BIGGLES DEFIES THE SWASTIKA

 

by Captain W. E. Johns

 

 

VIII.                         EXPLANATIONS AND DECISIONS  (Pages 130 – 139)

 

Ginger explains that he had been there since last night and he has an aircraft with him.  He offers Biggles some food and Biggles says they can push off home after eating.  “But what about Algy?” asks Ginger, who goes on to explain that Algy has gone to Boda to find Biggles.  Ginger says that Colonel Raymond bought both he and Algy back from France and managed to arrange for them to fly out to a carrier, part of a British force on its way to Norway.  The plan had been to get Biggles to Narvik where he could make a smoke signal and be picked up.  “I didn’t get any message asking me to go to Narvik,” put in Biggles.  That was because the agent at Boda could not find Biggles there.  Algy had gone off to act as a gunner in a Shark aircraft but its engine was shot up and it was forced to land on the fiord and he was taken prisoner.  Ginger thought Algy was a goner when he didn’t return but Algy was picked up by a destroyer after Biggles helped him to escape.  Algy was then returned to their carrier and Ginger had heard the tale of how Biggles inspected the prisoners before helping them to escape.  Raymond had then got a message to Algy and Ginger that if Biggles returned to Boda, which Raymond felt certain he would, Raymond had an agent who would make contact with Biggles and ask him to go to Stavanger and collect information and then go on to Fiord 21.  Raymond suggested Algy and Ginger get an aircraft, wait at Fiord 21 for Biggles and then all fly home together.  Of course, after waiting a while, Algy and Ginger didn’t know if Biggles had got the message or not, so Algy came up with the idea of going to Boda to find Biggles and so make certain of getting him back here.  Algy got an aircraft from the carrier to fly him over Boda and he had bailed out.  Biggles stared aghast.  “But he must have been crazy!”  Ginger shrugged his shoulders.  “He always was, wasn’t he?”  Algy has gone wearing his own uniform with just a German greatcoat over it.  Ginger has heard nothing from Algy since.  “Well, this is a pretty kettle of fish, I must say,” muttered Biggles.  Biggles gives Ginger a brief account of his own adventures.  It was a lot easier for him to get hold of a German aeroplane than it will be for Algy, because Biggles was an officer in the German Air Force and also a member of the Gestapo with a signed pass.  Biggles decides the most important thing is to get the information about Stavanger aerodrome back to Colonel Raymond.  “We can’t allow personal matters to interfere with our Service jobs”.  Biggles tells Ginger to fly home with the information and return the following night.  Biggles will wait where they are for Algy.  If Algy has not arrived by the time Ginger returns, then Ginger will have to fly Biggles to Boda and return to Fiord 21 to wait for them.  Ginger gets in his aircraft, which had been moored on the water close against the rocks and surges down the fiord and disappears into the gloom.