CHAPTER XIV
SKIRTING THE GULF
There was some shooting going on back there, for although of course the watchful Perk failed to catch the sound of discharges of guns, he did see flash after flash, proclaiming that the police, under the impression that important criminals were beating them to it, wished to show their warlike spirit by such a bombardment.
If the flying missiles came anywhere near the ascending plane that fact was not manifest to the two occupants of the cockpit; their movements must have been too speedy for such an attack to be successful and almost immediately they had risen beyond the danger line.
Perk was feeling vastly relieved, for it would have been a bad beginning of their special mission were they detained for days in the Southern city, while the agents of the great counterfeit league held the upper hand.
He could see with the last glimpse he had of the aviation field that all this lively accompaniment to their take-off had created considerable excitement – people were running back and forth, like milling cattle when stampeded in a furious thunder storm and Perk even fancied there was some sort of a movement as though a ship would be sent after them in pursuit.
That troubled him not a bit, because already they were leaving the field far in their wake, and would really be lost in the gathering shadows of coming night before any pursuit plane left the ground.
Besides, had they not already had one experience along those lines, and completely worsted the persistent enemy, sending their boat down in spirals of flames, with the two occupants forced to “bail out” in order to save their lives?
So Perk put that possibility completely out of his mind and busied himself with more practical affairs. First of all he was desirous of communicating with his comrade and to do this they must have those indispensible head-phones clapped to their ears.
He was already applying his own pair with a confidence inspired by frequent applications, after which he managed to get Jack equipped with the other pair.
Steadily they continued to ascend, and swing around until they faced the east, following the plan Jack had outlined to his mate. Not too high did the pilot urge his craft, since such a course was apt to bring them in the sunlight that still lingered along the upper air lanes.
“Well, they turned out to be a hot bunch all right, partner,” was what Perk observed, when he had the harness adjusted and the ear-phone means of communication in shape for use.
“You reckon they must have fetched the police out with them, do you, Perk?” demanded the one at the stick, as he kept an eye on his dials spread across the black dashboard in front of the cockpit.
“Yeah! just what they did, old hoss,” returned the other, vehemently, but accompanying his remark with a loud chuckle that told of secret amusement, he being excessively fond of anything that smacked of a joke; “an’ they kept up a runnin’ fire at us, let me tell you – could see the flashes spittin’ like fire crackers on the Fourth o’ July.”
“All of which sounds like they must have told a pretty wild and woolly yarn to the cops, to make them want us as bad as that, eh, Perk?”
“Makes me think they got an idea this ain’t goin’ to be just a ordinary man-hunt, but something worth while; we should worry, Jack. Mebbe they a’ready see the handwritin’ on the wall, an’ mean to try an’ upset us in the start, ’fore we get agoin’ full tilt. Notice you’ve gone an’ headed east, partner.”
“It may fool them; but whether it does or not, Perk, such a move’s our proper caper. When we’ve gone something like ten or fifteen miles we’ll get on the curve, swing around to the south, and then when in sight of the gulf turn due west; after that we’ll be on our way to the place where our work is waiting for us.”
“Huh! had an idea you’d just climb till out o’ sight, an’ then cross over the city and river – how ’bout it, Jack?”
“Too much risk to begin with,” came the ready reply, showing how Jack always planned ahead; “you know how a rushing boat can be heard clearly even when lost to sight among the clouds. It might be those same smart chaps, backed by the authority of the police, would commandeer a ship, and cruise around over the city, so as to learn if we did come back so as to line out into the heart of Texas; to make sure such a giveaway of our plans can’t upset our calculations we’ll cross the delta of the Mississippi close to where it joins its muddy waters with the gulf.”
“I get you now, partner, an’ let me say I guess that’s the safest game we c’n play. Time don’t count anything wuth while with us on this trip but results are what we crave.”
“You said it that time, boy, the Big Boss has confidence in our being able to fetch home the bacon, and we’re bound to prove he didn’t make any mistake in putting us on the job.”
All this time they continued to zoom along like a frightened wild duck, and it was not long before Jack was turning the nose of his ship toward the south. The night had not as yet settled down over the earth, although they were holding an altitude of several thousand feet and by straining his eyes a bit Perk was able to distinguish objects far below – he could tell when they passed over a large sheet of water, probably Lake Ponchartrain, with narrower cuts winding through vast marshes, and seas of waving reeds; also begin to catch fugitive glimpses of the still distant Mexican Gulf stretching away to the mysterious south.
