The Sky Pilot's Great Chase; Or, Jack Ralston's Dead Stick Landing

by Ambrose Newcomb

  XVIII

  AROUND THE CAMPFIRE

  The rejuvenated motor continued to sing most merrily as Perk hastened tocover the back trail leading to the ship nesting upon the quiet lake.

  "Huh! I jest knew Jack could get the hang o' things," he told himself inhigh glee, "makes a big clatter I'll tell the world, but after you'vebeen forced to drop down agin your will, they ain't nuthin' in natur sosweet as the drummin' o' a ship's motor. Some fine day mebbe we'll havethe good luck to be runnin' a boat with twin motors, so if one kicks offthe duplicate c'n carry on."

  After he joined his mate and duly examined what Jack had done, the soundof the beating motor ceased since there was no need of wasting any morejuice to celebrate the happy occasion.

  "That trouble will never happen again with me," Jack was saying withgrim earnestness. "I know just how it must have come about and expect toput the kibosh on any repetition."

  "Jest as you've said to me many a time, partner," Perk spoke up, "anounce o' prevention's a heap better'n a pound o' cure. Learnin'somethin' new ev'ry day, seems like, but it's okay if on'y you keep thesame trick from springin' up again an' gettin' your goat"

  They took things easy and lay around for another hour and more. Jack, asusual, consulted his chart and did some figuring. Perk, quite content tolet the Chief do most of the planning, amused himself in various ways,as was his habit when they were not flying. Puttering with this littlething, poking around the stores as if to figure just how many more mealswould exhaust what he had laid in so bountifully and bring them nearstarvation and tiring at length of this sort of thing he lapsed intoinaction, puffing at his beloved pipe and indulging possibly indaydreams.

  Once Jack chanced to turn an inquiring eye in his direction to see himnodding his head, and counting his fingers, as though adding up somescore.

  "At it again, I bet a cookey," Jack thereupon told himself, holding backthe casual remark he had intended making, "browsing on that same oldgame of trying to remember a name by going over the whole alphabet againand again. Poor old Perk, how that defective memory does bother him.He'll get no peace of mind until he happens to strike what he's fishingfor and since I never did hear the boy's full name mentioned I justcan't help him a mite."

  Jack had guessed aright, for just then Perk was saying to himself in alow but earnest tone, something of the old formula:

  "Sufferin' cats! it sure began with an R I bet my boots! Randolph, no,don't jest sound right to my ear--Ratcliff, Randall, Ratterman--strikesme it ended in man--Rodman--hang the luck, what the devil _is_ thematter with my think-box? Did you ever know sech a tantalizin'mess--just openin' my trap to say it out loud when before I could getthe right word out it slipped me like a wet cake o' soap on the bathroomfloor when you set a foot on it. I'm sure hoodooed for keeps, an' it'sno good."

  By this time the afternoon was wearing away and before long night wouldbe putting a dark blanket over the deep notch in the mountains. Perksuddenly came out of his fit of abstraction to remark cheerily:

  "Guess now it's 'bout time I got busy ashore, an' started that 'erefire. I gathered some firewood ready an' it ain't goin' to take muchtime to get supper goin'."

  Accordingly he began to fill his arms with the things previously setaside, consisting for the most part of food, coffee pot, skillet andlast but not least, the dependable machine-gun with which a providentGovernment had fitted out its flying detective squad when starting themon their way to rounding up lawbreakers who were in many instancestaking to the air.

  "Call me when you're ready or need any help, brother," Jack told him, hebeing still engaged in his extensive figuring and marking places on hishandy little chart, as though mapping out his campaign as well as such athing was possible.

  Perk had his blaze going in almost record time, for he was an adept atfire-building. Later on, from the delicious odors that came stealing tohis olfactories, Jack knew that supper was on the way.

  Having by then finished his work, he laid things aside and for the nextten minutes watched the busy one on shore at his pleasing task. It wascertainly a picture that was bound to arise again and again in Jack'smind. The star-studded heavens against which towering mountain peakswere outlined, the lapping of little wavelets on the shore where therechanced to be a narrow strip of sandy beach, the neighboring small bunchof pines through which an evening breeze was sighing as if playingNature's Eolian harp in a lullaby for the lately departed day, the rockyshore line, bordering that limpid gem of a lake where he could hear anoccasional trout breaking water--taken in all it was a dream, as Jacktold himself more than a few times.

  "First call to supper--all that's hungry get goin' while things are hot!I ain't meanin' to wait more'n three shakes o' a lamb's tail 'fore Ipitches in. Hi! there, partner, shake a leg!"

  The bill of fare may not have been very extensive, but there was anabundance of substantial food and best of all ravenous appetites to besatiated. Perk was as happy as a lark and a dozen times demanded of hiscomrade if he had ever partaken of anything that tasted better than theslice of ham with the fried eggs to give it the proper caper, afterwhich the coffee came in for his flattery.

  "Course I know right well it's awful f'r the cook to praise his ownwork, but I jest can't help sayin' it's a swell supper, taken in all.Another piece o' fried ham, ol' pard, tho' sorry there ain't no moreeggs at all--lucky what I laid by didn't get smashed in therunnin'--which goes to show what a good packer I am--might even get ajob with that gang o' mule skinners an' their loads o' moonshine stuff."

  Never had Jack seen his chum more joyous as after he had filled up withthe appetizing camp supper. He beamed on his mate and only for havinglaid in such a big supply of grub asserted he'd be tempted to try thefishing as there were surely trout in the lake from their incessantjumping along about sundown when insects skittered about on the surfaceand mealtime had come for the finny tribes.

  In the midst of his chattering Perk suddenly stopped and appeared to beintently listening.

  "Well, I guess now," he remarked, grinning, "I was away off my base whenI says there ain't nary a wild animal inside o' twenty miles o' thisspot 'cause listen to 'em yappin', will you, partner?"

  "Wolves I reckon," observed Jack who had also caught the distant sounds.

  "Jest what they be," Perk continued triumphantly, "an' sounds to me likethey made some sort o' a killin' an' are all het up with the victory.There, died out like snuffin' a candle out, showin' they got started onthe grub. Queer what different tastes critters have. Some like theirvenison raw while others aim to cook it to a turn over red coals an'chaw it while hot. But venison sure is _good_ any which way you cook itover a real camp-fire."

  Jack saw him lick his lips with his tongue as though even the mention ofthat chief standby of a hunter's feast made his mouth water. Perkcertainly did think a heap of his eats, as he so often frankly admitted.

  They heard nothing further from the wolf pack but at least thecircumstance had assured Perk that the rocky mountain sides were not aslacking in big game as he had been convinced earlier in the evening. Sotoo, no doubt he was telling himself that it might pay to keep his gunwithin reach when the time came for them to hit the hay as he usuallytermed the act of turning in.

  They remained ashore for another hour or so, just on account of thechange. The rocks were anything but comfortable as a seat, but Perkmanaged to find a quantity of moss near by which added to their easewhen judiciously applied.

  Finally Jack proposed going aboard the ship.

  "Me too, Boss!" sang out Perk, "'cause I'm sorter tired an' feel likegettin' rested up. Things look okay to me an' mebbe we'll have a quietnight--if on'y them hungry wolves get filled up an' don't ketch wind o'our bein' in the neighborhood. Hugh! if they know what's good for 'emthey'll give this lakeshore a wide berth while me'n my ol' chattergunare on deck."