BIGGLES FOREIGN LEGIONNAIRE

by Captain W. E. Johns

XVI. A STRANGE ALLIANCE (Pages 178 – 186)

“Those in the castle has watched the Dragon disappear over the horizon with sinking hopes”. The Kurds pack up the fruits of their victory and some of them on both foot and horse come and view the castle, taking care to keep out of range. Biggles remarked: “The choice is between trying to winkle us out or leaving us to stew in our own juice. They know we can’t get away”. Some of the Kurds take up positions on the hills “where they sat like vultures waiting for a stricken beast to die”. Biggles asks von Stalhein what he wants to do and he says “Let’s go out and kill some of those swine. I do not like the idea of sitting still waiting to die. Let’s make it quick”. Biggles says von Stalhein can go if he wants but he, Biggles will stay in the castle. The other men agree with Biggles. “Von Stalhein bowed to the decision of the majority”. Biggles says they will post guards and all take turns on guard duty. Biggles drew the first watch. Ginger awakes later and sees von Stalhein, who had the last watch, “squatting like a graven image (graven means carved or sculpted) in the doorway overlooking the bridge, his back to the room”. A feeling grows on Ginger that all is not well and he hears a slight rustle. “Suddenly his eyes switched. They came to rest on the narrow entrance to the spiral stairway that gave access to the upper storeys. Had something moved there or was it his imagination?” Ginger gets his Luger and points it. A man appears at the entrance and Ginger shoots him as he shouts out an alarm, “Look out! They’re here!” Von Stalhein gets another man to watch the bridge and comes to investigate with Biggles. Ginger thinks there may have been another man behind the man he shot. Von Stalhein offers to go up to investigate but Biggles says they are few enough as it is. The dead Kurd has a fully loaded Luger which von Stalhein takes. He then drags the body to the outer doorway and flings it out. “There was something about the action that fascinated Ginger, although it appalled him. In it, he thought, was revealed the difference between the Prussian and Biggles. Somehow he couldn’t imagine Biggles doing that. Yet von Stalhein was fully justified. The man had come to kill them. Instead, he himself has been killed. It was desirable, if not essential, to dispose of the body, for in such heat it would some become unpleasant. Von Stalhein had disposed of it by the only method possible, yet there was something about the way he did it that betrayed that streak of ruthlessness for which a certain type of Prussian is notorious”. Now he has a fully loaded gun, Von Stalhein shoots at an Arab outside and Biggles tells him to come inside as he is drawing their fire and one man less will make no difference to the Arabs but a big difference to them. “So that is why you invited us in,” sneered von Stalhein. Biggles face hardened. “Listen, Hauptmann von Stalhein,” he said stiffly. “I have never seen any reason to regard you with affection but I have never expressed a wish to see you dead. You are at liberty to stay here or go outside, as you wish; you can go to the devil as far as I’m concerned; but while you chose to stay here you will take orders from me”. Von Stalhein clicked his heels and bowed. Time passes. After a while von Stalhein said: “Excuse me, Bigglesworth; what are we waiting for?” Biggles says there is a remote chance they may be relieved by his two friends. In due course they hear the drone of aircraft and six machines arrive. They are Harts of the Iraqi Air Force. (The Hawker Hart was a British two-seater biplane light bomber aircraft that saw service with the Royal Air Force. It was introduced in 1930 and retired in 1943. The Hart was a prominent British aircraft in the inter-war period). The aircraft bomb and machine gun the Kurds. “Occasionally through the dust Ginger could see Kurds galloping towards the shelter of their mountains”. The Harts fly off and the Dragon aircraft reappears, landing in the valley as three armoured cars roll up. Everyone in the castle leaves and goes to meet the new arrivals. “If Ginger was astonished to see the Air-Commodore it was no more than that of the others when they saw von Stalhein, as their expressions made apparent. Ginger realised, of course, that the rescue party didn’t expect to find any of them alive; as in fact they were saying a few minutes later”. Biggles asks for a cigarette. The Air-Commodore pulled out his case. After Biggles has taken a cigarette the Air-Commodore offered the case to von Stalhein with the remark: “This is something I never expected to do”. “And this, sir,” answered von Stalhein without a smile as he took a cigarette, “is something I never expected to do”. “I think we’d better get along to Baghdad,” stated the Air-Commodore. “There will be a lot of explaining to be done”.