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).