BIGGLES DELIVERS THE GOODS

by Captain W. E. Johns

XIX. THE PACE GROWS FASTER (Pages 160 - 170)

Biggles has a Lightning aircraft patrol in the air from dawn onwards and does the first patrol himself. The "Sumatran" won't be loaded and away until noon but at 10.00 am, the first Liberator arrives from India, flown by Angus, who reports that Bertie, Taffy and "Tax" (obviously this should be "Tex"!) are following. Li Chi tells Biggles that he had been in the "Sumatran's" radio room and taken down various coded messages in Japanese. Biggles gets Li Chi to check the document taken from Victoria Point. There are a number of decoded signals which gives Li Chi the key to decoding the messages he has taken. The information is of great concern. Two battalions of troops - the best part of 2000 - are on their way, under Tamashoa, to attack Elephant Island. Li Chi says the troops will have to come up between a narrow pass between Lakar Island and the mainland, only two to three miles wide. Biggles sends dispatches to India with Algy. They are for transmission to Air Commodore Raymond and they ask for permission to strike at the approaching troop ships and also the stranded destroyers. Li Chi sets off in the "Sumatran" to take the next load of rubber. Major Marling tells Biggles that he and his son intend to return to Shansie to fight a guerilla war against the Japanese there. In due course, Algy returns from India. Biggles' orders are to ignore the destroyers and troop ships and carry on transporting the rubber until forced to evacuate the island by enemy action. There is descent in the Squadron as the orders are criticised but this is quickly quelled by Biggles. "How it looks to you has nothing to do with it, Taffy. How it looks to the High Command is what counts".