This was all deeply interesting to Perk, always on the lookout for fresh and novel scenes; for as it happened, thus far in all his wanderings he had really never looked upon that historical sheet of salt water; although reading many a rattling romance of the days when buccaneers and pirates haunted the sub-tropical waters of that same gulf, lying in wait for the Spanish galleons laden with gold bars taken from the prodigally rich mines of Mexico and Central America.
In Perk’s mind those historical personages, like Blackbeard, and his fellow rovers of the Black Flag, lent a glamour to the great body of water that was apt to thrill him through and through whenever he allowed his gaze to fall upon its restless surface, and dark secrets of the past ages.
Shortly afterwards their course was again altered, with the ship swinging into the west. It would seem to have been something like extreme caution on Jack’s part but from all accounts, as well as from their own experience with the desperate gang that had given Uncle Sam so much trouble, the scoundrels had a tremendous game at stage, and were ready to go to any lengths to protect the profitable conspiracy from being smashed.
“Safety before speed” had always been Jack’s slogan, which could be accounted one of the leading reasons for the success that had come to him in the various vocations he had followed – as a county fair barn-stormer, then in the regular air mail service, and now finally with the celebrated Secret Service arm of the Government, entrusted with one of the most abnormal duties ever given out to its members.
It was not too dark for Perk to know when they were passing over the several outlets to the mighty river; indeed, he was even able to distinguish an ocean going steamship heading up toward the city of New Orleans; for its lights were plainly in evidence and those who chanced to be on deck could probably catch the throb of their motor, since the air was unusually still, allowing sounds to be heard at great distances, especially when in the air.
Then finally they left the water behind, and found themselves passing over great stretches of sugarcane, and bamboo thickets, with cabins of the humble blacks in little hamlets, sometimes villages of the lowlands, where, as Perk plainly recollected, recent terrible floods had wrought such damage.
So the night wore on, and thus far nothing had occurred to cause them the slightest worry. If their cunning enemies suspected them of planning to go west, and baiting the chief in his lair, there was nothing as yet to show that they were making arrangements to intercept the air adventurers on their way.
An hour – two of them passed, and still they kept making rapid progress. The moon was long above the eastern horizon, although occasionally obscured by passing clouds but Perk told himself it was a pretty fair night, all things considered, and that he had “no kick coming.”
CHAPTER XV
PERK AS A FIRE-FIGHTER
It was not far from midnight.
Perk had insisted on taking over the controls, so that Jack might secure a little rest, possibly even pick up a few catnaps in addition. They were at a low altitude, perhaps not more than a thousand feet up, since the air was a bit cool higher and it was certain they stood in no danger from colliding with mountain peaks while crossing the wide State of Texas, where nothing save the level plains lay beneath.
Perk was alive to his duties, but this did not keep him from occasionally stretching his neck, so as to look over the coaming of the cockpit, and trying to make out objects that might be dimly detected on the seemingly limitless plain below.
As a rule next to nothing worth while rewarded these efforts and really he continued doing his little stunt from sheer habit, but there did come a time when he showed sudden interest, and even half arose from his seat to stare with increasing intensity.
Not only that but he immediately banked, to start circling around a certain point. A minute afterwards Perk reached out and shook Jack gently by the shoulder. The ear-phones being still affixed to their heads, Jack naturally desired to know what was up, and did his pal wish to give over the stick to him.
“Nothin’ doing, partner,” he was told with emphasis; “but there’s somethin’ queer goin’ on down yonder, and I’ve swung around so’s to give it the once over. On your right, Jack, an’ there, see how it sparks up again, will you?”
“I’d say it looks like a fire,” ventured Jack, after taking a good look.
“My idea to a fraction, boss!” snapped the deeply interested Perk.
“Seems like it might be breaking out through the roof of some sort of cabin, or ranch house,” further suggested Jack, himself now almost as excited as his running mate.
“You said it, boy!” declared Perk; “but somehow I don’t lamp anybody kickin’ around in a big fuss, ’cause o’ the shack bein’ ablaze; strikes me either nobody ain’t to home or else they’re so sound asleep they don’t know what’s goin’ on. Glory be! if that’s the case, partner, they stand a mighty good chance o’ bein’ burnt to death in their beds. What ought we do ’bout it, Jack?”
“First place we’ve just got to rouse ’em up, and the way to do that is to rush our engine to the limit, so’s to make a big row – if that doesn’t wake anybody it’ll only mean they’re away from home – or else already smothered by the smoke.” Perk accordingly started up such a racket that the dreadful roaring noise seemed hoarse enough to awaken the dead and all the while he kept swinging around in a continuous circle.
