The Sheikh and the Greek

The Sheikh and the Greek is the eleventh short story in the anthology Biggles Flies Again. The story was originally published in the May 1934 edition of Popular Flying. It was then gathered in Biggles Flies Again in 1934. In 1935, the story was reprinted in The Modern Boy issue 383, 8 Jun 1935, under the title "Trickster of the Red Sea".

In Flies Again, this story is preceded by Three Weeks and followed by Yellow Freight.

Synopsis

Biggles, Algy and Smyth have reached Alexandria on their way home. They try to find a buyer for the pearls they received from Li Chi in The Oriental Touch but find that they are cheated. Biggles decides to go after the tricksters and at the same time help the Royal Navy catch a formidable smuggler.

Plot

See the article under René Lafoix for a summary of the plot.

Characters

• Biggles
• Algy Lacey
• Smyth

• Constantine Stampoulos
• René Lafoix also known as Sheikh Abd-el-Ahmud
• Captain Watkins

Aircraft

• Vickers Vandal

Ships

• H.M.S. Scud

Places

Visited

• Alexandria
  • Cafe in the Avenue el Fontana

• Cairo
  • Heliopolis Airfield

• El Tuara

• Azir

Editorial Changes

• Smyth was crouching over a Vickers gun in the rear cockpit. In later editions, the phrase "in the rear cockpit" was dropped.
• 266 Squadron is still mentioned, although it would have made the story sound very old. But they couldn't very well change that, not without finding a more recent stand-in for Watkins.
• "Besides, the Sheikh is famous for his hospitality--wine--beautiful women--". In later editions, it becomes simply "...famous fo his hospitality...." One supposes the editors thought the references to wine and beautiful women were not suitable for Johns' young readers.

References to the past

• Henry Watkins of 266 Squadron was the younger brother of Captain Watkins. Here Biggles tells Captain Watkins that Henry "went west" during the war, an event that probably took place in the short story The Great Arena.

Publication History

• 1934: Popular Flying, May 1934
• 1934: Biggles Flies Again, August 1934 and subsequent editions
• 1935: Modern Boy, No. 383, issue 383, 8 Jun 1935 entitled Trickster of the Red Sea.
• 1938: Reprinted in Air Stories (Annual) edited by Flight Lieutenant (W E Johns), Ace Publishing Co., 1938.