Gimlet Goes Again
Haven't posted one of these for a while, but have been newly enthused by the approach of Yuletide (I'm well aware that I'm unlikely to get Gimlet-fic, but still...). So, for your delectation, and my potential fic-writing convenience, let's attack...
Gimlet Goes Again (1944)
which I have in a beautiful first edition with dust jacket. *snuggles lovely book*
Plot
The British forces receive a signal from the 'Grey fleas of the North' (see King of the Commandos), and Gimlet and Cub parachute into France, while Trapper and Copper man a motor-boat just off the coast for a speedy-getaway. However, it looks like they're going to be stuck in France for a while - Jacques Catron, a leading member of the French Underground who was meant to be meeting a British agent that evening in Caen, has been killed by the Nazis, who plan to have an agent of their own infiltrate the meeting and thus expose the network of British agents. This obviously Cannot Be Allowed. So Cub borrows some civvies from the Fleas, Gimlet pinches the dead man's clothes (O.o pardon?), and they set out for Caen.
Our Heroes keep Catron's appointment in a restaurant, and are contacted by the British agent ('Numero Neuf'. Numero for short. *headdesk*), who is somewhat unexpectedly under-cover as a German officer. He is worried that the vital information Catron was carrying died with him, but has to return to England that night. Despite Gimlet's protestations that he's a solider, not a spy, he's recruited to make contact with the French Underground in Paris. Gimlet and Cub go to Paris on the train, with the slight entertainment en route wherein they get threatened by one of the other passengers in their carriage (who turns out to be with the gestapo), who is then shot by the other (who turns out to be with the French Underground.) Our Heroes frankly are seeming oddly hapless at present.
This impression is not exactly dispelled when Gimlet goes to meet the Underground contact, leaving Cub outside the house, and finds that the Gestapo have got here first. Fortunately, Cub, with the aid of our Shooty Friend from the train, is able to knock out the driver of the prison van, steal the van with the prisoners inside it, and drive it to the local Underground headquarters. Good work, that reader-avatar. Gimlet and Cub are escourted through the sewers to the Underground (ha!) headquarters, and at last the plot is revealed. The Damned Ratzis are keeping British POWs in a prime bomber target, a Renault factory which has been turned over to the production of aeroplane engines. A complicated plan is sketched out, which I won't bore you with the details of, but involves the bombers taking out the factory while the British prisoners make their escapes on bicycles in a mini-nocturnal Tour de France, which is needless to say *awesome*.
Gimlet is dispatched back for England to make the details of the plan known to Higher Command (and incidentally meeting on the way yet *another* unexpectedly-upper-class-British-intelligence-agent-dressed-as-a-German-soldier), but is met in Caen by Copper (congratulations on your first appearance this book, Mr Extraneous Cockney bloke!), Trapper and good ol' Numero, who incidentally turns out to be General Sir Saxon Craig, Assistant Director of MI5. Wow, I hope the assistant director of MI5 *does* buzz back and forth into occupied territory in situations like this. Gives one *such* a positive view of the professionalism of the service. Gimlet explains about the factory and the prisoners, but makes the suggestion that he and the freed prisoners should set a few judicious explosions at the nearby German aerodrome of Rambours, and then get picked up there by British planes (hmmm, can you guess who'll be piloting those yet?).
Our Heroes set off for Paris again to liaise with the Underground, on the way running into and capturing our old friend the German agent. Unfortunately, the a reception committee of Nazis is waiting for the train in Paris, so it's out with the grenades and the sten guns for a bit of old fashioned commando action. Our Heroes escape and meet up again with the leaders of the Underground, but find out on questioning the German agent that the Nazi are suspicious about the nocturnal Tour de France (no shit, guys. Cunning, these Nazis.) and are going to set up a check-point en route. So, Gimlet-tachi are going to have to find a car and get there before them with some Guns And Bombs, in true Gimlet fashion.
The night of the raid. Gimlet and co. get into the factory/POW camp through an Underground tunnel (ha! that joke doesn't get old.), polish off a sentry or two, free the prisoners, lob a few grenades into the experimental laboratory ('"Blimey sir, what a beauty! What did you put in that one?"' - Copper, on the subject of exploding labs), steal a car, and then find their escape-route through the tunnel cut off and have to shoot their way out through the main gates just as the bombs start to drop. Which leads to Gimlet driving a Nazi staff-car on two wheels through a full-scale bombing raid. SO MUCH JOY. I think Gimlet may have been having the time of his life, though sadly there is no 'tally-ho'ing or the like, so one can't be sure. Copper seemed to enjoy himself too.
