CHAPTER XXIIIPerk Carries on
Apparently Jack found considerable interest in the man wearing the white cap of a cook, for he watched him keenly as he came and went, limping a little, it seemed, as though somewhat lame.
Then, as the morning drew on, Jack changed his location, as though desirous of applying his energies to another duty that claimed attention. He was away from his post all of three hours; and when once more creeping over to the friendly screen of scrub bushes, there was a satisfied look on his grim face, that gave him an air of renewed confidence.
Apparently things were working along the right path, which would mean he found them to his liking.
If Jack felt exceedingly hungry, with so little to stay the clamorings of an empty stomach, he gave no evidence of such a thing. But then he did not happen to belong to the class of “squealers,” as honest Perk often delighted to assign himself, without a blush of shame—he was built to expect three square meals per diem, and felt he had a right to “kick” when, through some misfortune they failed to come along on schedule.
The afternoon wore away slowly, with Jack in continual use of his glasses. It was a most interesting study for him, this spying upon the hideout of the greatest aggregation of badly wanted refugees from the Law he had ever run across.
What a grand haul would result if only he chanced to have a dozen of his fellow workers in the Secret Service at his call, ready to draw a net around the sunken valley, and forcing a general surrender. A good many empty cells in the Federal penitentiaries would be filled with their former occupants, Jack was telling himself, as he strove to count the idle members of the gang sunning themselves, and taking things so comfortably, as though they refused to entertain a single minute of fear concerning the possibility of the army being used by Uncle Sam to encompass their downfall.
Jack now began to anticipate the return of his comrade, judging from the manner in which he frequently turned his head, as if to listen, while a look of concern began to draw lines about his eyes.
The fact that he had seen no sign of excitement among those he was watching had given him good cause for confidence. Surely, if the presence of strangers in the neighborhood had been discovered, with possibly Perk made a prisoner, he must have noted the fact as he viewed the panorama spread out before his eyes.
It was when the descending sun had dropped well down the western sky—about five by his faithful little wrist watch—that all of a sudden he heard something drop just back of his position, followed by a low, shaky voice saying:
“Hot-diggetty-dig! say, I’m ’baout all in, for a fack—gee whiz! sech a climb, with a pack on my back that weights somethin’ like a ton. Whee!”
And there was Perk, flat upon his back, having been drawn down when he attempted to let his burden drop. Jack gained his side as speedily as he could, his mind at ease once more, his late fears having vanished like a puff of mountain fog before a rising breeze.
“Mighty glad to see you safe back, buddy—was just beginning to feel a bit anxious—but you shouldn’t have attempted to lug such a whopping bunch of stuff up this steep grade.”
Perk gave him a wise grin, and managing to find his voice he went on to say, in a jerky manner between breaths:
“Didn’t reckon to in first place, Jack—after I hitched to aplenty yeou know I ’membered ’bout somethin’ else—then saw a package o’ grub I jest did want to try eout the wust kind—so she climbed to this mounting—but it’s okay—we kin make use o’ ever’thing, bet yeour boots we kin.”
“I hope you did what I told you to—eat a good lunch while you had the opportunity?” Jack asked, solicitously, whereat the other slily winked one eye, and made reply:
“Sure thing, partner—easier to swaller the grub an’ carry sameinside, than to tote it on my back. But queer haow a gink keeps on buildin’ up a appetite, fur somehaow I’m hungry as all git-eout agin.”
That was just like Perk; but Jack had to chuckle at the lugubrious expression he could see on his comrade’s expressive face as he announced this sad fact.
“Well,” he told the returned scout, “we’ll eat as soon as we get further away from the cliff; I’ve got some things to tell you that may sound interesting; but not a single word until I’ve had a chance to breakmyfast.”
“Great guns! Jack, ole hoss, I forgot as haow yeou aint had nary a bite all day long, while I was jestgorgin’myself daown yonder!”
“First tell me, was the ship okay?”
“Sure was, Jack,” the other went on to state, as he managed to regain a stooping position, with the mighty pack still on his back, assisted by a friendly push at the hands of his ally.
Jack seemed to breathe easier, showing that he had really worried about the possibility of something happening to their air courier, such as must put a halt to their operations, if not entirely smashing the same.
“’Fore I started back,” continued Perk, who was now wound up, and capable of running on for any length of time, his wind being assured, “I took time to toss some more o’ them evergreens on exposed parts o’ the crate. She’s camouflaged neow to beat the band—kinder guess a galoot with the eyes o’ a hawk might pass by less’n fifty feet away, an’ never suspicion what that big mound was. But there ain’t been anybody araound there since we cut aout—I’m givin’ yeou that straight, Pard Jack.”
Shortly afterwards they settled down in a secluded spot, where the brush grew thick enough to effectually conceal their presence, assisted in this friendly task as it was by various piles of rough rocks, such as were as plentiful in that wild country as “grains of sand on the seashore,” Perk had more than once declared.
Jack held to his resolve, and refused to say another word until he had taken the sharp edge off his appetite. Just then he doubtless could appreciate how his always hungry chum must suffer between meals.
By the time he had been munching the stuff the sympathizing Perk kept putting before him, for something like ten minutes, the acute sensation had passed away.
Perk had also been doing a little side act of his own, and managed to put away a fair proportion of eatables. He was waiting as patiently as he could for Jack to start telling what he meant by the word “discoveries;” and hoping something entertaining might be forthcoming.
“I’m glad you saw fit to fetch that big flashlight,dittothe two extra dry batteries along, buddy,” observed Jack, finally; “because we’re going to find a good use for the same. I’ve entered a claim for a nice dry residence, which we can use while we’re in this region—rain or shine, cold or otherwise, it’s a sure enough jim-dandycave!”
“Bully boy, Jack; I’m tickled pink to hear such good news; when do we move in, tell me?”
“Right away—that is, by the time darkness comes along, Perk; because it isn’t a great way off—a fissure in the big rock that looked sort of inviting to me; so I crept inside, with a splinter of dry wood that I could coax to burn. Couldn’t see all I’d have liked to, but enough to tell me the crack developed into a regular cavern, with a roof fully twenty feet up, and feeling a heap warmer than we found ourselves last night.”
“Whoopee! that sounds right fine to me, cully; I’m sure glad yeou hit sech a prize package fust shot. But I jest knowed yeou’d be adoin’ yeour stuff when I was a crawlin’ ’long daown there in the bottom land. I’m crazy to take a squint at aour new lodgin’; but I guess there aint no sech hurry.”
“Plenty of time for everything,” Jack assured him, still engaged in the pleasant task of feeding the furnace fires within. “We can have a great chin once we get settled; and Perk, I spent a full hour toting a lot of wood into that split in the wall.”
“Meanin’ as haow we kin even have a bully little fire—all the comforts o’ home, an’ nary a red cent to pay for rent, in the bargain. Ain’t we the lucky boys, though.”
“Listen! that’s a familiar sound I’m picking up, eh, what, Perk?”
“Sure is!” cried the other, showing signs of sudden excitement. “Some sorter airship headin’ thisaways. Must be that ole crate belongin’ to the boys daown in the valley; let’s git back to the cliff, an’ see what’s what, Jack.”