Jack, bending over the side, watched to see if this had any effect, nor was his discovery long delayed.
“That fetched them, Perk – I can see several moving figures, and they seem to be rushing about with pails in their hands. If the fire hasn’t got too strong a start they may be able to throw enough water to put it out.”
“Jack, couldn’t we do somethin’ more to help the poor dicks?” cried Perk, ever ready and willing to assist anybody in trouble, no matter at what cost or personal risk to himself.
“It mightn’t be a safe thing to attempt a blind landing,” he was told; but something in Jack’s voice or manner when he said this encouraged Perk to go a bit further.
“Why, chances are it’s as level as a barn floor down there,” he hastened to say, eagerly; “here, you could take the stick – there never was a better hand at makin’ a three-point landin’ than you, partner; me, I might drop a few flares down, an’ that’d give us a squint o’ the ground. If we kept to leeward o’ the fire there wouldn’t be any risk from sparks, don’t you see, Jack? I never yet had such a fat chance to be a fire-fighter; let’s go, boy – they need all the help they c’n get, I guess.”
The temptation was so great it soon overpowered Jack’s sense of caution; really he fancied he would never forgive himself if he allowed Perk to show a higher sense of duty to people in distress than he himself could display.
“All right, you win, Perk!” he quickly called out; “hand over the stick, and get those flares ready to drop when I give the word.”
Perk started to make a move, showing that he knew just where the objects of his desire were located, for he did not have to leave his seat in order to place his hand upon the small package of flares.
Meanwhile Jack had reduced their speed to a minimum compatible with safety, still continuing that circular movement. The fire had by this time assumed sufficient proportions to dispel any doubts they may have entertained regarding its true nature, for it was burning at a lively rate. Jack could see a crouching figure sprawled on the roof, and apparently emptying bucket after bucket of water on the greedy flames, and passing the empties back down the nearby ladder to some one standing on an upper rung.
It was all mighty exciting, and to Jack seemed like some sort of fetching picture as shown on the silver screen at the movies – a scene developed through the skill of a wizard director, aided by a group of star actors, so as to bring out all the realistic effects.
“Get ready, Perk!” he told the other suddenly.
“All set, partner,” came the inspiring response.
“Let her go, then!” called out the pilot, just as he found himself over a point to leeward of the burning ranch house that he figured would be the best place to make a landing.
Perk had a flare falling almost as the last words left the lips of the pilot and then both of them used their eyes to advantage as it neared the ground, lighting up a small section fairly well – at least what he thus saw seemed to convince Jack it would be fairly safe to attempt a landing, for the ground looked smooth, and free from outbuildings, corrals, or wire fences.
“Drop another, quick as you can!” directed Jack; then, as this was carried out he started down, showing the die was cast, come what would.
Perk threw a third flare to one side, in the hope that its light would afford his pilot a chance to effect one of his really marvelous landings; which turned out to be sound reasoning on his part – the shock when their landing gear came in contact with the ground was not very severe, and Jack managed so that they did not run more than thirty feet toward the burning house.
Thus far all was well.
Perk was out of the cockpit like a flash, but managed to hold his eager spirit in check long enough to allow his comrade to join him. Then they hurried over to the building, which they could now see, thanks to both the moonlight and the brilliance of the blaze, must be some kind of a ranch house.
Several men who had the appearance of cow punchers were working for all they were worth, fetching water from a well, and hurling it where it was calculated to do the most good.
“Let’s give you a hand in that game, neighbors!” Jack burst out with, as he joined the string, backed by Perk, and commenced handling buckets full and buckets empty, with as much vim as though tested and tried members of a village fire company.
At such a time the addition of two more willing workers can do considerable toward smothering a fire, especially when there happens to be no wind moving; and from the moment of their arrival things began to take on a better look as though up to then the fight had been hovering “on the fence,” as Perk called it, and the balance being overturned, victory was in sight.
Perk was in his glory, and the brisk way in which he hurried those buckets along was worth going a long way to witness; Jack never would forget how proud he felt over the marvelous performance of his running mate, and how those encouraging cries, so constantly emitted by Perk, seemed to enthuse everybody with fresh vim and go.
Finally the last spark was extinguished, and the house saved, having suffered but scant damage. Then the men, yes, and women too, gathered around the pair of aviators who had come on the scene just in the nick of time, to first of all arouse the people of the prairie ranch to a sense of the danger that hovered over their heads, and finally take chances in effecting what might have been a rough landing, so as to lend their material aid to the fire fighters.
