meant to make certain that they had investigated every rod of that
terrible terrain that lay on every side, looking as though at some
remote time in the past, nature had been turning things topsy-turvy and
making a mad havoc with the entire land of gigantic rocks and sink
holes.
So two whole hours crept along with a number of abrupt turns, now north,
again south, steadily covering the ground. But sad to say there had as
yet been discovered nothing to breed sudden hopes and expectations. Haze
there had been in patches, owing to some humid condition of the
atmosphere in certain quarters, but never the first sign of friendly
smoke curling upward in spirals, nor yet a glimpse of any sort of half
concealed mountain lake such as had been described to them by Bart
Hicks.
It was now drawing on toward the middle of the day and Perk having
turned over the controls to his chum at the latter's request, was taking
things easy, having relieved Suzanne of the binoculars which he handled
with the skill born of long practice.
Several times during the morning the girl had begged Jack to take a look
and tell her if she had deceived herself in thinking there was some
favorable sign ahead or on either side. Much as he would have loved to
confirm her wildest hopes, Jack found himself doomed to give a
disappointing answer and so see the look of anguish that passed over her
erstwhile eager, smiling face.
The grim truth must be faced--there was no break so far to the
monotonous cruelty of the landscape with its unpromising features the
only result of all this search.
Then too, other discouraging happenings came along to add to Jack's
concern. For one thing, the wind was increasing and at times striking
them head on so as to cause more or less unsteadiness to the flying
boat, as well as upsetting certain of his calculations.
This was not at all to Jack's liking and he showed it by his repeated
upward glances, as though endeavoring to read the impending weather
conditions by the looks and movements of the clouds passing over.
It was also becoming more and more treacherous as their work took them
up and down, now soaring above some outlying crag mass and again dipping
into a valley that seemed only a fit abode for the grizzly bear in
search of lonesome districts where the feared human, with his magic
stick that spit fire and smoke and painful missiles, could never come.
Would their entire day be put in without a breath of cheering hope? Must
they turn back, and possibly spend yet another dreary night in the
little valley town, dispirited and with the poor girl in despair?
It began to look that way, even if worse might not be their portion. So
it can be easily understood that when Perk got out some of his
sandwiches nobody seemed to be hungry save himself, which deplorable
fact was not at all to the genial fellow's liking.
Even the usually even-tempered Jack was beginning to show signs of the
long strain, though he managed to conceal it as much as possible out of
consideration for the suffering Suzanne; but it was hard to assume a
hopeful face when up against a tough proposition as they undoubtedly now
were.
The wind was getting stronger, there could be no discounting that
positive fact which added to Jack's concern not a little, for he
realized that should a storm come along it would put an effectual end to
all their hopes of accomplishing anything. Perk too, had taken the alarm
and was also sending occasional glances aloft.
XXVI
CRATER LAKE
Along about an hour after Perk had made his lonesome midday lunch and
marveled at the fact of his being able to only devour three of those
toothsome sandwiches the chef at the hotel had put up at his order,
things had arrived at such a point that Jack felt it was only the part
of wisdom for him to do whatever lay in his power to keep track of their
bearings.
If that rising wind kept on increasing in strength so that it even
threatened to wind up in a genuine smashing gale, the chances were they
must either make some sort of a forced landing, or else climb up above
the storm clouds so as to avoid new and more appalling perils.
In so doing they would lose track of their points of contact and be
compelled to go all over the same ground again or take chances of
picking up the broken thread of their search wherever they had to drop
it.
Thus hard set, Jack began to try and take note of various unusual
formations--using the binoculars in so doing--that, stamped on his
receptive mind might serve as landmarks just as "targets" do the harbor
pilots when fetching a deep sea vessel in through the shallows to port
and safety.
Sometimes small fishing smacks, driven from a promising field by wind
and huge billows, are able to mark the spot by an anchored empty water
keg and in this way are able to find the fruitful spot when the weather
moderates. Such a stratagem however is not available to the air voyager,
whose only resource lies in a retentive memory.
When another half hour had slipped by, Jack began to once again
entertain a hope that this emergency might not reach a culmination. If
anything, the wind had lost a modicum of its fierceness and twice he
discovered a little break in the cloud ceiling by which they were
covered, as though the sun were trying to peep through.
Thus things were going along as the middle of the afternoon was reached.
Perk at the controls was mentally comparing their condition to that of a
shipwrecked crew of a sunken vessel; out of water with their hearts
almost in their throats with anxiety, shading their eyes with their
hands and searching along the horizon for signs of a sail. Somehow the
comparison gave Perk much concern, and he tried to imagine the great joy
that must fill the souls of that forlorn little company when suddenly
one of their number shouts out the glorious news: "Ship ahoy--a
steamer's smoke smudge to larboard!"
But it was only Suzanne asking Jack to please take a look and tell her
what that lumbering, ungainly object might be which she had discovered
moving across the rocks under the keel of the flying boat.
