BIGGLES WORKS IT OUT

by Captain W. E. Johns

X. A TRIP TO REMEMBER (Pages 114 – 124)

Algy was in no doubt of what Canton intended to do. He was going to El Asile to kill Bertie. “Bertie, unprepared for anything of the sort, wouldn’t have a chance. Even if he did escape the initial attack, he would have no hope of getting away, for the waterless desert was a more effective barrier than would have been stone walls or iron bars”. Algy decides the best plan to avoid alerting the enemy is to hide in the Douglas aircraft and be onboard when Canton flies to El Asile. Canton gets in and takes off and after half an hour, Algy sneaks up behind him. (This is the scene depicted on the cover of the book). “It would have been a simple matter to hit the fellow on the back of the head and put him out of action with one blow; but, even though Canton was a potential murderer, if not an actual one, it took more callous toughness than he could muster to strike another pilot so foul a blow”. Algy presses his gun between Canton’s shoulder blades and tells him to get out of the seat. Canton looks back and says “So the police Auster was yours”. Canton then kicks the rudder-bar and drags the control column back into his stomach. Algy drops his gun and clings to the seat but is thrown around the cockpit and Canton falls out of his seat. “You fool! yelled Algy. “You’ll kill us both!” Canton’s only reply was a wild, hysterical laugh. Algy gains the pilot’s seat and Canton pulls a gun. The plane stalls and goes down like a bomb. Algy and Canton fight until Algy is able to hit Canton over the head with his automatic. Regaining the pilot’s seat, Algy is able to pull the plane up with less than a hundred feet to the sea below. Getting the aircraft back up to five thousand feet, Algy finds Canton’s revolver and ties his thumbs behind his back using one of Canton’s own shoe laces. Algy is worried that the Plaine de la Crau or the villa may be in radio communication with El Asile. He will have to go there to rescue Bertie. Deciding that he needs to get rid of Canton and try and find Marcel, Algy flies on towards Algiers. He is almost falling asleep at the controls when he is suddenly attacked by an aircraft. Algy looks and sees that the attacking aircraft is a Morane and that it is being flown by Marcel. (Between pages 128 and 129 is a colour plate, of the Morane attacking the D.C.3. On the rear of the plate is the caption “He had hoped to find Marcel. Instead, Marcel had found him (see page 123))”. Marcel signals for Algy to land and Algy comes in to land at Maison Blanche airfield. Algy asks Marcel to get his friends to take care of Canton and for Marcel to come to the canteen so Algy can tell him all about it. “We shall have to work fast. I’m going on to El Asile to get Bertie, but there’s plenty for you to do”.