do that, and we can’t take prisoners, even supposing we had the opportunity”.  They decide to tow their plane away from Blackbeard’s under the cover of the fog.  They tow the plane down the sandbar which seems to go on for ever and then the fog lifts.  “It was almost as if an unseen hand had raised the curtain of a mighty stage, exposing the scene that lay beyond it”.  They all laugh as they find themselves in the middle of a narrow river, within thirty yards of them on either side are wooded banks.  Behind them is the estuary of a river.  Ginger wades across to the bank and looks out to sea.  He sees Blackbeard’s plane and one of the giant bombers.  Biggles knows they will see the Vandal the moment they take off so he decides to leave their aircraft and make for the nearest town.  They secure the Vandal to a tree on the bank.  Over the top of the bank they see the outskirts of a large seaport town.  Deciding a square meal is the first thing they want, they turn into the first restaurant they see.  Ginger stops at a shop outside to buy a postcard with some German marks he had, hoping he can change it for Swedish money.  Blackbeard suddenly walks into the restaurant with three other men.  Two wait by the door and Blackbeard and another come and sit with Biggles.  Biggles says “My memory is getting bad, I’m afraid, but I cannot recall inviting you to join us at breakfast”.  Blackbeard says they are going to go with him.  Biggles can see other men outside and appreciates the position is serious as he knows Blackbeard will stop at nothing to silence him and his party.  Biggles sees Ginger walk into the restaurant; immediately see what is happening; then walk out.  Further conversation takes place.  Blackbeard tells Biggles “I warn you that it is quite impossible for any of you to leave this room alive except in my company”.  “You know too much Bigglesworth.  Incidentally, it may save some unpleasantness if you will return the documents you took from my office”.  Ginger arrives followed by half a dozen uniformed police.  Ginger accuses Biggles of being the one who has his purse.  People in the restaurant gather round and Blackbeard watches in impotent rage as Biggles, Smyth and Algy are taken away by the police.  They are locked in a cell.  Algy says it is steep.  “Not so steep as being clapped in a coffin, believe me,” declared Biggles.