Our Heroes take out the Nazi check-point by the simple expedient of Cunning (rather than the usual Liberal Application Of Force), viz. Gimlet stopping at a phone-box, telephoning the commander of the check-point, and telling him it's been called off because of the raid. Because that makes sense. Still, it seems to work, and the Cycling Commandos get through. Biggles & Co drop off some parcels of guns, ammo, grenades, and also ham and cheese, because they're great big softies, and the Commandos set out for the aerodrome. Which they naturally proceed to bomb, blow-up, shoot, and generally cause as much havoc as possible. Biggles & Co arrive with the troop-transport planes, ferry them back to England, Cub tells Copper to get a haircut, burds sing, and fotherington-thomas skips around like a wet saing 'i do not give two pins, only nature is beutiful.' End.
Lines to cherish
p.55: [Gestapo agent] "Lying swine!"
"You know your name," sneered Gimlet.
I...what? That was totally a 'you know you are, you said you are, so what am I then' moment, wasn't it? Gimlet, you're such a child...
p.63: 'Cub stopped, smiling at the German half sheepishly, half cheekily. "Good morning, Herr Hauptmann," he greet confidently, for this was a game the Fleas had often played. "Do I observe that you are collecting more material for the firing squad?"
The German threw him a surly, suspicious look, as if not sure how to take this sally. "Yes," he growled. "And if you give me any of your sauce I'll put you in with them."
"Oh la la!" cried Cub, affecting horror. "How about a cigarette to smoke your health?" he suggested rogueishly.
"Nein."
"Then the health of the Fuehrer?"
"I'll give you a clip over the ear if you don't take yourself off."
"So! I've been promised that before, but no one has been able to do it," scoffed Cub, provokingly.
...is Cub *flirting* with that German officer? *blink*
A few that really go together as a set:
p.76: [Gimlet, on entering the Paris sewers] "I hope it isn't going to be a messy business..."
p.87: [Gimlet, on getting into a rather mucky barge] "This business gets dirtier and dirtier," remarked Gimlet in a voice heavy with disgust.
p.96: [Gimlet, suggesting that they capture a German aerodrome] "I like the idea of using a German landing field. It would give the show a more stylish finish than lying in some stinking ditch, round some dirty meadow, getting our clothes all messed up - you know how it is?"
p.119 + 121: [Gimlet, having tussled with a Nazi in a goods-station] His uniform was filthy. His collar was twisted round the back of his neck. Hatless, his hair was plastered on his forehead with sweat. His face was black with the greasy grime of the quay.
"Disgusting business," snarled Gimlet.'
..."Get yourselves tied up. I've asked Dominique to arrange for baths." He walked away.
Copper buried his face in his hands. "Knock me over with a blanket," he pleaded. "Did yer 'ear that, mates? We blind our way into Paris, and all he can think to ask for is baths. Baths on the brain, that's what he's got. Next thing he'll be tellin' us ter go out and get an 'air cut."
p.184: [Gimlet, on arriving back in England after the rather stressful raid] '"Dinners are waiting, so get yourselves cleaned up and washed."
"This everlastin' washin'," muttered Copper.'
*hugs Gimlet very hard* I love Gimlet's fastidiousness, I do :D
p.83: '"I must say that the idea of a hundred British troops riding out of Paris on bicycles under the noses of the Nazis fills me with joy," stated Gimlet.'
Me too, Lorry old man. Me too.
p.89: 'Cub looked at Gimlet and back at the German. To his utter and complete amazement - although by this time he suspected the truth - the German deliberately winked. The idea of a German winking struck him as so incongruous that for a second or two he could only stare. Then, to cap all, the German said, in a casual voice, in perfect English, "Do either of you fellows happen to have a cigarette on you? I've run out."
Gimlet took out his case. There were six cigarettes in it. "Take the lot," he invited. "I hope to be where there are plenty, before dawn."
"Lucky devils. I may be here for weeks," murmured the man in German uniform, taking three of the cigarettes. "If you'll excuse me now I'll snatch forty winks. It's some time since I had any sleep." He curled up in a corner, and lighting a cigarette inhaled the smoke with infinite relish.
Gimlet found a seat on a crate. He looked at Cub and smiled. "Takes all sorts to make a war," he remarked.'
