BIGGLES GOES TO WAR

by Captain W. E. Johns

XVI. TO DIE AT DAWN (Pages 196 – 208)

“It is my duty to warn you that in the event of resistance my orders are to shoot” says Vilmsky. Vilmsky then asks where Lieutenant Hebblethwaite is? Biggles realises that Ginger is still lying down in the cockpit of the aircraft, so he says how should he know? As the plane is a two-seater, the soldiers are only expecting two airmen and they take Biggles and Algy away. Biggles and Algy confide as they are marched away but Biggles says “If we start a rough house they’ll shoot us”. It takes an hour for cars to take them to a barracks, which is, in fact, a medieval fortress. Biggles and Algy are locked in a stone walled cell with a high iron-barred widow. Biggles then has a chance to tell Algy about his adventures. Algy says that when the snow came, he waited as long as he dared but then had to set off back to their base. On landing, he ran into the trees and smashed a wing-tip, hence his coming back in the two-seater. Algy said he had seen the enemy aircraft with pennants strafing the ground and guessed what was going on. The Count had been dropped off and when Algy last saw him he had started walking up the road towards the city. Algy then returned to collect Biggles and Ginger. Biggles is confident that Ginger will go and find either the Count or Ludwig and let them know that Bethstein is behind their arrest. Vilmsky comes to fetch Biggles and Algy and takes them to a trial by a military Court. The President of the Court is none other than General Bethstein himself. The General asks them what is their nationality. Biggles answers “That is something else you know, but you are likely to know a thundering sight better if you try any monkey tricks and the British Foreign Office gets to hear of it, as it certainly will”. Biggles says he has rescued Count Stanhauser from Lovitzna and the General says he is lying. Biggles says “If there is a liar in this room it is you, you dirty, yellow, double-crossing spy”. The Court finds Biggles and Algy guilty and the General sentences them to be shot at dawn. Biggles and Algy are returned to their cell. Biggles admits to Algy that he has underestimated “that scoundrel’s villainy” and they have never been in a tighter corner. Biggles confesses that there is not much that they can do about it either.