“Surely you will not think of starting off again till break of day,” the big man with the white head of hair, evidently the rancher himself, was saying, while engaged in pumping the hands of the two who had dropped down from the sky, as it were, to bring warning of the burning roof, and start the stiff fight against the greedy flames that had ended so successfully. “Stay and eat breakfast with us, strangers; we’d like to know you both some better, and have a chance to thank you most heartily.”
“Unfortunately we must be on our way, neighbor,” Jack told him. “It happens we are on special duty, and delay might upset certain plans we are bent on following out. It was just by sheer accident we discovered the fire, and took the customary means for attracting attention that all air pilots employ; but some other day, if we chance to be in this neighborhood, we’d be pleased to see more of you all.”
The women added their voices to the pressing invitation, but Jack was forced to decline, although doing so smilingly, since he would have liked very much to see more of these warm-hearted stockmen and their wild riders, possibly picking up some useful knowledge concerning the way a ranch is run in these modern days, so different from early times in the cattle country.
“It is absolutely necessary for us to be going,” Jack told them all, “if we are lucky enough to be able to hop-off again. Perk, I wish you’d take a look over toward the west, and see if the ground is fairly clear; while I talk for a few more minutes with our new friends here.”
He was astute enough to avoid giving their names to any one but the ranchman, who readily promised not to mention them to a living soul; he felt heavily indebted to Jack and his chum, and considered that they knew their business best – for one thing he felt absolutely certain the fact of their being in such a hurry had nothing whatever to do with any unlawful act on their part – he had as much confidence in them as though Jack had actually confided the fact of their being Government Secret Service agents, bound on a mission fraught with much peril to life and limb, the prime object of which was to save honest people from being victimized by a gang of unprincipled sharks, makers of clever bank notes that were without the pale of the law and only base counterfeits, although clever imitations of the genuine bills.
CHAPTER XVI
IN THE GRIP OF THE STORM
Perk soon afterwards showed up, and seemed so cheerful that it was evident his little scouting mission had yielded favorable results.
“Seems okay to me, partner!” he burst out with, as soon as she came along; “course it ain’t just as smooth as some fields we know but there ain’t goin’ to be any smart trouble takin’ off, I guess now.”
“And are we holding the nose of the ship straight in line of the course you took a squint at, Perk?” Jack asked, as he prepared to climb into his seat, the people of the ranch clustering around, to gaze with wide open eyes at the fleet aircraft, some of them doubtless seeing such a modern cloud clipper for the first time.
“Dead ahead, boss, an’ you’ll strike the right racket, I’m tellin’ you,” came the positive assurance.
“Then jump aboard, comrade, and we’ll put it to the test,” saying which Jack himself climbed into the waiting cockpit, to settle down in his accustomed seat, take a quick glance at his dials when the small light was turned on, and await a signal from the other sky traveler that he was “fixed.”
The way was clear, and the fact that just then the gay old moon condescended to poke her smiling face out from behind a mass of clouds assisted more or less in giving the pilot some of the necessary illumination – the rest must be left to his native sagacity and instinct.
There was a bunch of cottonwoods at some little distance ahead, the location of which Perk had pointed out to his mate before settling down in his seat but if all went well Jack calculated to be able to clear them in good shape – did it seem necessary he could swerve slightly to the right, and have a clear field for the take-off.
There was a little shouting as the friendly plane started to taxi along, but of course this was smothered by the increasing roar of exhaust and spinning propeller. Faster and faster they scurried onward, and then started to rise on an angle just sufficient to nicely clear the tops of the cottonwoods; when Jack jazzed his motor, to find it running as “sweet as a purring cat.”
So they departed only a short time after making that landing which humanity had demanded and in times to come the little episode was likely to afford both aviators more or less satisfaction, in that they had “seen their duty and done it,” as Perk would say in his whimsical way.
As they continued on their way Perk found himself wondering if this interesting adventure was destined to be a sample of other equally thrilling happenings in store for them the further they dipped into the great game that had been laid at their door by the powers that be at Washington.
Whenever he came to thinking of the audacity shown by Slippery Slim in virtually defying all the authority of the Government, Perk would feel his dander rising as if in great indignation.