I love the preponderance of faintly silly-ass British intelligence agents in these books. I kinda wish this one could have gone to school with Gimlet too. And Bertie, and Freddie. Because the massive school-boy high-jinks stories would have been *so much fun*.
p.111: '"If my old Ma could see me now, she'd say - "
"It serves you right," concluded Gimlet.
"That's it, sir. 'Ow did yer know?"
"Mothers all say that," returned Gimlet evenly.'
*pets*
p.179: Okay, 'cherished' is probably the wrong gerundive here. 'Feared' might be closer to the mark.
'The buildings were an inferno. Cub, although he knew that success had crowned their efforts, was appalled by the fearful spectacle presented. Gimlet was watching, apparently unconcerned. The reserve troops had moved up to see what was going on. Some were muttering.
Gimlet turned and spoke to them. "Sorry, you fellows. I know it's hard to watch the fun without taking a hand, but that's how it is."'
To be read any time you forget that Gimlet is a scary bastard.
p.182: '"By the way, is Bertie Lissie with you?"
"Yes, but he's in a hurry to get back - got a foxhound bitch due to whelp to-night, and won't trust the vet to handle it."
"Quite right. If the bitch knows him she'll probably do better than with a stranger. Tell him I hope he gets some nice pups."
"You'll probably see him yourself when we get back."
"I might give him a hand."
"He'd be glad, I'm sure."
"We shall need the pups. Be pretty sickening, by gad, if after all this sweat there was no huntin'."
Copper nudged Cub. "Blinkin' marvellous, ain't it? Foxhound pups. That's all they think about. How's yer horses? What's the fishin' like? Strike me puce! One day they'll wake up with a jerk and discover there's a war on."'
And that, by contrast, is to be read every time you remember that Gimlet is a scary bastard, and need to be reminded that he is also AWESOME. Also, this raises the possibility of canonical Gimlet + Bertie + PUPPIES, which I would give my eye teeth to read.
Notes
p.136: It seems that Gimlet speaks fluent German with an accent good enough to fool a native speaker. *love*.
p.177: So, in the Johns-iverse, Gimlet was definitely in command of one of the units in the Dieppe Raid. Cripes.
p.156 + 177: Two commandos in Gimlet's unit were thought dead at Dieppe but are discovered to be among the POWs - Shorty Hughes (so Welsh he even ends his sentences 'look you', hurrah; seems to be particularly friendly with Copper) and Corporal Miles (who '"got too far and couldn't get back"' at Dieppe, and seems by his speech patterns to be a Nice Upper / Upper-Middle Class Boy.)
Body count - still unnerved about the need for this subheading.
p.2: A new record! Random German soldier, shot by Gimlet just after he and Cub land in France.
p.46: A gestapo agent, shot by someone who *isn't one of Gimlet's team*, which is novel.
p.117-9: Unknown number of Germans, French and German-collaborators killed in the scuffle in the train station.
p.135: German sentry, shot by Trapper's bow and arrow.
p.150-53: Unknown number of Germans killed in the air raid on the Renault factory.
p.164: Leading Nazi Bloke + another officer, shot by Gimlet and Trapper in a scuffle.
p.178-83: Unknown number of Germans killed by the Commandos in their attack on the aerodrome.
Conclusions
Quite good fun, generally, though sadly the preponderance of Plot meant that Gimlet was rather more Biggles-like than he should have been. No blue silk bathing trunks here, curses. Though I did adore the increasing emphasis on his hatred for dirt. A much better, more unified plot than King of the Commandos, though there was a certain amount of tedious to-ing and fro-ing between Paris and Caen which made it feel oddly like The War Games in places.
Copper got given a fair amount of dialogue this book, especially considering the low page-count of his appearances; your mileage may vary on whether or not you think that's a good thing. Trapper had *nothing to do whatsoever*, which doesn't surprise me in the least, as Johns clearly doesn't have a clue what he's there for, except to shoot sentries with his bow and arrows when they need to be disposed of in a Silent And Cool Way. He doesn't even get any decent dialogue - one slightly bantering speech halfway through, and apart from that just a series of 'I'll say you're right!'s to Copper, which as catch-phrases go is slightly pathetic. Cub again veers slightly oddly between seasoned-undercover-agent-veteren and kid-who's-still-alarmed-by-the-explosions-and-deaths, but I felt Johns covered that better this book. The implied contrast between the Fleas' tactics of stealth and trickery and Gimlet's commando tactics of shoot-first-ask-questions-later was much more clearly drawn, making Cub's slight naivety more understandable.
