Description:
First Published in March 1968 - 182 pages

This contains thirteen short stories about Biggles' childhood in India. The book has a short prologue called 'A Word in Advance' and a short epilogue called 'In Conclusion'. The book opens when Biggles is roughly 11 years old. His mother is not in the book, nor does it say what happened to her. His father is inattentive at best, absent completely at worst, and the young Biggles is left to his own devices for most of the novel, although adults occassionally step in to act as mentors. Biggles is the only British boy in the district, a remote part of central northern India, and all of his friends are Indian boys. He grows up speaking fluent Hindi (this will help him in the later books) and running about the countryside with a small rifle to defend himself from Tigers, Bears, and the occassional nasty human.

The stories are as follows:-

A TEST OF NERVE

Biggles does the bravest thing in his life in order to save the life of his friend, Captain John Lovell.

A CHAPTER OF ADVENTURES

Biggles saves his friend Habu from death on a collapsing rope bridge.

MORE TROUBLE

Biggles helps to tackle a wounded leopard and a fear crazed elephant.

DEATH IN THE WATER

Biggles saves a young boy from the jaws of a crocodile and later returns to kill it.

THE BIG BAD BEAR

Biggles goes on a bear hunt with Captain John Lovell with some unexpected results.

THE ONE THAT GOT AWAY

Biggles has an encounter with a huge python and breaks a tendon in his calf.

A SORT OF EDUCATION

Biggles saves an Indian girl from a rabid dog when he shoots it.

LIVING DANGEROUSLY

Biggles is charged by a buffalo and trapped in a tree. Later he is charged by a wild boar.

THE THUGS

Biggles saves his friend Sula Dowla from two murderous Indians, members of the thuggee cult.

THE BLACK INTRUDER

A search for honey leads to an encounter with a Black Panther, which Biggles has to shoot.

A PROFESSOR LEARNS A LESSON

Biggles acts as an interpreter for a Professor and has to save his life when he falls off a cliff.

THE FOOLISH TIGER

Biggles is attacked by an injured tiger but fails to kill it. His father and John Lovell hunt it down.

THE LAST ADVENTURE

Biggles saves a man who is attacked by a leopard. Three weeks later he goes to school in England.

There are no story illustrations in this book

The Boy Biggles