"I never happened to run across one before," Jack presently explained,
"but I'm sure it must be a Mountain Charlie, as I understand people out
in California call the silvertip grizzly bear. Some monster in the
bargain, Miss Cramer and you'll agree with me when I say I'd rather be
here than there."
She nodded her head as if to let him know he was right but when Jack saw
a shadow pass over her face he understood what was in her mind--that her
poor wounded Buddy might be lying there helpless, with that savage
monster drawing nearer and nearer, sniffing the air and following the
scent that sooner or later would take him to the spot where the fallen
air mail pilot lay.
She shuddered and put a hand in front of her eyes nor could she be
induced to make use of the glasses again for quite some time. She
evidently feared lest she once more glimpse that horrid hairy animal,
shuffling along in his shambling fashion, ready to attack any creature
that came in his way, be it bird, beast or human being for was he not
the king of the mountain fastnesses, utterly unafraid?
Jack felt convinced fortune was proving kindly disposed toward their
mission of humanity. That troublesome wind was slowly but surely
diminishing in force and gave promise of finally dying out in another
hour or so. At least they were not going to be forced to call the search
off as long as daylight served. Jack had not as yet decided in his mind
what to do after twilight came and the face of the country became
blotted out in the gathering gloom of night.
It might be possible for them to keep going, in hopes of discovering the
tempting glow of a campfire among the tall trees of the timber belt; but
discretion would more than likely force them to give up operations until
yet another day.
The risk would be much too great, flying at that low altitude across
such a dangerous wilderness where at any minute some unseen rocky cliff
might suddenly rise up before their speeding aircraft bringing about an
unavoidable crash, an explosion and--oblivion!
And then it came to pass, after all those weary and distressing hours of
search--this time Suzanne uttered a shrill shriek and trembling all over
held out the binoculars toward Jack crying:
"Oh! tell me if I am going out of my mind Jack! Is that really and truly
smoke curling up from over there?"
She clung to his arm and continued to point, trying to keep her hand
from wobbling to and fro because of her emotion.
Jack quickly focussed upon the object that had caught her attention.
Perk understanding what it must all be about, even if unable to catch
the meaning of what was being said, watched Jack's face, well knowing
how it was sure to register his thoughts.
"Smoke it is, for all the world!" Jack declared, immediately adding
further words of good cheer; "and as true as you live, I can catch a
gleam of sunlight falling on clear water!"
"Crater Lake, Jack?" demanded the duly thrilled girl, now all aglow with
renewed hope and expectation.
"It must be," admitted the other, still looking through the glasses, "we
were told there is no other body of water in this entire section. You
know Bart said that old hermit was believed to have his hideout close by
the ice water lake, for smoke had been seen rising of mornings when the
air-mail carrier went through a bit off his course."
He made a gesture to Perk the other readily understood. It meant that he
should immediately bank and go back again on the same track so they
could have yet another opportunity to use their eyes and learn if things
were as hopeful as they had been led to believe.
Jack managed to glance in the direction of the girl close by. It was
plain to be seen that Suzanne was tremendously agitated by this sudden
discovery of both the secret hideout of the so-called hermit and the
nearby Crater Lake, concerning which they had heard accounts from Bart
Hicks.
Not a single word passed her tightly compressed lips but in her whole
demeanor there was an expression of wonder, eagerness and fear--the last
no doubt on account of certain possibilities that, after all their
efforts they might have arrived too late or else that the hermit had
seen nothing whatsoever of the long missing flyer.
Jack too, knew they were banking on what must be called a long chance
for thus far it was only a mere surmise that caused them to seek out the
hidden retreat of the man who shunned his fellows. Not a single thing
had come to their notice to affirm that Buddy Warner had ever flown over
Crater Lake in any of his passages to and fro, although his usual course
lay within a few miles of the extinct volcano.
"I'll take the stick now, Perk," he announced as they once more caught a
glimpse of that curling, eddying smoke column and then sighted the cliff
encircled lake of the mountains.
One thing Jack had already settled that the sheer rocky walls did not
entirely encompass the sheet of water. There was a section at the near
end where the ground sloped down to the very edge of the lake. Jack
could see this with his naked eye--no further necessity existed for
using the magnifying binoculars, he concluded.
Then of a sudden Jack felt a warm glow pass over his whole body. What
was this he saw projecting from the lake close to the shore? He had on
some other occasion looked upon a wrecked plane partly submerged in some
body of water, fresh or salt and here he found himself staring down at a
similar object.
This would tell the story, Jack thought, better than any words could do.
Some aviator must have attempted to drop down upon the lake, perhaps to
ease the shock of contact when forced to descend through an accident to
his outfit, that was a positive thing and what was more reasonable than
to conclude the unfortunate airman must be the missing pilot for whom so
many flyers were scouring the whole country up and down, east and west?
He half opened his mouth as though to call the attention of Suzanne to
his thrilling discovery and then stopped short. She would find it out
for herself quickly enough and if there was a bitter disappointment
awaiting the brave girl, far be it from him to hasten the coming of her
grief.