This series really needs a Von Stalhein though. One gets bored with faceless German officers.
Gimlet Goes Again (1944)
which I have in a beautiful first edition with dust jacket. *snuggles lovely book*
Plot
The British forces receive a signal from the 'Grey fleas of the North' (see King of the Commandos), and Gimlet and Cub parachute into France, while Trapper and Copper man a motor-boat just off the coast for a speedy-getaway. However, it looks like they're going to be stuck in France for a while - Jacques Catron, a leading member of the French Underground who was meant to be meeting a British agent that evening in Caen, has been killed by the Nazis, who plan to have an agent of their own infiltrate the meeting and thus expose the network of British agents. This obviously Cannot Be Allowed. So Cub borrows some civvies from the Fleas, Gimlet pinches the dead man's clothes (O.o pardon?), and they set out for Caen.
Our Heroes keep Catron's appointment in a restaurant, and are contacted by the British agent ('Numero Neuf'. Numero for short. *headdesk*), who is somewhat unexpectedly under-cover as a German officer. He is worried that the vital information Catron was carrying died with him, but has to return to England that night. Despite Gimlet's protestations that he's a solider, not a spy, he's recruited to make contact with the French Underground in Paris. Gimlet and Cub go to Paris on the train, with the slight entertainment en route wherein they get threatened by one of the other passengers in their carriage (who turns out to be with the gestapo), who is then shot by the other (who turns out to be with the French Underground.) Our Heroes frankly are seeming oddly hapless at present.
This impression is not exactly dispelled when Gimlet goes to meet the Underground contact, leaving Cub outside the house, and finds that the Gestapo have got here first. Fortunately, Cub, with the aid of our Shooty Friend from the train, is able to knock out the driver of the prison van, steal the van with the prisoners inside it, and drive it to the local Underground headquarters. Good work, that reader-avatar. Gimlet and Cub are escourted through the sewers to the Underground (ha!) headquarters, and at last the plot is revealed. The Damned Ratzis are keeping British POWs in a prime bomber target, a Renault factory which has been turned over to the production of aeroplane engines. A complicated plan is sketched out, which I won't bore you with the details of, but involves the bombers taking out the factory while the British prisoners make their escapes on bicycles in a mini-nocturnal Tour de France, which is needless to say *awesome*.
Gimlet is dispatched back for England to make the details of the plan known to Higher Command (and incidentally meeting on the way yet *another* unexpectedly-upper-class-British-intelligence-agent-dressed-as-a-German-soldier), but is met in Caen by Copper (congratulations on your first appearance this book, Mr Extraneous Cockney bloke!), Trapper and good ol' Numero, who incidentally turns out to be General Sir Saxon Craig, Assistant Director of MI5. Wow, I hope the assistant director of MI5 *does* buzz back and forth into occupied territory in situations like this. Gives one *such* a positive view of the professionalism of the service. Gimlet explains about the factory and the prisoners, but makes the suggestion that he and the freed prisoners should set a few judicious explosions at the nearby German aerodrome of Rambours, and then get picked up there by British planes (hmmm, can you guess who'll be piloting those yet?).
Our Heroes set off for Paris again to liaise with the Underground, on the way running into and capturing our old friend the German agent. Unfortunately, the a reception committee of Nazis is waiting for the train in Paris, so it's out with the grenades and the sten guns for a bit of old fashioned commando action. Our Heroes escape and meet up again with the leaders of the Underground, but find out on questioning the German agent that the Nazi are suspicious about the nocturnal Tour de France (no shit, guys. Cunning, these Nazis.) and are going to set up a check-point en route. So, Gimlet-tachi are going to have to find a car and get there before them with some Guns And Bombs, in true Gimlet fashion.
The night of the raid. Gimlet and co. get into the factory/POW camp through an Underground tunnel (ha! that joke doesn't get old.), polish off a sentry or two, free the prisoners, lob a few grenades into the experimental laboratory ('"Blimey sir, what a beauty! What did you put in that one?"' - Copper, on the subject of exploding labs), steal a car, and then find their escape-route through the tunnel cut off and have to shoot their way out through the main gates just as the bombs start to drop. Which leads to Gimlet driving a Nazi staff-car on two wheels through a full-scale bombing raid. SO MUCH JOY. I think Gimlet may have been having the time of his life, though sadly there is no 'tally-ho'ing or the like, so one can't be sure. Copper seemed to enjoy himself too.
