CHAPTER X
READY TO STRIKE
Up to then everything had been comparatively simple; but the worst wasyet to come. They could not do more than guess as to the nature of thedangers and difficulties lying in ambush to trip them up. For aught theyknew long weeks, crowded with perils and narrow escapes, would be theirportion; with the crowning possibility of final disaster hanging overtheir heads day and night.
It was this uncertainty that made their job all the more attractive andthrilling to the comrades--in particular to Perk, whose restless soulseemed never to be content to loll in idleness and safety; but yearnedto meet up with all manner of weird scrapes, that for the time beingsatisfied the burning desire of his feverish blood.
Perhaps that was his heritage, coming down from those ancestors whosettled in New England, at the time America was a British colony; andwhen dread of Indian massacres kept every one's blood keyed up to theextreme; then again it might be Perk got it from his contact with thefront line trenches in the Great War, where he may have been gassed,wounded, and lived the horrible existence that so many of our gallantboys did in the fierce battles of the Argonne--himself, he neverbothered his head to figure out whence the feeling came--he only knew hehad it, and fairly reveled in what he was pleased to term _action_; butwhich really stood for deadly peril.
It can thus be seen how Perk was making his life work along the rightline for one of his disposition; since it would be difficult indeed tomention any other vocation where a man would do his daily stunt face toface with some calamity.
He continued to look down at the checkerboard below, admiring this,grunting his disgust at another spectacle, and many times glancingimpatiently at his wrist-watch, as though he could thus hasten the hourand minute when they would be landing at their present destination.
Jack, on his part, while carrying out his ordinary duties as pilot, wasrunning over in his active mind the various duties that must await theirreaching the landing field in Charleston.
First, after seeing their ship safely stowed away in a convenienthangar--where it would stay until needed again, if ever--he must call atthe post office for any letters that might have been sent on--under hisassumed name, of course; after which it would be his business to drop inupon the Government agent, from whom he would receive further secretinstructions, as well as every scrap of information possible, such aswould be of assistance in laying out and following up their plan ofaction.
It pleased Jack to know how every detail was being carried out with theprime motive of abject secrecy--for instance, he had been instructed_never_ to call at the office of the revenue official, since spies mighthave it under surveillance, and hold such a swell caller undersuspicion--on the contrary the gentleman's private residence had beenmentioned as the place of meeting; and the secret cipher of theDepartment must be invariably used should an exchange of letters becomenecessary.
He was to call at the house in the capacity of a distant relative of Mr.Casper Herriott in the city while _en route_ to other places along theAtlantic seaboard, especially in the way of shooting grounds; he being afamous sportsman--Perk was not only his dependable pilot, but a skillfulguide as well, fully acquainted with most of the sporting grounds of thegreat sounds and bays along North and South Carolina shores.
Jack found himself smiling to remember how his companion had at one timedelicately hinted that since the Government had been so kind as tosupply them with all manner of lovely guns, ammunition, and evenshooting clothes and tempting high leather boots, all costing rafts ofmoney, it might be possible for them to better carry out their assumedcharacters by indulging in a little foray among the canvasback ducks,mallards, and even wild geese--also remarking how it would be much toobad if, having been given the name, they might not also grab a handfulof the game!
Already had Jack commenced to take copious notes, mental, as well aswritten down in his new notebook--in the secret code of course--and heexpected to add copiously to this record after he had interviewed Mr.Herriott, and drank in all that gentleman would have to tell him.
Besides that he would try to paint a complete chart on his mind,covering the lay of the land along the coast, its innumerableindentations covering the shores of the great Sounds, Albemarle, Pamlicoand others--also that section of swamps and morasses lying furthersouth, where he already strongly suspected the main part of their workawaited them.
Already he had pored for hours over the Government Geographical CoastSurvey charts, which, with others were contained in the waterproof caseaboard the ship, and had proven their worth on a number of previousoccasions; but as he could not hope to always have these at hand forreference, Jack meant to carry along a mental picture of the entireregion, a feat impossible, save to him whom the gods had favored with awonderfully retentive memory, made next to perfect from long practice.
Up to then the most that Jack knew in connection with his work was thatit must mean the shattering of a gigantic conspiracy, backed by a numberof wealthy but unscrupulous citizens; who probably depended upon somereal or fancied "pull" to get them through in safety if they were everindicted, which they had every reason was next to impossible.
The scope of this league, Jack also understood, was almostboundless--all manner of efforts were being put into practice daily, inorder to cheat Uncle Sam out of his "rake-off" upon various dutiableforeign goods--diamonds, other precious stones on which the TreasuryDepartment levied high sums when imported openly; rich laces; highpriced Cuban cigars, and a multitude of similar goods mostly small inbulk, that could be easily transported undetected aboard swiftairplanes, making secret landings amidst the almost untrodden wilds ofthat eastern shore!
Then there must be a continuation of the old smuggling game--that offetching cargoes of the finest wet goods obtainable at some station ofthe West Indies; only the landing places had been transferred from thevicinity of Tampa and Miami, when those ports were too heavily policedto admit of taking the desperate chances involved; and were nowtransplanted to South Carolina territory, where they seemed to beworking without the slightest molestation, with a daily flood of stuffbeing safely landed.
It was hinted that this powerful rival of the Government was going evena step farther--carrying undesirable aliens from Cuba across to the landthey were so eager to reach, that they paid enormous sums for theprivilege of being flown across the stretch of salt water--these werenot only Chinamen, but Italians as well, criminals who had been chasedfrom their own country by the alert Fascist authorities as enemies ofthe realm, and saw in rich America the Mecca where they could soonacquire great wealth at easy pickings by eventually becoming beerbarons, racketeers, and the like; after passing through a brief schoolcourse as ordinary bootleggers, and hi-jackers.
"Some job, believe me!" Jack summed up his reflections by saying,drawing in a long breath at the same time; and then following it all upwith a laugh, as though even such a monumental task failed to dismayhim.
"Cap, I kinder reckon we're right smart near Charleston, to jedge fromthet bank o' smoke lying on ahead. I been keepin' tabs o' the miles weleft behind us, an' it shore do tally with the distance marked on yeourmap."
"I feel certain you're okay when you mention that same, matey," Jackassured the other; which commendatory remark caused Perk to look aspleased as a child when handed an all-day lollypop to suck on.
"Hot-diggetty-dig! it makes me happy to know as haow the waitin' game's'baout all in naow, an' we're agwine--haow's that, buddy--to jump intoaction, and then more action. Me, I'm some hungry, partner; but mebbe itaint wise to take a snack when we're so clost to aour airport, with alandin' comin' along soon, an' real restaurant eats aloomin' up in thebargain."
"Try to hold your horses for half an hour or more, and I promise thatyou'll be filled up to the limit, regardless of expense. And now beginto live, breathe, and act as a Dixie bred man would do, ready to knockanybody flat who'd be so brash as to say one insulting word about yournative Southl
and."
"The finest country God ever did make, barrin' none, suh; and don't yeouforgit it; but I kin see the airport a'ready, partner, off to the left abit."
Flying the Coast Skyways; Or, Jack Ralston's Swift Patrol Page 10
