BIGGLES & CO.
Book First Published in April 1936 - 256 pages
This story was first published, in ten parts, as THE GOLD FLYERS
in The Modern Boy, issues
413 to 422, dated 4th January 1936 to 7th March 1936
The dust jacket from the 1938 reprint edition showing an
increased price of 4 shillings. The
original price of the book was 3/6.
CHAPTERS
Click on any chapter for a summary of the events in that chapter or
see the general story summary below
XIII BIGGLES TELLS THE STORY
Biggles
is approached by Paul Cronfelt from a firm of Bullion Brokers called 'Cronfelt
& Carstairs' with a proposition. Cronfelt wants him to set up an airline, a
private venture with the primary object of carrying his companies' freight,
namely gold and jewellery. Biggles is initially reluctant but decides to accept
after receiving a threatening phone call from Germany, warning him not to.
Setting up business with Algy, Ginger and Smyth as mechanic, the company is
called Biggles & Co. The first load of gold Biggles carries is stolen, but
Biggles has replaced the gold with lead. Biggles then reverses his first ruse
to fool the criminals a second time when they try to steal his second load of
gold. Biggles also delivers the third load of gold safely but by now, Algy has
disappeared. Algy has followed the villains in an aeroplane to Germany and been
captured. Biggles is telephoned and told that he must hand over his next
shipment, diamonds due to be delivered to Amsterdam, if he wants Algy back.
Agreeing to meet at Aix-la-Chapelle, Biggles flies over and is captured. His
plane is burnt out with a dead body in and when Ginger, who has been following
him, arrives, he thinks Biggles is dead. Biggles is imprisoned in the turret of
a German castle. Staring out of the window, he is amazed to see Ginger. Ginger
has managed to follow the plane from the field where Biggles' plane was burnt
out. Communicating with Ginger by pretending to sing 'God Save the King',
Ginger is able to climb up and organise Biggles' escape. Taking the opportunity
of looking through a lighted window, Biggles sees the jewels in an empty room.
However, when he climbs in, he finds himself trapped by sudden arrivals. One of
whom is a certain Erich von Stalhein, the efficient German Agent that Biggles
had last seen in Biggles
Flies East. Biggles
manages to escape and find Algy but Ginger is captured. Biggles next sees
Ginger in front of a firing squad. Von Stalhein is going to have him shot!
Biggles surrenders himself to save Ginger. Biggles and Ginger are left alone
with von Stalhein and this allows Algy to climb down a chimney is order to
attack the German from behind. Reaching a car and driving to where Ginger left
his plane, the three comrades manage to escape back to England. At their
aerodrome they find Cronfelt waiting. He is desperate to be flown out of the
country. Biggles is suspicious and the police are called. Cronfelt, who has
stolen his firm's money, runs for it and is shot dead by a certain German who
has just arrived by aeroplane to do the job and who departs by the same plane
just as swiftly.
Click here to see the story illustrations from the original HARDBACK first edition of this book
Biggles & Co.
Publication Details - published by Oxford University Press
The spine and cover illustrations from the original Oxford first
edition
Frontispiece
Click on the above to see it in more detail