Our Heroes take out the Nazi check-point by the simple expedient of Cunning (rather than the usual Liberal Application Of Force), viz. Gimlet stopping at a phone-box, telephoning the commander of the check-point, and telling him it's been called off because of the raid. Because that makes sense. Still, it seems to work, and the Cycling Commandos get through. Biggles & Co drop off some parcels of guns, ammo, grenades, and also ham and cheese, because they're great big softies, and the Commandos set out for the aerodrome. Which they naturally proceed to bomb, blow-up, shoot, and generally cause as much havoc as possible. Biggles & Co arrive with the troop-transport planes, ferry them back to England, Cub tells Copper to get a haircut, burds sing, and fotherington-thomas skips around like a wet saing 'i do not give two pins, only nature is beutiful.' End.
Lines to cherish
p.55: [Gestapo agent] "Lying swine!"
"You know your name," sneered Gimlet.
I...what? That was totally a 'you know you are, you said you are, so what am I then' moment, wasn't it? Gimlet, you're such a child...
p.63: 'Cub stopped, smiling at the German half sheepishly, half cheekily. "Good morning, Herr Hauptmann," he greet confidently, for this was a game the Fleas had often played. "Do I observe that you are collecting more material for the firing squad?"
The German threw him a surly, suspicious look, as if not sure how to take this sally. "Yes," he growled. "And if you give me any of your sauce I'll put you in with them."
"Oh la la!" cried Cub, affecting horror. "How about a cigarette to smoke your health?" he suggested rogueishly.
"Nein."
"Then the health of the Fuehrer?"
"I'll give you a clip over the ear if you don't take yourself off."
"So! I've been promised that before, but no one has been able to do it," scoffed Cub, provokingly.
...is Cub *flirting* with that German officer? *blink*
A few that really go together as a set:
p.76: [Gimlet, on entering the Paris sewers] "I hope it isn't going to be a messy business..."
p.87: [Gimlet, on getting into a rather mucky barge] "This business gets dirtier and dirtier," remarked Gimlet in a voice heavy with disgust.
p.96: [Gimlet, suggesting that they capture a German aerodrome] "I like the idea of using a German landing field. It would give the show a more stylish finish than lying in some stinking ditch, round some dirty meadow, getting our clothes all messed up - you know how it is?"
p.119 + 121: [Gimlet, having tussled with a Nazi in a goods-station] His uniform was filthy. His collar was twisted round the back of his neck. Hatless, his hair was plastered on his forehead with sweat. His face was black with the greasy grime of the quay.
"Disgusting business," snarled Gimlet.'
..."Get yourselves tied up. I've asked Dominique to arrange for baths." He walked away.
Copper buried his face in his hands. "Knock me over with a blanket," he pleaded. "Did yer 'ear that, mates? We blind our way into Paris, and all he can think to ask for is baths. Baths on the brain, that's what he's got. Next thing he'll be tellin' us ter go out and get an 'air cut."
p.184: [Gimlet, on arriving back in England after the rather stressful raid] '"Dinners are waiting, so get yourselves cleaned up and washed."
"This everlastin' washin'," muttered Copper.'
*hugs Gimlet very hard* I love Gimlet's fastidiousness, I do :D
p.83: '"I must say that the idea of a hundred British troops riding out of Paris on bicycles under the noses of the Nazis fills me with joy," stated Gimlet.'
Me too, Lorry old man. Me too.
p.89: 'Cub looked at Gimlet and back at the German. To his utter and complete amazement - although by this time he suspected the truth - the German deliberately winked. The idea of a German winking struck him as so incongruous that for a second or two he could only stare. Then, to cap all, the German said, in a casual voice, in perfect English, "Do either of you fellows happen to have a cigarette on you? I've run out."
Gimlet took out his case. There were six cigarettes in it. "Take the lot," he invited. "I hope to be where there are plenty, before dawn."
"Lucky devils. I may be here for weeks," murmured the man in German uniform, taking three of the cigarettes. "If you'll excuse me now I'll snatch forty winks. It's some time since I had any sleep." He curled up in a corner, and lighting a cigarette inhaled the smoke with infinite relish.
Gimlet found a seat on a crate. He looked at Cub and smiled. "Takes all sorts to make a war," he remarked.'
I love the preponderance of faintly silly-ass British intelligence agents in these books. I kinda wish this one could have gone to school with Gimlet too. And Bertie, and Freddie. Because the massive school-boy high-jinks stories would have been *so much fun*.
p.111: '"If my old Ma could see me now, she'd say - "
"It serves you right," concluded Gimlet.
