SERGEANT BIGGLESWORTH C.I.D.

by Captain W. E. Johns

XVI. THE POISON BELT (Pages 155 - 166)

The green of the jungle turns a rusty yellow, the effect of poison gas used to keep natives away. The occasional native skeleton lies in the tangle of undergrowth. Algy notices that Sergeant Mahmud has two hand grenades with him. Arriving at the enemy camp, our heroes find a well camouflaged war time emergency landing base made by the Italian army. The is no exposure runway, as a central building forms a hub and four spokes like aisles radiate from it, covered with camouflage netting. There is an open area like a parade ground but this is strewn with dry branches of sanseviera to disguise it from the air. Biggles intends to sneak into the base but is spotted by a dog which raises the alarm by barking. They immediately come under fire from machine gun and gas cannisters. Biggles throws the two grenades at the main camp and this has the unintended consequence of setting the enemy base alight. Biggles and co. are forced to retreat back to their Tiger Moths and set off on the flight back to Khartoum by which time the fire has really taken hold and smoke can be seen for miles. However, flying back, they are pursued by the two Renkells, the Wolf and the transport, and come under attack. Biggles however, had previously got Bertie to remain high in the Spur patrolling and Bertie dives down on the Wolf and they begin air combat. The transport plane flies away, leaving the Wolf to fight with Bertie alone and Bertie soon gets the better of it and shots the Wolf down. Landing, Biggles finds Scaroni dead and Von Zoyton seriously injured. Bertie lands as well as he has been shot through the upper part of his right thigh. Von Zoyton says that Gontermann, Baumer and Grindler were in the other plane and they are heading for America. Biggles flies Bertie to Khartoum for treatment in the Spur and Algy follows on in one of the Tiger Moths with Von Zoyton. Ginger brings the other Tiger Moth flying solo and (strangely!) Sergeant Mahmud is left to keep the hyenas away from Scaroni's body until an ambulance can be sent out to pick it up.