PICKING UP CLUES
By this time the man whom Uncle Sam’s two clever sky detectives had
trapped, showed signs of being almost in a state of collapse. Too late
did he realize what a terrible mistake he had made when yielding to the
blandishments of Slippery Slim Garrabrant, and acting under the belief
that he could defy the law and get away with it.
“What’s the big idea, partner,” Perk was asking after he and Jack had
fixed things so there was no possible chance for their prisoner to break
away, and give them the laugh. “Do we jump off right now, or wait till
mornin’, I’d like to know?”
“No hurry at all,” was the calm reply, “I want to go over our crate once
more before we start that hop across to the California border, I’ve good
reason to believe things are okay but a second overhauling will satisfy
me better.”
“I kinder guess you won’t want me to slip over to this here town, an’
pick up a few fresh eggs, eh, boss?” and Perk’s voice actually took on a
wheedling vein as he made this remark for if there was anything he
dearly loved along the line of “eats” it was those same “fresh eggs.”
Jack shook his head.
“Hardly think it would be wise,” he observed; “we don’t know the lay of
the land for one thing—it might be this party has some backing among
his neighbors, and we’d find ourselves in a hornets’ nest before we knew
what was what. No, we can stick it out here the balance of the night,
which is pretty well gone right now, and be off about sunrise.”
“There’s a lot more stuff around in here that’d burn right well,”
insinuated Perk; “how ’bout another bit o’ fire—this night air feels
some cool to me an’ ’sides, we’d have a blaze ready so’s to boil more
coffee ’fore we kick off, eh, what, partner?”
“Please yourself so far as that goes, Perk, I reckon it wouldn’t feel at
all bad to have some fire, as we must hang out here several hours. But
don’t make any noise if you can help it. Besides, we ought to keep an
eye out for trouble, no telling what this slick chap might work off on
us.”
“Oh! we’ll one o’ us keep watch off’n on,” promised Perk, starting
without any further delay to gather some fuel, and get a blaze going.
While he was thus engaged Jack took their prisoner in hand, and
commenced to grill him. There was nothing of the dreaded “third degree”
rough-house measures in what Jack attempted but he tried to show the man
where his best interests lay.
“You’re in a bad fix, my friend,” Jack told him: “and unless you come
clean, so as to help us round up the balance of your outfit, you’ll be
certain to get the full penalty the law lays down. We know a whole lot
about Slippery Slim and his ways, and are dead certain we’re bound to
end up his graft before many more days pass by. So when you’re answering
my questions don’t try to lie to me, for like as not I’ll be already
acquainted with the facts and know you’re trying to beat around the
bush. Dangerous business, let me tell you; far better for you to hold
your tongue than deceive me. Come clean, and I promise you I’ll do
everything in my power to have you let off easy, besides no one need
know you’ve turned State’s evidence.”
Then he started in to put pointed questions, concerning certain points
that were vital to his plans. Once he caught the man squirming under the
lash, and giving an answer that he very well knew was like “beating
around the bush.”
“You know better than that, my friend,” he told him sharply, “that’s
only half a truth you’ve given me. Don’t try it again if you know what’s
good for your health, or it’ll be a matter of possibly ten years before
you see your family again. Stick to the truth, and it may be only a
question of six months you’ll spend at Atlanta behind the bars. Now tell
me again what I wanted to know.”
He had managed to impress his strong personality upon the writhing
wretch, who was ready to throw himself unreservedly upon his mercy and
so the answers were given without hesitation, although in some instances
the man declared he did not know, as he had only once been across the
line and visited Slippery Slim in his hideout among the Mexican
mountains.
When Jack realized that he had really pumped the other dry, he felt he
had profited in many ways and that their sudden determination to make, a
night landing, so as to recover after their buffeting by the storm, had
been a most fortunate happening indeed.
For one thing he had learned that the name of their frightened prisoner
was Simeon Hawkins, and that he had a wife and several children living
in the little prairie town only a few miles distant—a fact that seemed
to give him great distress, now he found his avaricious dreams wrecked,
and himself in the hands of a couple of those very same Secret Service
detectives whom the “big boss” had undoubtedly referred to so
contemptuously.
Perk had been “listening in,” and chuckling happily whenever he realized
his mate had made some sort of a “ten-strike,” picking up valuable
information that was destined to ultimately serve their ends
wonderfully, and help to “pot their game.”
They sat there for some time, talking in low tones. The man who lay
close by helpless was silent as a rule, although several times he
uttered a dismal groan, when his feelings overpowered him.
“Guess I’ll step out, partner,” remarked Perk at one time, “an’ slip
over to the ship, I’d sure hate to have some critter do us a bad turn by
meddlin’ with any o’ them dials an’ gadgets. What I wouldn’t do to _him_
would be a caution, that’s right.”
From the fact that Perk carried his rifle along with him his meaning was
not difficult to understand and Jack felt sorry for the chap who was at
the other end of the gun sights when his pal pulled the trigger.
Perk cautiously approached the grounded ship, and started when
discovering some moving object just in its shadow. The moon was shining
brightly now, so that it was an easy matter to see for quite some little
distance, although so deceptive was the light that even sharp-eyed Perk
could hardly have told whether some dark object seen fifty feet off was
a stump or a black dog sitting there and watching him.
Waiting until the object moved again, he discovered he had been wise to
hold his fire, for by then he had made it out to be some species of
animal. He took several forward steps, whereupon the beast started to
move off, uttering a little nasty snarl while doing so.
“Shucks, on’y a stinkin’ kiote after all, skulkin’ ’round to see if he
c’n stir up a little grub o’ any kind. Get out, you varmint!” and he
waved his gun above his head while starting to run forward.
This completely demoralized the cowardly prairie marauder, so that he
took to his heels, and quickly vanished in the near distance. Perk found
everything all right when he gave the stranded plane “the once over”;
and being satisfied that there was nothing to be feared from a coyote
prowling around in search of a supper or breakfast, he returned to the
shack to report all well.
Jack was busily engaged making certain notes, and reading others
connected with their present business, as jotted down in his memorandum
book in a peculiar brand of short-hand all his own, but which would
appear as so much Greek or Choctaw to any one else.
“Better turn in, and get a few winks of sleep, brother,” he told Perk,
who had yawned once or twice as he sat before the fire. “I’ll wake you
up in about an hour or so when you can take your turn playing sentinel,
until the dawn shows up.”
“Just as you say, old hoss,” came the ready reply; “fact is, I’m a bit
drowsy, an’ could get away with a few winks; but don’t forget to wake me
when the hour’s up, remember.”
“That’s all right, partner,” Jack told him, laughingly; “we’re in this
game thirty-thirty, and you’ll have your turn, depend on it. Now get
busy, and don’t you dare snore above a whisper either.”
“If I do jest gimme a poke, Jack—tryin’ to break myself o’ that nasty
habit but I got to have help, you know—no feller ain’t wholly
responsible fur what he does when he’s asleep.”
In due time Jack aroused the other, and himself sought a brief period of
forgetfulness in sleep. So the balance of the night passed, and morning
came with a clear sky, and a promise of decent weather for the
continuance of their flight.