THE
BLACK PERIL
by W. E. Johns
XVII. THE
RAIDERS’ FATE (Pages
217 – 222)
“It was nearly nine o’clock that night,
however, before Biggles joined the others at Algy’s flat in a side turning off
Baker Street”. Biggles asks Algy if he
has seen the evening paper yet. “Well,
it’s all over,” says Biggles. “The
Russian Air Fleet. It isn’t anymore – or
not much of it. It’s busted wide open”. Algy asks what’s happened? “Well, this is the story as far as I can make
it out,” went on Biggles, “although you must understand that the Air Ministry
are not saying much about it; I’ve had to guess part of it, although they
helped me with a few broad hints”. It
all hinged on the papers Ginger found, which meant a lot to Hesterley, who sent
the whole story back to England in code.
“Last night was the night decided for a full dress
rehearsal of the Russian Air Fleet’s raid on Great Britain; thirty flying boats
were to take part, landing at nine different bases on the English coast”. Exact details were set out in the papers. “I can only suppose that Blackbeard was so
scared when he found his was missing that he did not dare to report their loss,
but tried to get them back in his own way, or at least prevent us from getting
back. He is certainly going to be out of
luck if he ever returns to Russia”. Only
two machines succeeded in getting back.
“The evening papers have got hold of a story about a lot of mysterious
aircraft wreckage being washed up here and there on the East Coast. The Ministry have denied any knowledge of the
matter to the press, as they were bound to without running the risk of starting
a war, and, as a matter of fact, they’ve succeeded in hushing the thing up
pretty well. The newspapers have guessed
that there is a lot more behind it, of course, but in the national interest
they are allowing the thing to drop”.
“But what happened?” cried Algy.
Biggles shook his head. “I doubt
if we shall ever know for certain, but a wink is as good as a nod to a blind
horse, and I have my own opinion”.
Biggles suspects that as nearly every black flying boat crashed on
landing, the submerged lights must have functioned – but in the wrong
places. “I expect our people were
watching to pick up survivors”. “There
is not the slightest doubt that at some date in the near future it was intended
to blow England out of the water by wholesale bombing”. Biggles said he made a full report and was
asked to extend their thanks to his “gallant and
duty-devoted comrades”. Biggles also has
a cheque (we are not told the amount) for him and Algy to divide in such
proportions as they decide. There is a
further cheque of £500 for Smyth and another of £500 for Ginger (as the average wage was around £200 per
annum in 1934 this represents quite a sum!).
Ginger’s cheque is in Biggles name to be devoted to his education. “As an alternative, if he prefers it, the
Service will take charge of him, in which case he will proceed to Cranwell as
an aircraft apprentice”. Ginger asks if
he can go to a civil flying school and get his tickets – flying and ground
engineer’s licences. Biggles agrees and
says he can go to Brooklands and start as soon as he likes. “You may learn to fly, but you won’t be able
to take your tickets just yet because you’re still under age”. “Well, I’m taking the Vandal down to
Brooklands to-morrow for complete overhaul; I’ll take you down with me if you
like,” concluded Biggles. “O.K. big
boy!” cried Ginger enthusiastically.
(The
ending of this book is significantly different in the version published in “The
Modern Boy” on 13th April 1935 (issue 375). This has a number of additional paragraphs of
conversation. For example, Ginger says
about his father “He thought I was nuts when I told him I wanted to be an
airman, and clipped my ear to knock some sense into me. Then I bolted”. Ginger goes on to say “Bolting from home was
the finest thing I ever did. If I hadn’t I should never have met you chaps, and I should
probably have stayed on in Smettleworth and become a miner like dad. Ugh!
Fancy grubbing about underground when you can fly about it! Not to be thought of, is it?” Whether all the additional passages were cut
for the book publication because they might be thought to be encouraging
children to run away or whether in fact Johns himself never wrote them and they
were added by the editor of “The Modern Boy” is a matter for speculation. We shall almost certainly never know).