BIGGLES SWEEPS THE DESERT

by Captain W. E. Johns

VII. EVENTS AT THE OASIS (Pages 83 - 94)

Back at the oasis Ginger and Henry toss a coin to see who will fly to Karga to report and Henry wins. He asks to use Ginger's Spitfire. A mechanic starts the Spitfire but the German prisoner Hymann hits him over the head with a heavy spanner. Henry receives a similar blow but at least he had his sun helmet on. (There was a brief struggle, and then the spanner came down on Henry’s head with a force that would certainly have split his skull had not the sun helmet taken some of the shock of the blow – is the illustration on page 85). Hymann steals the Spitfire and flies away and, as soon as he can get airborne, Ginger follows him. Of course, it is Hymann who is flying Ginger's Spitfire who is shot down and killed. Ginger chasing after him comes across the Messerschmitt with the blue nose over the enemy aerodrome and attacks it, completely unaware that Biggles is at the controls. Biggles takes evading action rather than fight back, but he is shot down and has to bail out. (It seemed that the Messerschmitt preferred to take evading action rather than fight, for it now did its best to avoid combat – is the illustration on page 91). Heading back to base, Ginger sees the wreck of his Spitfire and also the Whitley. Ginger lands - to the great relief of our heroes who thought he was dead - only to realise that he has just shot down Biggles!