THE RESCUE FLIGHT

by Captain W. E. Johns

XII. CUTTING IT FINE (Pages 144 – 159)

The same evening Major Raymond comes over to give Biggles his assurance that he won’t let him be kept in the dark again about the nature of any passengers. Biggles tells Rip and Thirty privately that as they are not even officers, just “civilians under arms”, the Germans would be quite within their rights to shoot them if they caught them. “During the next five days they visited each of the picking-up points, and without particular incident rescued five British officers, one of whom was an infantry colonel of importance”. “On their next trip everything seemed to go wrong from the beginning”. They had gone to aerodrome C with good reason to suppose that an escaped prisoner was there, but the Bristol’s oil-pressure suddenly went wrong, and Thirty and the others had no alternative but to return. It was corrected in ten minutes and Biggles decided to carry on. Then, on the second attempt an archie burst sent shrapnel into Algy’s engine and he had to return and the other two aircraft went on without him. The two planes are then attacked by three Pfalz Scouts, who soon break off the attack. But all these things delay the mission, so it is broad daylight when they reach their objective. The paper signal is out so Thirty lands only to see two men break for cover. One is an R.F.C. second lieutenant who has been wounded when shot down and the other is an army major. The R.F.C. pilot had been hiding in a ditch, “in order to try to get back through the lines, but seeing two British machines he had, not unnaturally, exposed himself”. Thirty says he can only take one and he will take the wounded man. The major objects and orders Thirty to take him. Thirty threatens to shoot the major with a Very pistol. (The Major stepped back. ‘You’d threaten me?’ he gasped - is the illustration on page 149). “The major burst into a stream of profanity, but Thirty cut him short”. “The major suddenly changed his tune, “Will you come back for me?” he asked”. Thirty offers to come back tomorrow morning, but the major says he killed a sentry to get out. Thirty says he will be back in two hours. Biggles and Thirty fly their respective aircraft back without incident and at the aerodrome Thirty explains to Biggles what happened. Biggles says about the major “They’ll hang him if they get him. Looks as if we shall have to try to fetch him”. Algy’s aircraft has been fixed so he is in a position to come as well. The three planes fly back to the landing-ground and get within five miles of it when they see half a dozen German planes behind them. Biggles signals Thirty to land and Thirty makes a bad landing but luckily the undercarriage of his Bristol is undamaged. The two Camels in the air turn to face the oncoming German planes whilst the major gets onboard the Bristol. As Thirty goes to take off a German Albatros strikes the ground in a sheet of flame immediately in front of him however Thirty swerves out of the way and manages to take off. Thirty flies home and in due course becomes aware of the four Camels of Mahoney’s flight who protect the Bristol from another enemy formation. Thirty lands and the major and Rip get out. Thirty waits for the six other Camels to return but only five do so. These five include Biggles, Algy and Mahoney but Mahoney has lost a man. Thirty looks round for the major they have saved but he had gone. “Nice polite sort of cove,” grinned Algy. “Oh, forget him. Let’s go and get a bit of lunch. I reckon we’ve earned it”.