BIGGLES PRESSES ON

More Adventures of Biggles and the Special Air Police

by Captain W. E. Johns

First published 20^th January 1958

TITLE PAGE – Page 1

CONTENTS – Page 3

ILLUSTRATIONS – Page 5 – (six illustrations by Stead, with one as the frontispiece and the other five facing pages 16, 64, 80, 128 and 144)

I. THE CASE OF THE MAN ON A SPOT (Pages 7 – 25)

“Biggles walked into the Air Police operations rooms, sat down at his desk and lit a cigarette”. Biggles says he has been having a word with the C.O. and “He’s involved in some exceptionally dirty jiggery-pokery”. Biggles says hints have been dropped implying the inefficiency of their department that allowed the business to come about. Biggles explains to Algy, Bertie and Ginger “It’s being said that secret flights have been made between this country and the Continent”. Biggles adds “It’s all very well to tell us to stop it. How can you stop a plane in the air? If I wanted to snoop into this country after dark who could stop me?” A slow smile spread over Biggles’ face. “In fact, we’ve done a bit of that sort of thing ourselves, and got away with it, in spite of guns and searchlights”. Biggles explains the problem. “As you know, quite a number of political refugees from behind the Iron Curtain have in recent years found sanctuary in this country. Some have gained British nationality. The countries concerned “say to the man who has bolted, unless you come back we shall send your parents, your wife, your brothers and sisters, to a concentration camp and you’ll never see them or hear of them again”. “What stinkers they must be,” growled Bertie. “It’s about the foulest form of blackmail imaginable,” agreed Biggles. This is being done at the moment to a man, who is a Pole named Ludwig Steffans, who came to Britain five years ago, was granted asylum and settled down. Later he obtained naturalization and married an English girl. He knew England as he had served in the Free Polish Air Force during the war. “It seems he knew some inside facts which he could support with documentary evidence. Actually, he had no relations to worry about; but he let it be known to the Communist bosses in Poland that he had written his story, although it would remain unpublished while they left him alone. That’s a dangerous game, as Steffans has now discovered”. Changes in the Polish Communist Party meant that Steffans held documents that could reveal one of the rulers to be a crook and a fraud. “Naturally, this man could have no peace of mind while Steffans held such incriminating papers”. “What the fellow in Poland has done is grab Steffans’ wife. She is now in Poland, and Steffans has been told that unless he hands over the papers he can say good-bye to here. Question. What does Steffans do about it?” He can’t hand over the papers as he will be “bumped off”. It is thought that Helen Steffans was smuggled out in a private plane. Algy asks where does Steffans live and what does he do? “He’s a farm worker. He lives in a cottage near the farm, at a little place on the Suffolk coast called Hollesey (a genuine place). His wife had gone into town to do some shopping and didn’t come back. A visitor later arrived to inform Steffans that she was safe behind the Iron Curtain. Steffans reported the matter. The British, through diplomatic channels demanded her back, but “They said they didn’t know what the British Government was talking about”. “The rats,” grated Algy. “Calling them names won’t get Mrs Steffans back,” said Biggles. As it is a Sunday, Biggles decides to run down in the car to speak with Steffans. “A couple of hours or so should see us there. Let’s press on”. (Which presumably is where the title BIGGLES PRESSES ON comes from for this collection of short stories).

