THE RESCUE FLIGHT

by Captain W. E. Johns

XVI. ‘CAPTAIN FORSYTH OF THE BUFFS’ (Pages 200 – 210)

“The minutes passed, the sky growing brighter, but still there came no comforting drone of aero-engines from the west”. Thirty is getting hungry and decides to go and get a hidden food package from the hedge near the corner of the wood. At such an early hour with no one around, Thirty is happy to just stroll along and when he rounds a tall growth of bracken he is astonished to walk straight into a German soldier. The soldier is eating bread and sausage from a paper bag. Thirty is in his British uniform and can’t believe it when the German offers him some food. “Thirty found enough strength to shake his head. ‘Danke’, he mumbled mechanically”. Twenty yards along there is another German soldier who merely nods pleasantly at him. Thirty turns around and walks back and tells Rip and Forsyth what he has seen. “He’s pulling our legs,” smiled Forsyth. They hear the sound of an aircraft engine, which Thirty recognises as a Beardmore engine. Thirty says Biggles “must have got hold of a Fee” (F.E.2D – a two-seater). Thirty says he will light a fire to warn Biggles off. “Forsyth ran a few paces along the hedge. “What are you talking about?” he asked gruffly. “There isn’t a soul in sight”. Forsyth says it is just nerves. “I’ve had that happen to me more than once. Fellows in the trenches are always shooting at Huns that don’t exist”. “You may be right,” returned Thirty, now seriously beginning to wonder if he had been a victim of a hallucination”. In the sky they see two Camels and two Fees. The two Fees land and the pilots are strangers to Thirty. Forsyth gets in one and Thirty sits on his lap. Rip gets in the other. Both planes take off and they are all able to fly back towards the Lines without seeing any enemy aircraft. In due course they see Mahoney with six Camels who has come some distance over the Lines to meet them. They land back at their aerodrome and the two night flying Fee pilots go and get some breakfast. Thirty introduces Biggles to Forsyth. Biggles explains that after the storm he organised the Fees from 100 Squadron by ringing Shorty Grimsdon. Thirty goes to ring Raymond to tell him that everything went O.K. and then he rejoins Biggles, who is now in the office. Forsyth says he should be getting along but Thirty says he has to stay. “What do you mean?” “You’ll sit where you are, that’s what I mean”, grated Thirty. (‘You’ll sit where you are, that’s what I mean’, grated Thirty - is the illustration on page 31). There was dead silence. Every one in the room stiffened. In Thirty’s hand was an automatic, its muzzle pointing unwaveringly to Forsyth’s chest”.