BIGGLES WORKS IT OUT

by Captain W. E. Johns

II. A FRENCHMAN SETS A POSER (Pages 22 – 32)

(At the beginning of the chapter is a small pen and ink illustration entitled ‘Marcel Brissac, the French Air Police’). “The stranger accepted the chair Ginger pulled forward, and a cigarette”. “Your weather I do not like,” he said, as he clicked his lighter. “We don’t like it ourselves,” replied Biggles. “But as it’s dished out to us we have to take it as it comes”. The stranger asks if he speaks with “Capitaine Bigglesworth” and he identifies himself as Marcel Brissac, the French Air Police. “Just you?” Biggles smiled. “Oui, monsieur. Just me”. Biggles says he knew a Charles Brissac of the Escadrille Cigognes a long time ago in France. Marcel says that he was his father and it was his father who suggested he should come to England and make contact with “Beeglesworth”. “First impressions are not necessarily infallible; but they are important, and usually to be trusted. Ginger liked Marcel Brissac on sight”. Biggles and Marcel discuss flying crooks and Marcel says it is his job to stop them. “How are you going to do that?” asks Biggles and Marcel says “You ask me? I come here to ask you”. Marcel takes a sheet of paper from a note book and shows Biggles a sketch of an aircraft – to be precise a Douglas D.C.3. (A footnote tell us that in the RAF it was known as the Dakota). (Between pages 32 and 33 is a colour plate, of Marcel showing Biggles and Bertie the sketch of the plane. On the rear of the plate is the caption “What is this supposed to be?” asked Biggles (see page 25). The sketch shows a twin engine plane fitted with a tricycle under-carriage, which is unusual. Marcel says the sketch was done by his friend Paul Legendre, of the “service Air France”, who works on the African service, between Gao, in the French Sudan, and Algiers. He has seen this aircraft bearing the letter F of France near the Ahagger mountains. Another Air France pilot called Georges Pinsard has also seen the same machine flying to Europe but this time it had carried the letters CS of Portugal. Checks in both France and Portugal reveal no such machine. No airfields have reported it landing. Marcel says they must catch this machine and find out its business. Biggles agrees. Algy suggests they ought to be able to trace the company that sold it through sales records. Biggles says more aircraft have disappeared without trace than is generally realised. “I can think off-hand of nine big machines, including at least on D.C.3, that went out and never came back. Biggles says it would be fairly easy for a group of pilots such as themselves to hijack an aircraft, dispose of the crew and send a signal that they were on fire and coming down. They could then land anywhere and deliver the aircraft to anyone paying them. Biggles suggests they make enquiries about all D.C.3s that have vanished without trace and that Marcel makes discreet enquiries in the aerodromes around the French Sahara. They all then go to the canteen for lunch.