BIGGLES
TAKES THE CASE
SOME PROBLEMS
SOLVED BY AIR DETECTIVE-INSPECTOR BIGGLESWORTH, C.I.D., AND HIS AIR POLICE
by Captain W.
E. Johns
First published
March 1952
TITLE PAGE – Page 3 – This page has
a small vignette of the head of a pilot, presumably Biggles. The book contains no frontispiece.
CONTENTS – Page 5
I. SKYWAY
ROBBERY (There
are no chapter numbers) (Pages 7 – 36)
This story was originally published in THE BOY’S BOOK OF ADVENTURE
(1950) by Evans Brothers Ltd and ran from pages 11 to 29 in that book. This story was written in July 1949 as Johns’
literary agent said to Johns in a letter dated 14th July 1949 that
he “read “SKYWAY ROBBERY” last night and like it very much indeed”. This summary also points out the changes
between the original version and the version in this first edition book.
“I’ll come right down, Sir.” Air
Detective-Inspector Bigglesworth, of the Special Air Section, New Scotland
Yard, replaced the receiver of his departmental telephone, and leaving the work
on which he had been engaged with his assistants, walked down a corridor to the
office of his chief, Air Commodore Raymond”.
(In the original story it was “Sergeant Bigglesworth”. Biggles was promoted to “Detective Air-Inspector”
in the opening pages of the book “Another Job for Biggles”, published in
February 1951, so for continuity purposes, his rank had to be changed when this
short story was collected and published in this later book. This story was in fact written in July 1949). Raymond introduces Biggles to His Highness,
Prince Agra Khan, son and heir of the late Rajah of Malliapore. The Prince asks to be called by his first
name. Agra says that due to the “great
changes in India following the withdrawal of British control”, his father
decided to send their most valuable heirlooms, which for the most part
consisted of jewels collected over many years, sometimes centuries, to England
for safe keeping. He chartered an aircraft
from “Transjungle Airways”, registered in the name of a Humphrey Kelly, but the
plane has disappeared, along with five boxes of jewels and Agra believes they
have been stolen. He has reported this
to the police. The Air Commodore has
already been making enquiries. The
chartered plane was an old Lancaster and photographs were taken, when the
jewels were loaded. From these it has
been possible to identify the pilot using the name Kelly as Eustace Braunton, a
former R.A.F. Flight-Lieutenant. With
him was his old mechanic, ex-Corporal Mallings.
Both had been cashiered out of the R.A.F. for black-market and currency
activities. Biggles guesses that
Braunton previously flew Lancasters and served in India. Raymond says he was based at Browshera, some
four hundred miles north of Malliapore and Mallings was a mechanic in his
squadron. Although the jewels
disappeared six months ago, Raymond asks Biggles to find the jewels, or find
Braunton and Mallings. Biggles says “Not
being able to speak Hindustani, Urdu, or any other Indian dialect, I shall need
an interpreter”. (This is strange as
Biggles was born and bought up in India and speaks these languages fluently in
“The Boy Biggles” – but of course that was published years later, in 1968). Biggles agrees to take Agra. In Biggles Takes the Case, the line is
Agra’s face became all smiles. “That’s
the best news I’ve had since the jewels were lost,” he declared. (In the original publication of the story
it was “That’s the best news I’ve heard for a long time” - without any
declaration). Biggles flies a
Wellington to Dum-Dum aerodrome, Calcutta and meets a man called Crane “of the
central control room”, who tells him about sightings of a Lancaster. Crane says he didn’t get to know Braunton
well; “Struck me as a bit of a bouncer” is the line in the Biggles
Takes the Case (whereas in the original story it was, of course, “a bit
of a bounder”). From the
reports, Biggles decides to go and visit the abandoned aerodrome at Browshera,
taking with him Air Constables “Ginger” Hebblethwaite, Algy Lacey, Bertie
Lissie and Prince Agra. (Neither Algy
or Bertie get a line of dialogue in this story). Landing at the abandoned aerodrome, Biggles
and Ginger get out and meet two surly, scruffy white men, near an old and tatty
canvas hangar. Biggles asks the men if
they have any equipment as he wants to check his compass, but he is told that
they don’t. Biggles hints to the men
that the aerodrome is about to be opened up for use again. Biggles taxies his aircraft to a patch of
jungle, creating dust, where Biggles, Ginger and Agra get out and hide. They are sure the two men are Braunton and
Mallings. Algy then flies off, taking
Bertie with him. The men at the
aerodrome were not aware of anybody other than Biggles and Ginger having been
in the Wellington. Hidden in the jungle,
Biggles waits until dark before approaching the old hangar. As they walk through the jungle a leopard
crosses their path (This is the pen and ink illustration at the beginning of
the story on page 8). Biggles says
to Agra “I want you to take off your clothes, tie your shirt round your waist
and do a little scouting”. Agra goes off
and later returns to report the under-carriage of the Lancaster appears to be
broken and the men are trying to repair it.
He heard the two men talking with a third man “speaking with a funny
accent”. They spoke of the plane being
found and if so, it would be known that they had been there and it might be
better to burn it. Agra also heard
machinery buzzing. Waiting in the
jungle, Biggles, Ginger and Agra can hear Braunton and Mallings working on the
Lancaster until well past midnight. The
two men then come out with a torch and go to the old station headquarters where
Agra heard the machinery. They then come
out with a box about three foot long by two feet wide
and eighteen inches deep. The men then
bury this box at the foot of an exceptionally large tree a short way into the
jungle. The next morning, Biggles knows
that Algy will return with their aircraft at eight as that has been
pre-arranged. Biggles and Ginger go to
the old station office and by Biggles pretending to be Braunton, they get
inside. Here they find a Dutchman by the
name of Shrenk who is recutting the stolen jewels. He is arrested. As Algy’s Wellington flies over to land,
Braunton comes running over shouting “Shrenk, get everything out of
sight”. He and Mallings are both
arrested. Braunton offers Biggles half
the loot. “Nothing doing,” said Biggles
icily. “Trying to bribe a police officer
won’t make your case any better”. “You
haven’t a hope of finding it,” sneered Braunton. “I’m not looking for anything,” said Biggles
coldly, “Save your breath”. Leaving the
villains with Algy and Bertie, Biggles, Ginger and Agra go and dig up the box
from the foot of the tree. Breaking the
padlock open with a chisel, they see “such a collection of diamonds, rubies,
emeralds and pearls, that Ginger could only blink in wonder and
admiration”. A week later the Wellington
returns to London. “Braunton and
Mallings received long terms of imprisonment, although Shrenk, who was only an
accessory, got off with a lighter sentence”.
Agra sends four magnificent uncut rubies, one for each of those engaged
in the operation with a letter expressing his thanks and gratitude for the
return of his fortune and extending an open invitation to the Palace at
Malliapore should the course of the special Air Police ever lie in that
direction.