BIGGLES IN
BORNEO
By Captain W.
E. Johns
X. FEE
WONG COMES BACK (Page
102 - 111)
An intriguing chapter title as there
has been no mention of any character called "Fee Wong" up to this
point! An hour after the Nakajima fighter
leaves, a British machine, an amphibian of the Saro
Cloud type arrives with three officers.
An RAF Wing-Commander, a Chinese man and a Flight-Lieutenant of the
Royal Australian Air Force (the pilot).
Biggles says to Algy "Most Chinamen look alike to me, but I've got
an idea I've seen that chap in the blue nightshirt before. Surely he was one of the people we rescued
from Cotabato?" The Wing-Commander
introduces himself as Crane, Liaison Intelligence in Australia. "What's the idea of bring John Chinaman
back here? I should have thought he'd
seen enough of Borneo". The
Wing-Commander explains that Fee Wong, the Chinese gentleman, was in business
with his brother in the timber business.
He is aware that the Japanese are moving an enormous quantity of rubber
and tin from the western side of the Malayan Peninsula at Penang to the eastern
side in hundreds of barges. The barges
will use the River Limpur. Biggles is asked to fly Fee Wong to Telapur where he will meet with his brother Ah Wong and get
the native Malays and Chinese coolies sabotage the Japanese transports. The barges can't move very far until the
rains come and that is not due for another two weeks. The journey is just within the range of the
Cayman amphibian but Biggles thinks the chances of pretty small of the pilot
getting back, even if he gets there. He
volunteers to do it. "You don't
think I'd ask a junior officer to take on a show like this, do you? I'll go." Ginger asks Algy "Why does Biggles have
to do these jobs himself?". Algy
says "Because, although he wouldn't admit it, he knows just how dangerous
they are, and he's got a curious sort of complex about asking anyone to
undertake a mission that might cost a bloke his life. He finds it easier to do that thing
himself". "I think it's time
we protested" declared Ginger, "One of these days he won't come back
- and then what?" (I wonder if
this line gave W. E. Johns the idea for his next book - Biggles 'Fails to
Return'?). Algy and Ginger ask to be
allowed to go with Biggles and he does allow it. As they board the Cayman plane, Biggles glances at the
setting sun and says he doesn't like the look of the mist forming. "I've got a feeling it means a change of
weather".