BIGGLES GETS HIS MEN

by Captain W. E. Johns

II. DISTANCE FRONTIERS (Pages 23 - 32)

Biggles asks Mayne to tell them all about the country. Hardly any Europeans have been to this region although Chinese and Korean traders do go there. There trade for the hearts, livers, teeth and claws of tigers. The region has a lot of wildlife, it is a spot where the Arctic and tropics bump into each other, says Mayne. The terrain comprises miles and miles of marsh, bog and stagnant water. Grass grows waist deep and there are scores of lakes. The Chinese messenger conveyed that the area was virtually de-populated as a result of locals being forced into slavery to work at the camp. Mayne has a guide with him who was an ex-Russian political prisoner, called Alexis Petroffsky, once a Colonel in the Imperial Russian Army stationed at Vladivostock. He spoke English well but had a weakness for the vodka. Mayne says you can hardly call the local dialect a language. "The Orochons don't talk. They bark at each other like dogs". Mayne suggests they should disguise themselves as Korean merchants, including dying their skin yellow. "In the ordinary way I'm all against dressing up, which has always struck me as theatrical, and usually unnecessary" says Biggles. "But I see your point. If we made ourselves look like people who are commonly seen there we might pass without comment - certainly with less comment than if a bunch of Europeans suddenly arrived on the scene". Biggles decides that two aircraft are necessary, with the Chinese insignia on the wings. A big transport for getting in and out of the country and a small machine for reconnaissance work. They could photograph the surrounding area in order to try to establish where this camp is.