BIGGLES DELIVERS THE GOODS

by Captain W. E. Johns

II. LI CHI OUTLINES HIS PLAN (Pages 14 - 24)

Li Chi explains that he knows the country from Rangoon to Singapore very well. He knows every island off the coast, although there are hundreds and he knows the currents and winds of the Indian Ocean. His father has been executed by the Japanese and now Li Chi wants revenge. Li Chi has been using local natives to collect rubber for some considerable time and now he has some 5,000 tons of it hidden away. A hundred thousand coolies have been secretly tapping the trees and it has come to Li Chi a few pounds here, a few pounds there. Now he wants to give it to the British Government in return for all his past transgressions being forgotten. Air Commodore Raymond has spoken to the treasury and says His Majesty's Government does not accept favours of that sort. They will buy the rubber at an agreed price so the coolies can receive recompense. Li Chi says he knows a reclusive British ex-soldier called Major Marling, who married a native girl and was treated with some contempt, but that he also has significant quantities of rubber he would let the Government have. Li Chi wants Biggles to provide the air transport to move the rubber to India. Raymond adds that at the same time, Biggles could pick up some useful intelligence about what the Japanese are doing in Burma and Malaya. Biggles starts to calculate the number of planes and journeys that will be needed to shift all the rubber across 1200 miles of ocean. Flying boats cannot shift as much as land planes but there are no suitable landing grounds. Li Chi suggests using flying boats at a big lake on Elephant Island. Biggles says he will think it over and get back to Raymond with his proposals in 24 hours. Biggles goes back to his squadron and explains that they are going to be rubber merchants in a big way.