THE CAMELS ARE COMING

by W. E. Johns

X. THE DECOY (Pages 141 – 153)

Biggles lands and asks the ground crew if Mr. Batson and Mr. Healy are home yet.

They have been split up in a dog fight. He is told that Healy is home but there is no sign of Batson. Biggles waits and a Camel arrives only to land badly cross-wind. Biggles and the (unnamed) Flight-Sergeant help lift Batson out of the cockpit. “Biggles caught his breath as he saw an ugly red stain on his hand that had supported the wounded pilot’s back”. A dying Batson manages to speak. “My own fault,” he whispered faintly … “I went down – after Rumpler – with green – tail. Thought I’d – be – clever.” He smiled wanly. “Albatroses – waiting – upstairs. It was – trap. They got me – Biggles. I’m going – topsides”. “Get that – Rumpler – for me – Biggles”. “I’ll get him, Batty, I’ll get the swine, never fear,” replied Biggles, his lips trembling. The M.O. (Medical Officer) arrives but it is too late, Batson is dead. Biggles sits alone in the corner of “C” Flight hangar. “The death of Batson had shaken him badly, and he was sick; sick of the war, sick of flying, sick of life itself. What did it matter, anyway, he mused. His turn would come, sooner or later, that was certain”. Biggles decides to fly Batty’s machine until he can fulfil his task of getting the Rumpler. At the end of a week, Biggles is still looking for the Rumpler and every pilot within fifty miles knows of his quest. “The Rumpler had become an obsession with him. For eight hours a day he hunted the sky ……… He was due for leave, but refused to accept it. He fought many battles and, although he hardly bothered to confirm his victories, his score mounted rapidly. His combat reports were brief and contained nothing but the barest facts”. One morning a D.H.9 lands and the observer tells Biggles that they saw the green-tailed Rumpler ten minutes ago, near Talcourt-le-Chateau. Biggles flies there and sees it at 8,000 feet just over its own side of the lines. At 15,000 feet, Biggles sees seven enemy planes in two layers. Three at his height and four a couple of thousand feet higher. Biggles flies up above them all, then dives, like a streak of lightning, through both layers of fighters. He has one chance at the Rumpler and shoots both the observer and the pilot. Two chasing Albatroses spin wildly downwards either as a result of a collision or due to cracking up on the dive. The Rumpler crashes behind the British front-line trench. On Batson’s grave at Lavricourt Cemetery a smashed aeroplane propeller is placed.