CLOSE TO THE TIGER’S LAIR
“We’re about due for a landing, Perk,” finally announced the pilot,
after he had used the glasses for a spell, and again took over the
stick.
“Huh! some hike that’s agoin’ to be, I’d say, old hoss,” grunted Perk;
“but I guess it can’t be helped—got to take the bitter with the sweet
lots o’ times—the way o’ the world, seems like. Go to it then, boss; if
anybody c’n make a safe landin’ by moonlight it’s jest you!”
His confidence was not misplaced, as Jack proved when he brought the
ship down in as perfect a three-point drop as the best of aces could
have carried out.
“She’ll have to lie here till we need her again,” he observed, on
climbing out of his confined quarters, and stretching his cramped legs
after the manner of air mail pilots in from a long and irksome run.
Perk stared around him—they were on the sandy desert without a doubt,
and off toward the east could be seen the dim crests of the high and
ragged peaks comprising the main ridges of the Sierra Madres—old-time
home of the fierce Yaqui Indians, whom the soldiers of Mexico had for so
many years labored so hard and in vain to conquer; nor was it until the
day the airplane came along that they were able to accomplish this much
to be desired end.
But now other equally annoying thorns in the flesh had made a hideout of
those same inaccessible mountains—defeated aspirants for the presidency
of the Republic, always generals, took to gathering groups of
malcontents and mercenary adventurers in these mountain depths, defying
the troops sent to rout them out, and proving the latest source of
trouble in the political problems of the authorities.
Jack soon completed his preparations for abandoning their ship. He
looked it all over, to satisfy himself its camouflage would prevent it
from being sighted by any air pilot chancing to pass overhead at a
reasonable altitude then he gathered a few articles, the possession of
which might turn out to be of value when it came to closing the mouth of
the bag and finally announced himself as ready to make a move.
“Got all you wanted, Perk?” he inquired, incidentally, for he had reason
to feel certain such was the case.
“Yeah! from the binoculars an’ my rifle, down to what’s left o’ the
eats,” the other assured him. “Guess we’ll get along somehow or other.”
“Oh! don’t bother your head about the grub part, comrade; I’m carrying a
small packet with me that holds enough to keep two men alive for a whole
week—all we’ll have to do is to run across some sort of spring, where
we can get all the drinking water we’ll need, while we wait for the
wagon.”
“Huh! in this case you’re meanin’ a _hearse_, ’cause mebbe we’ll have to
shoot him up afore he calls quits,” and Perk grinned horribly at his own
wit.
So they left the ship stranded there, sprawled out like a gigantic
dragon-fly or a monstrous toad. If Fortune proved kind they might yet
live to make good use of it again when the time came to fly back to
God’s country on the other side of the border where defeated candidates
are in the habit of accepting the dictum of the voters, and retiring
from the field of battle await the next call to arms, with ballots
instead of bullets as their method of settling elections.
Side by side they set forth, like a pair of adventurers starting out in
search of Fortune’s smiles, and careless alike as to whether they met
with success or not, so long as the excitement they craved came their
way.
Perk managed to conceal the chagrin with which he buckled down to his
unwelcome task, walking always gave him a pain, mental rather than
physical but on the whole he was a good scout, and could follow the
beckoning finger of duty, even though he loathed the conditions attached
to the performance of his role.
The sand was far from compact, and allowed them to sink in somewhat, so
this made the going more difficult in contrast to that on the seashore
which being beaten down by incoming waves is often as hard as concrete
and a pleasure to walk over; whereas this of the desert was dry and
sifted at the least puff of wind.
Perk having had some previous experience with deserts, felt no love for
the uninviting waste places of the earth only such useless vegetation as
sage, greasewood, cactus and yucca would grow between the sand dunes
amidst the blistering fangs of the infernal heat and always vowed he
disliked such arid regions with a violence too deep for mere words.
Yet he kept his own counsel and plodded away alongside his pal as if he
had no personal feelings in the matter whatsoever. Far off in front of
them they could see the line of peaks studded against the sky once or
twice Perk felt certain he had caught a fluttering light aloft such as
might spring from a passing plane but in every instance he finally
decided it must be some shooting star, ducking behind the mountain
range, leaving a trailing wake behind that but reflected its passing
glory.
One hour, two, and then a third dragged along before Jack thought fit to
call a halt. Never did poor weary footsore Perk, almost used up, listen
to more welcome and delightful words than when Jack as he drew to a halt
went on to say:
“Time to rest, partner, you know—I’d like to find a bunch of shady
trees that would afford us a decent shelter from the blazing sun, should
we be so unfortunate as to get adrift after leaving all landmarks
behind.”
“Oh! bless you for sayin’ that, buddy,” Perk was saying hoarsely, for
his throat seemed as dry as tinder, the fine sand even affecting his
vocal cords so that he would not have recognized his own voice. “By your
leave I guess I’ll lie down and get the kinks outen my legs. Wow! that
must abeen fi’ miles if she was one—my shoes are full o’ sand, an’
altogether I don’t feel half the man I was on startin’ out.”
“There are some trees over yonder, you may notice, Perk; so after we’ve
caught our second wind we’ll take chances, and cut across to where they
lie, perhaps when morning comes tripping along, we may climb up the face
of the mountain and get a look-in at the printing establishment that’s
set itself up in opposition to the U. S. Treasury Department, and the
Federal Bank. Come on then, a little further where we can drop down, and
rest our weary feet.”
Shortly afterwards the pair had crept in among the sheltering trees,
where Jack called a rest, although under the impression that they should
get along further before break of day.
He talked matters over with his partner, speaking almost in whispers,
since in this enemy country no one could take anything for granted and
for all they knew hostile ears might chance to be close by, ready to
listen in.
It was Perk himself who proposed to move along while the going was good.
“Seems like we might be a heap better off, old hoss, if on’y we located
up thar on the side o’ the mountain, where we could see without our
bein’ watched. I’m okay now, an’ ready for b’ar.”
That was the spirit Jack liked in his mate—a readiness to take hold and
reach a decision. They moved along toward the base of the forbidding
height, keeping a watchful eye on the eastern sky lest dawn come and
surprise them in the open, where it would not be easy to find a hiding
place during the entire day.
Fortune favored them, for they managed to get under cover before the
first gray streaks appeared in the east. It was bound to be a strenuous
task climbing that formidable mountain side but Jack had prepared for
even this part of the adventure.
From various sources he had learned how there were three separate means
for subduing that grim pyramid of rocks and trees and tangled growth—in
order to lessen the chances of discovery, with unpleasant consequences,
Jack had decided to try and negotiate the most difficult of these
mountain trails in the belief that it would offer a safer passage since
evidently none of the seething revolutionists, or their allies, the bad
men from across the border, would be likely to follow that canyon trail
when others less difficult could be utilized.
Down there hidden by the bushes and spurs of outlying rock they employed
their time in munching what must serve as their breakfast. Then
quenching their thirst at a convenient pool they proceeded to climb the
face of the steep elevation, making for the quaint hollow in the crater
of a long dead volcano and which had once been a Yaqui fort.