BIGGLES SEES IT THROUGH

by Captain W. E. Johns

V. BIGGLES TAKES A TRIP (Pages 75 – 91)

Von Stalhein and two Russian guards enter the following morning. “Well?” was all he said. Biggles says he agrees but he can’t tell him where the papers are as there is no feature of landmark to mark the spot. He’ll have to show him the place and it is about fifty miles away. Biggles confirms that he has von Stalhein’s word that if he hands over the papers, they will be treated as prisoners of war. Biggles is taken to one of the big Russian bombers, handcuffed and escorted by six Russian soldiers. A small hand-sled is loaded with what Biggles supposed to be food and taken with them. They fly back to where the Blenheim crashed and Biggles, not wanting to take them to the real hiding place only a short distance from the crash, takes them up a steep snow-covered slope perhaps a hundred feet high. Beyond the ridge is an even steeper range of hills and Biggles takes them that way. Handicapped as he was by the handcuffs, Biggles sometimes falls and has to be helped to his feet by the Russians. Biggles is puffing and blowing and feigns exhaustion and says he needs to rest. Biggles frequently stumbles but knows that he must not suggest removal of the handcuffs. Biggles slips and slides back down and keeps doing this. Eventually a guard asks von Stalhein for permission to remove the handcuffs and on the face of it there is no real objection as Biggles is one unarmed man amongst seven armed men. Biggles drags himself up a steep slope where the Russians are with the sled. Biggles suddenly punches von Stalhein, grabs a rifle and jumps on the sled and takes off down the snowy slope! (He slammed his right fist against the German’s jaw – is the illustration on page 81). Biggles uses his weight to swerve the sled as the Russians fire at him, but travelling at sixty miles an hour he is hard to hit. “It was the most exciting ride he had ever had in his life, and he made a mental note that he would take up tobogganing when he got too old for flying”. When he comes to a halt, the Russians and von Stalhein are more than a mile away. Biggles returns to the Russian bomber where the pilot has come out to see what the shooting was all about. “Biggles tapped the rifle meaningly, and then pointed to the opposite hill. The pilot took the tip; he was in no position to argue”. “He nodded pleasantly and walked on to meet his comrades”. Biggles returns to the ice where the hiding place of the papers is easily found. The ice is a slightly different colour where it had melted and refrozen. Using the butt of the rifle, he gets the papers out and recovers his automatic at the same time. Biggles gets in the Russian bomber and thinks of flying the papers straight to Helsinki, but he can’t leave his comrades to the tender mercy of von Stalhein. “He knew that none or all must be saved, or the rest of his life would be spent in remorse”. Biggles puts on a parachute that he finds in the bomber and then flies, through driving snow, back to the temporary base and the fort where a searchlight beam is expecting the arrival of the bomber. Biggles knows he can’t land. “With professional skill he adjusted the elevators so that the machine would fly ‘hands off’ on even keel; and opening the emergency tool kit under the seat he took from it a file and a pair of pliars, which he thrust into his jacket pocket”. As he flies over the fort, Biggles bales out, leaving the plane to fly on. He lands on the ramparts of the fort, a flat roof, and then makes his way to above the barred window of the room where his comrades are kept. The window is six foot below the ramparts, so twisting his parachute into a rope; Biggles lowers himself down and looks in through the window.