BIGGLES – SECRET AGENT

by Captain W. E. Johns

X. VON STALHEIN PLAYS A TRUMP CARD (Pages 160 – 171)

Ginger and Biggles are able to overhear von Stalhein’s conversation with Algy. Algy is being accused of making “an illegal and surreptitious landing in a foreign country”. Algy said he did so because von Stalhein’s gang of thugs signalled for him to do so. Von Stalhein says he was expecting to find his friends who “like you are under arrest”. Von Stalhein says that once he knew Major Bigglesworth was here it did not take long to make enquiries with “those who work for us outside our country” to establish where a British aircraft with a crew of three were operating from a point as near as possible and he simply posted men at all available landing-grounds within a reasonable area around Unterhamstadt. Algy is taken away. Von Stalhein then sends for Beklinder, who, when he arrives, prefers to speak in English. Von Stalhein asks if the Professor has made a small quantity of the mixture in which they are interested. He is shown by the Professor a small round bottle with a yellow oily liquid in and is told that “it is an explosive infinitely more powerful than Linderite”. The Professor says he has been lied to and speaks menacing about the devastation his explosive could do to the castle. He came here to meet his son. Von Stalhein says his son is here and rings to have him bought in. The pseudo-girl from the hotel, now in masculine attire, comes in and runs forward with his arms outstretched to greet his father. The Professor puts the bottle down and von Stalhein is able to quietly take it away from the Professor and put it in his safe. The Professor is returned to his work and his son is returned to where he is being held. Von Stalhein calls in an unterofficier of the storm-troopers to ask if there is any news of the two Englishmen yet, but there is none. Von Stalhein tells him it would be a good thing if they were found soon and for the officer himself. Biggles closes the spy hole and says to Ginger they need to go farther along their secret tunnel before they talk.