BIGGLES
IN AFRICA
by Captain W.
E. Johns
IV. SINISTER
DEVELOPMENTS (Pages
64 – 84)
“Biggles was the first to speak. “Well, well,” he said in a quiet voice, while
a curious smile spread slowly over his face.
It did not express humour so much as comical surprise. “This is a development that I did not expect,” he added whimsically”. Algy is relieved to hear Marton is
alive. Ginger wonders if he was
kidnapped so somebody could steal his aircraft.
Biggles thinks it best not to tell Marton’s father as that may cause the
boy’s death. Biggles decides to try to
get on friendly terms with Sarda and then pretend to leave and see what he gets
up to. They make a big play of all
getting aboard the aircraft, but when Algy and Ginger take off, Biggles stays
at the back of the hangar. Sarda comes
to investigate the hangar so Biggles has to hide under old sacking. Sarda goes back to his bungalow and Biggles
spends an anxious hour and a half not able to leave the hangar without
revealing his presence. A black-painted
Puss Moth comes in to land and Biggles sees a short,
stockily built man. “That he was not
English was revealed clearly by the way he waved his hands when talking”. This pilot and Sarda go into the rest-house
were Biggles and his friends are staying.
Biggles does not want his kit searched as it contains letters from Mr.
Marton. Biggles goes in after them and
finds the pilot going through his log-book.
He also appears to have given Sarda something. “Can I help you?” Biggles says quietly. Sarda and the pilot jump with surprise. (At the words, both Sarda and the stranger
leapt round as it a gun had been fired - is the illustration on page 73). The pilot says he was just interested to know
who would come to this part of the world.
Biggles introduces himself as “Bigglesworth” and the pilot, who is
French, says he is Leon Leroux and that he flies for Stampoulos of Cairo who have
tobacco plantations nearby. Leroux gets
back into his aeroplane and flies off.
Sarda returns to his bungalow.
Twenty minutes later, Algy and Ginger return. Biggles tells them about Leroux, but says he
is really a pilot called Jean Lazarre.
Biggles recognised him from a newspaper report about him losing his job
with Aeropostale for being drunk on duty.
Biggles says that under the black paint of the Puss Moth, it is ….
“Red,” muttered Ginger succinctly.
“Biggles smiled. “For one of such
tender years your perspicacity approaches the abnormal,” he observed
approvingly”. When Leroux took off,
Biggles saw him fly east, which probably means their base is to the west. Biggles and Algy go to find the telephone
wire leaving Ginger on guard. In the
darkness it takes then nearly two hours.
The wire runs due west. Biggles
and Algy then hear their Dragon aircraft start up. They run back to Ginger only to find his
rifle on the floor and him missing. So
is the aircraft. It has taken off.