The Boy Biggles: Captain W.E. Johns

As Johns himself said, any boy growing up would seek adventure and danger, the ones which young Biggles experienced in rural India were substantially different. In this volume of short stories: A Test of Nerve : Twelve year-old Biggles accompanies a skilled shikari to hunt a dangerous man-eating tiger which is threatening the village of Cungit. A Chapter of Adventures: Biggles and his friend Habu set off to deliver some cartridges to a hunter who has stationed himself in a jungle village. This would seem a routine errand - if it were not for the rickety rope bridge they have to cross on the way. More Trouble: Biggles and his friend Habu approach the village of Bandali to deliver some urgently needed cartridges to a hunter who is tracking a wounded leopard. When they meet people running from the village in panic they know something has gone wrong. Death in the Water: Biggles stalks a crocodile which has been giving trouble to a nearby village. The Big Bad Bear: Biggles sets out with Captain John Lovell to hunt a bear which has been harassing a mountain village. On the way, Captain Lovell tells Biggles, prophetically, that bears are unpredictable and he should expected the unexpected. The One That Got Away : Biggles' friend, Sula Dowla, persuades Biggles to come with him to share a chance to make some easy money. Sula refuses to give details, only saying "You'll see." Biggles goes along but, of course, he should have known better. A Sort of Education : Some narrow escapes Biggles has with snakes and a rabid dog. Living Dangerously :While Biggles certainly did not encounter danger every time he went out, trouble did happen and often when least expected. Biggles has a chance encounter with an injured buffalo and he unthinkingly picks up a wild boar piglet - only to find the angry mother nearby. The Thugs: The Thugs of India were members of a fabled secret society of murderers which "made a definite business of India." But Biggles encounters two and gets the better of both. The Black Intruder:Biggles and his friend Habu run into a black panther while trying to collect some wild honey. (However, the title is a misnomer as the panther wasn't 'intruding' anywhere.) A Professor Learns a Lesson: Biggles accompanies Captain Lovell and an American professor to the foothills of the Himalayas with the intention of hunting and creating stuffed specimens of several species of mountain antelope. Predictably, the professor refuses to listen to the advice of either Biggles or the local guides. The Foolish Tiger: While Biggles is out taking a walk, he decides to take a short cut through a patch of wasteland of long grass and thin scrub. There he hears a low growl... The Last Adventure: With three weeks to go before departing for school in England, Biggles seeks out his friends to tell them the news. He meets Sula Dowla and sets off with him towards the jungle to collect an interesting orchid a encounter a leopard which is threatening an old man and his pet goat.