"That's it, sir. 'Ow did yer know?"
"Mothers all say that," returned Gimlet evenly.'
*pets*
p.179: Okay, 'cherished' is probably the wrong gerundive here. 'Feared' might be closer to the mark.
'The buildings were an inferno. Cub, although he knew that success had crowned their efforts, was appalled by the fearful spectacle presented. Gimlet was watching, apparently unconcerned. The reserve troops had moved up to see what was going on. Some were muttering.
Gimlet turned and spoke to them. "Sorry, you fellows. I know it's hard to watch the fun without taking a hand, but that's how it is."'
To be read any time you forget that Gimlet is a scary bastard.
p.182: '"By the way, is Bertie Lissie with you?"
"Yes, but he's in a hurry to get back - got a foxhound bitch due to whelp to-night, and won't trust the vet to handle it."
"Quite right. If the bitch knows him she'll probably do better than with a stranger. Tell him I hope he gets some nice pups."
"You'll probably see him yourself when we get back."
"I might give him a hand."
"He'd be glad, I'm sure."
"We shall need the pups. Be pretty sickening, by gad, if after all this sweat there was no huntin'."
Copper nudged Cub. "Blinkin' marvellous, ain't it? Foxhound pups. That's all they think about. How's yer horses? What's the fishin' like? Strike me puce! One day they'll wake up with a jerk and discover there's a war on."'
And that, by contrast, is to be read every time you remember that Gimlet is a scary bastard, and need to be reminded that he is also AWESOME. Also, this raises the possibility of canonical Gimlet + Bertie + PUPPIES, which I would give my eye teeth to read.
Notes
p.136: It seems that Gimlet speaks fluent German with an accent good enough to fool a native speaker. *love*.
p.177: So, in the Johns-iverse, Gimlet was definitely in command of one of the units in the Dieppe Raid. Cripes.
p.156 + 177: Two commandos in Gimlet's unit were thought dead at Dieppe but are discovered to be among the POWs - Shorty Hughes (so Welsh he even ends his sentences 'look you', hurrah; seems to be particularly friendly with Copper) and Corporal Miles (who '"got too far and couldn't get back"' at Dieppe, and seems by his speech patterns to be a Nice Upper / Upper-Middle Class Boy.)
Body count - still unnerved about the need for this subheading.
p.2: A new record! Random German soldier, shot by Gimlet just after he and Cub land in France.
p.46: A gestapo agent, shot by someone who *isn't one of Gimlet's team*, which is novel.
p.117-9: Unknown number of Germans, French and German-collaborators killed in the scuffle in the train station.
p.135: German sentry, shot by Trapper's bow and arrow.
p.150-53: Unknown number of Germans killed in the air raid on the Renault factory.
p.164: Leading Nazi Bloke + another officer, shot by Gimlet and Trapper in a scuffle.
p.178-83: Unknown number of Germans killed by the Commandos in their attack on the aerodrome.
Conclusions
Quite good fun, generally, though sadly the preponderance of Plot meant that Gimlet was rather more Biggles-like than he should have been. No blue silk bathing trunks here, curses. Though I did adore the increasing emphasis on his hatred for dirt. A much better, more unified plot than King of the Commandos, though there was a certain amount of tedious to-ing and fro-ing between Paris and Caen which made it feel oddly like The War Games in places.
Copper got given a fair amount of dialogue this book, especially considering the low page-count of his appearances; your mileage may vary on whether or not you think that's a good thing. Trapper had *nothing to do whatsoever*, which doesn't surprise me in the least, as Johns clearly doesn't have a clue what he's there for, except to shoot sentries with his bow and arrows when they need to be disposed of in a Silent And Cool Way. He doesn't even get any decent dialogue - one slightly bantering speech halfway through, and apart from that just a series of 'I'll say you're right!'s to Copper, which as catch-phrases go is slightly pathetic. Cub again veers slightly oddly between seasoned-undercover-agent-veteren and kid-who's-still-alarmed-by-the-explosions-and-deaths, but I felt Johns covered that better this book. The implied contrast between the Fleas' tactics of stealth and trickery and Gimlet's commando tactics of shoot-first-ask-questions-later was much more clearly drawn, making Cub's slight naivety more understandable.
This series really needs a Von Stalhein though. One gets bored with faceless German officers.