“It was a typically quiet Sunday afternoon in autumn when the police car, having stopped at Ipswich to allow those in it to have some lunch, cruised on via Woodbridge to Hollesey, the place nearest to the farm where Steffans worked. (Those are all real places and the correct route). Biggles finds it hard to find the house, but he asks a trio of American service men “out for an afternoon stroll from a maintenance depot where they were stationed” who were able to direct him. Parking the car, Biggles and Ginger got out, leaving Algy and Bertie in the car. “There’s no need for us to descend on Steffans like an army,” Biggles told Algy. “You two waffle along and have a look at the landscape for possible landing grounds. When you come back wait here for us to join you”. Biggles and Ginger go to the cottage and find the door open. A man comes to the door. “He was a good-looking fellow but his face was pale and drawn with anxiety; and his eyes were heavy from lack of sleep”. “Yes. What is it?” he asked, speaking with a pronounced accent. Biggles shows his police pass and explains they are police officers from Scotland Yard. “We know about your trouble. I’d like to have a word with you about it”. Biggles explains some American service men told them where he lived. Steffans says that his wife, Helen, used to work in their canteen. Steffans thinks his wife was flown away. He heard a plane on the night she was abducted, but thought nothing of it at the time. The men who came to see him came by car. “They are coming back to-night for my final answer. Either I give them what they want or it’s good-bye to my wife”. “Have you decided what you are going to do?” asks Biggles. “Yes. I am going to shoot them”. Steffans spoke quite calmly. He had a loaded twelve-bore shotgun. “Now you listen to me, Steffans,” said Biggles seriously. “I know exactly how you must feel, but shooting these men isn’t going to help anybody – least of all your wife. Before you do anything desperate at least give me a chance to do something”. Biggles persuades Steffans to tell him where the papers are. They are in the house. Biggles asks to have them. He plans to copy them and return them so they can be given for the return of the wife. Biggles says he will be with Steffans the following night and “Leave the talking to me”. Steffans looked relieved. “You don’t know what it means to have someone to help me in this awful dilemma”. “I think I do,” replied Biggles, quietly. Biggles is given the papers and he goes outside with Ginger, to find Algy and Bertie. Algy reports that you can land an aircraft almost anywhere, but there’s one place ready-made, less than a mile away. Biggles gives Algy the envelope. Biggles and Ginger return to Steffans. Biggles asks if the expected visitors speak English and he is told they do, as they are from the London office. In due course, two men come to the house and speak to Steffans “in a foreign language” (presumably Polish?). “Speak English,” requested Biggles curtly. Biggles tells the men he is acting on behalf of Mr Steffans. “He is willing to give you what you want if you bring back his wife”. Biggles says they shall have the papers when they bring her there. “It will take time to fetch her. She is not here" he is told. “It’ll take time to fetch the papers. They’re not here, either. How long will it take to fetch Mrs Steffans?” he replies. Biggles is told “Twenty-four hours” and they all arrange to meet the following night at nine o’clock. Biggles tells the two men “If Mrs Steffans isn’t here, in this room, by nine o’clock tomorrow night the contents of the papers will be on the front page of every London newspaper in the morning”. The men leave. Steffans’ face was as white as chalk. “I would never have dared to talk to them like that,” he said in a weak voice. “I don’t mince words with that sort of reptile” said Biggles. Biggles says he will be back the following evening and he and Ginger leave to go and meet Algy and Bertie with the car. “And you say there’s nothing we can do to these rats, old boy?” muttered Bertie disgustedly, after Biggles has explained things. “While they have diplomatic immunity they’re untouchable. All the British government can do is ask for their withdrawal from England. That’s politics”. A mile along the road is the entrance to the American camp. Biggles sees some troops lounging around and he gets out to have a word with them. “When he returned he offered no explanation beyond saying they might be useful allies in the event of his plans going wrong. And with that he drove on”.

“The following evening, at about half past eight, with dusk dimming the scene, the car came to a stop at the top of the track that gave access to Steffans’ cottage. Biggles and Ginger got out”. Algy and Bertie are left in the car with instructions to deal with the plane once Mrs Steffans has been produced. “Be careful” cautions Biggles. “We don’t want any shooting unless it’s absolutely unavoidable”. Biggles and Ginger walk down to meet an agitated Steffans. In half an hour a car arrives. Shortly after, one of the two men from the night before comes into the house. Biggles says he can have the papers when Mrs Steffans is in the room. Ten minutes pass before they hear the drone of an aircraft. Another ten minutes drag past, then there hear the sound of a car and a car door slam. A young woman appears in the doorway with a man either side of her. “Seeing her husband she tore herself free and rushed to him”. “There is the woman,” said the man who had waited, in a harsh voice. “Now give me the papers”. Biggles hands them over. The man turns to go. “Just a moment,” said Biggles, “and Ginger stiffened in anticipation of what he knew was coming”. “In case you ever contemplate a repetition of this outrage there is one thing you ought to know,” went on Biggles, evenly. “I have carried out my part of the bargain. You wanted certain papers. You have them. But in my office in London, at Scotland Yard, there are photographic copies. While you leave these people in peace you have my word for it that they will remain there. But should you ever again interfere with Mr Steffans or his wife I shall hand these copies to the press”. Silence, brittle with tension, fell. The man rasps “You have cheated” furiously. “That, coming from you, making your living by terrorism, would make a fox laugh,” stated Biggles coldly. “You’re now the man on the spot. I’ll make a suggestion that may save your scalp”. Biggles says that only the people in the room know about the photos. If the men don’t talk about the photos, they won’t either. Biggles then singles out the pilot who flew Mrs Steffans in and says “You better go to London with your accomplices. It’s no use going back to the plane. You won’t find it there. You made an illegal entry into this country. It suited me to let you come in. But I’ve seen to it that you don’t go out the same way. That’s all”. The men leave. Steffans watches them go and reports a fire over on the marshes. “That’ll be the plane,” said Biggles calmly. At the top of the track comes an uproar that sounded like a battle. Biggles grinned. “Oh, I forgot to mention that on my way home last night I told some Americans about your wife being abducted by Communists, and why. Having some regard for her, since she served in their canteen, they took a dim view of it”. Steffans wonders what will happen if the man tells his boss about the photos. Biggles says he won’t. “He knows as well as anyone that the men who hold the strings of the Iron Curtain are as merciless to their employees, when they bungle things, as they are to their enemies. Biggles and Ginger leave and meet Algy and Bertie “looking at the wreck of another car upside down on the edge of the pond”. “What’s been going on here?” demanded Algy. (“What’s been going on here? demanded Algy (page 24)” is the illustration opposite page 16). “It looks as if the United Nations have been taking it out of somebody,” answered Biggles vaguely, gazing at the car, a flattened hat and a broken pair of spectacles. “Let’s get out of this before someone comes along asking awkward questions. We’ve done our good deed for the day so I don’t feel like giving a lift to a bunch of ruffians who appear to have lost their transport”. “Absolutely, old boy,” agreed Bertie warmly. “I’m with you there, every time. Let the blighters walk home”.