BIGGLES AND THE GUN RUNNERS
Book First Published in September 1966 - 182 pages
I believe this Biggles book was never serialised elsewhere. If anybody knows differently then please E-MAIL ME
The first edition dust jacket showing the original price of 10
shillings and 6 pence
Biggles retires from the Air
Police in the hope of being recruited elsewhere. He is hoping to infiltrate a
gun running racket who are believed to be selling guns to rebels in African
countries and helping to provoke civil war. After advertising, Biggles is
approached by a Count Alexander Stavropulos and
offered a generous wage to fly for him. Biggles is taken by plane to Noriovika, a village in northern Greece where the Count has
a private airfield. Here, he is shocked to find Roderick Canson,
a crooked ex-RAF pilot who Biggles has previously seen imprisoned in BIGGLES AND THE BLACK MASK. Luckily, the Count already knows that
Biggles is an ex-policeman so Canson cannot expose
him. Canson and a pilot called Jumbo Brady are sent
on a routine delivery to Africa but a message is later received that their
Constellation plane has crashed in an area known as the Sudd. Biggles is
assigned as co-pilot to Sandy Grant and they are both sent out in a another Constellation aircraft to rescue Canson, Brady and their cargo. On route, Biggles and Sandy
are forced to land by a military plane piloted by Lieutenant I'Nobo of the Congolese Air Force. I'Nobo
searches their plane, finding nothing, but says he has been tipped off that a
Constellation is smuggling guns to rebels in the Congo and he has orders to
stop it. Canson, who has seen the plane come down,
makes his way to them and tells Biggles that his Constellation was also forced
down, but has not yet been found by the Congolese Army. Biggles, Sandy and Canson return to Canson's
Constellation aircraft. Canson is adamant that his
cargo is farm machinery and he is astonished to find it is actually guns when
Biggles opens the crates up. The guns are hidden in the surrounding bush, as to
be found with them would mean death for all of them. During the night, Canson returns to Biggles' aircraft and steals it to
escape, leaving Biggles and Sandy stranded with the original Constellation
which is bogged down and can't be flown. Canson gets
his comeuppance when I'Nobo shoots him down in
flames, an event shown on the dust cover of the book. Brady returns to join the
party, having been away seeking help. He is followed by Sergeant Ducard of the Congolese Army, with whom Biggles soon falls
out. Lieutenant I'Nobo arrives just in time to stop
trouble. Ducard and his men leave, but then one of
them, called Christmas, deserts, to escape from Ducard
and join Biggles and the others. This brings Ducard
back and another dangerous confrontation is only avoided by the timely arrival
of Algy and Ginger. They have come out to the Congo with the Count, who is
trying to sort out what is happening with his planes. He truly has no knowledge
of any smuggling as he received the items for delivery ready packed and the
Greek Government set a trap for the real culprits behind the smuggling
operation.
There are no story illustrations in this book
Biggles and the Gun Runners
Publication Details - published by Brockhampton
Press
Frontispiece
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