‘Over £4,000 straight profit on our first year’s operations. That’s after allowing for depreciation on the aircraft, wages, petrol, every jolly thing. Biggles and Co. has quite a healthy surplus at the bank.’ ‘Wages of sin!’ laughed Biggles. ‘Only one thing rather worries me. What are we going to do with all this wealth?’ As Biggles knew quite well, the company had been extremely lucky, thanks in the main to Colonel Raymond’s influence. As something of a reward for the recovery of von Stalhein’s gold — and as replacement for the Supersnipe — he had persuaded the British Government to make an outright gift of the Vickers monoplane to Biggles and Co. It was through Colonel Raymond also that they had been recommended for a number of lucrative operations. The best of these has been the Cronfelt Bullion job (described in detail by Captain Johns in his book Biggles and Co.). This had established the two cousins as couriers extraordinary, fliers entrusted by the banks, diamond dealers and insurance companies to transport valuables around the globe at a moment’s notice, and business had been booming ever since.