“Huh!” he at one time told himself, being rather fond of thus communing, as his thoughts ran on, “we’ll call his bluff just the same, the scaly ol’ gila monster, you wait an’ see. Thinks he’s the whole works, the boss man-handler, does he, just ’cause he’s outguessed a number o’ the boys. This time he’s due to find himself up against guys o’ the right size, who’ll jerk him down off’n his high perch in a jiffy, or I miss my ticket.”
So Perk kept on boasting in his customary fashion, possibly to keep his mind on the subject. Jack was paying little attention to side issues just then for he knew his pal’s peculiarities, and short-comings as well and having “exhausted his boiler” Perk presently lapsed into utter silence.
They had climbed to a fairly high ceiling, and caught only occasional fugitive glimpses of the earth far below, when the moon chanced to break through the banks of clouds, which intervals became less and less frequent, Jack noticed.
He did not altogether fancy the looks of the heavens, by degrees becoming more and more overcast; still, this might after all mean next to nothing and their business was to keep steadily on their way as if things were bound to come out all right.
It was now drawing well on toward midnight, and they had placed hundreds of miles between the city of their recent stay and themselves. Long since Perk had taken what proved to be his last glimpse of the vast gulf as seen far away toward the south, when the night was brightly illuminated, with the moon’s silvery rays shining on the glistening waters, and making a picture that even appealed to Perk’s rugged nature – after that all he was able to make out was the monotonous level plains that lay in every quarter, as though the whole earth consisted of this same stock country.
No longer were they able to find any cheer in the company of the moon, for the canopy above, earlier in the night peopled by a multitude of bright stars, was now gripped in dense masses of clouds.
Having thus lost his guide marks below, Jack was compelled to place all dependence upon his faithful instruments, but this of course was an old story to one of his experience, so that he did not do any worrying on that score.
Perk, buried in his own thoughts, and paying scant heed to what changes were taking place in the signs of the weather, had no warning until suddenly there came a dazzling flash, that was almost instantly succeeded by a tremendous burst of thunder.
“Ginger pop! that means we’re booked for a bit o’ storm, mebbe, eh, Jack?” was his startled exclamation.
“Let’s hope it turns out to be only a bluster,” the pilot went on to say, as he turned the nose of his ship upward, and commenced to climb, evidently in hopes that by so doing they might get above those low hanging clouds, and have clear sailing while the disturbance lasted.
When shortly afterwards a second electrical crash almost stunned them by its violence, Perk began to fumble for his oilskin coat, which he was never without when aboard a boat with an open cockpit.
Perk could take a ducking with as much good nature as the next fellow but just the same he did not intend to get soaked if he could help it, since a continuance of the flight, with a cold wind likely to follow the rain, would not prove to be the most delightful experience possible.
No sooner had he accomplished the job of securing his raincoat than he gave Jack the well known signal that he meant to take over the stick, and thus allow his comrade to also protect himself against bad weather.
Accordingly both of them were presently thus equipped, and ready to take whatever might be in the offing. Meanwhile the ascent was continued in spasms, for there was always a chance of getting above such a storm, and avoiding the worst of it.
The thunder claps became more frequent, and also much louder, so that each sudden burst gave them both a thrill, death seemed so close, for should their speeding ship chance to attract one of those dazzling bolts it would be all over for the daring air adventurers, and no one be the wiser concerning their taking-off, until possibly after long months had passed, their bleached bones might be discovered by some party of plainsmen out looking for rustlers or seeking to round up missing stock.
Thus far not a single drop of rain had fallen, according to Perk’s calculations but the coming of the drenching flood could not be much longer delayed, he felt positive. Had there not been so much racket around them those keen ears of his might have detected a rushing sound in the near distance, like the roar of the incoming tide on the sandy shores of the gulf.
Then it came with a swoop, the wind whistling around their ears and the rain beating a tattoo against the fuselage of the ship, as well as striking them smartly in the face, despite such protection as their helmets and heavy goggles afforded.
Jack certainly had his hands full in managing the bobbing, shifting craft, gripped by those shifty gusts that came with giant force, making the flyers feel as though they were clinging to a mere chip tossed about in the wild fury of a Texas tempest.
Time and again did Perk feel as though his heart had jumped up in his throat, almost choking him; seasoned veteran at this sort of thing as he believed himself to be, he could not help this feeling of helplessness in the hands of the aroused elements; yet each time Jack managed to bring their ship through the teeth of the storm in a way that was next door to miraculous, and if Perk had up to this time not fully appreciated the astonishing skill and confidence of his younger companion while at the controls in an emergency, he certainly was getting his lesson then and there, in a way to cause it to sink deep, and stick.