BIGGLES AND THE NOBLE LORD

‘The man I want is the top man,’ asserts Biggles, ‘the crafty type we believe to be organizing these raids’. In the hope of getting a lead, Biggles sends Ginger – impersonating an Indian princess – up the Great North Road to Scotland in a Rolls-Royce driven by Bertie, but this brush with the crooks convinces Biggles that he is underestimating the enemy.

by Captain W. E. Johns

First published August 1969

TITLE PAGE – Page 3

CONTENTS – Page 5

I. THE BIG QUESTION (Pages 7 – 14)

‘Take a seat, Bigglesworth,’ greeted Air Commodore Raymond, as his chief operational pilot walked into his office and closed the door behind him. ‘It’s time we had a little chat. Help yourself to cigarettes. We may be some time.’ Raymond says ‘The other day you told me that in your opinion the large-scale criminal activities of the past year were carried out by the same organization; I won’t call it a gang because the way these jobs have been done suggests a more efficient, and a more ambitious set-up.’ Raymond asks Biggles if he still believe there’s a master-mind in the background who does the planning? Biggles does. There have been no slips or blunders in recent raids, which point to careful planning and perfect timing. Biggles speculates it could be a man with a military background, with a staff of highly trained operatives. Biggles wonders what the man does with the loot. Gold is heavy bulky stuff. There must be a risk of him slipping up if he keeps on offending. ‘Given enough rope he may hang himself’ says Biggles. “He’s had enough rope already to do that; but it hasn’t happened yet’ says Raymond. Biggles believes this super-criminal is some sort of crank. “A miser likes his money easily accessible, where he can get to it, count it, and gloat over it in secret.’ Raymond wonders if Biggles will have a go at the case. Biggles questions whether it involves aviation. ‘It might’ says Raymond. Biggles returns to his office, where he finds “his three police-pilot assistances engaged in an acrobatic contest with mini-planes made of folded newspaper, with a paper clip as a power unit to provide the necessary momentum and stability”. Biggles asks his comrades ‘If you had a million pounds in gold, notes and jewels, and wanted to hide it, where would you put it?’ Algy, Ginger and Bertie all have a guess, but Biggles dismisses their suggestions. Biggles says Raymond has invited him to find out where a super-crook is hiding his “ill-gotten nicker”. Biggles says ‘Let’s talk about it’.