Now they had begun to circle the lake itself and once directly over the
body of water, Jack could see it was indeed a real gem. A small but
select sheet that, save for the presence of the hermit close by, had
probably never been fished by a single white man. A perfect trout
preserve, he told himself, in the ecstasy of a born fisherman.
It was what Perk would call a "reg'lar cinch." There was not the
slightest reason to hold back, for never an obstacle could Jack discover
calculated to give them trouble in making contact with the water. Once
safely floating on the surface of the mysterious lake, they could taxi
over to a position close to the sloping beach where a landing might be
effected in order to search for the hidden retreat of the lone settler.
Once, twice, three times did he make a complete turn around the circular
pond and then having his plan laid out, he dove down until close to the
shimmering surface when he suddenly leveled off and then gently
continued the drop, to fall upon the bosom of the beautiful harbor
almost as lightly as a wild duck would splash down from on high.
And then Suzanne discovered the half submerged ship, with its nose out
of sight and its tail pointing up at the northern sky. It was a
melancholy and ill-omened spectacle indeed, speaking as it surely did of
some unfortunate airman's swift plunge from lofty heights to strike the
tiny lakelet. Indeed, it might even have been his intended target when
the terrible drop was first begun. Suzanne gave a cry and held out her
quivering hands toward the wrecked plane as though all doubts were now
removed as to her Buddy having dipped down into this pool when his ship
became unmanageable.
XXVII
THE END OF THE AIR TRAIL
The crisis for which they had been preparing during the entire aerial
trip was now a reality. Before many more minutes had passed they would
know that which they came to find out--whether Buddy had clung to life
during the long, agonizing interval, or had "gone west," as so many in
his perilous calling had done before him in a blaze of sacrifice and
glory.
They were now floating on the surface of the little mountain lake in the
midst of the most wonderful surroundings the human mind could imagine.
Here centuries ago had been the wide vent of an active volcano and at
intervals from this same opening, now so quiet and peaceful, there had
undoubtedly burst forth vast waves of molten lava accompanied by
sulphurous smoke and thunderous sounds, as though nature had broken her
chains and meant to reshape the whole western world.
Later on, when his mind was more at ease, Jack Ralston could in some
measure paint the terrible picture and in his mind imagine he saw the
bubbling lava, rolling down the side of the rocky mountain with
frightful havoc all along its tortuous course.
Just then, however, but one matter engaged his entire attention. Where
was the strange hermit of Crater Lake? Why did he not show himself when
he surely must have watched their coming and successful descent? Had he
been able to save the life of Buddy or would they be shown a mound of
earth amidst the heaped-up rocks where the valiant young air-mail pilot
lay in the sleep that knows no earthly awakening.
"Look yonder, Jack--somethin' movin' among them bushes!" Perk was saying
in his ear, for since the engine no longer kept up its roar and the
propeller had ceased functioning, it was possible for them to hear
ordinary sounds. "Mebbe now it might be that four-footed ole grizzly
b'ar an' I ort to get my rattler o' a machine gun in hand."
"Don't bother about that, Perk," Jack told him, "see, it's a man, and
chances are we're going to meet the queer old hermit of the mountains
right now."
Even as Jack was thus quieting the fears of his chum, the object of
their observation walked into full sight and was hastening to reach the
border of the clear-water lake close by where the only sign of a beach
occurred.
He was not a startling figure at all and seemed garbed in ordinary
clothes that had evidently been selected for long service when far away
from tailors and housewives. His face was bearded and his hair white but
he strode along with a swinging step that told of bodily vigor and good
health.
Reaching the border of the water he seemed to be giving them the "once
over," as Perk called it in his suggestive way.
"There, see, he's beckoning for us to come closer," said Jack with
something approaching relief in his manner. "I see what looks like a
clumsy boat made from the trunk of a tree drawn far up on the shore.
Reckon he uses the old tub when he feels like doing a little fishing.
We'll taxi in as close as the depth of the water allows and then if
necessary we can wade the balance of the way, carrying Suzanne between
us."
As he turned to start his motor he had one look at the white face of the
speechless girl and as long as he lived Jack would never forget the
tense agony he saw stamped there. It hardly seemed as though Suzanne was
breathing as she stared at the figure of the strange old man on the
shore in whose hands as she well knew, lay the power of life and death
insofar as her happiness was concerned. One word from him would tell the
whole tragic story.
Then the motor began to hum and with a dextrous hand Jack sent the
amphibian scurrying toward the beach. Perk meanwhile snatched up a pole
he always kept handy for such a purpose and thrusting it into the water,
sounded the depth as they went along.
When presently Perk called out just what he had been waiting to announce
so grandly "by the mark, twain," Jack shut off the engine and the plump
of the anchor immediately followed, Perk having that useful hook ready
at his hand.
"You are searching for him, I take it for granted?" said the hermit, at
the same time pointing to the wreck of the plane not many yards away
with its disconsolate looking tail in the air and its nose apparently
buried in the mud a few feet under the surface.
"Yes, we are one of a score and more of plane parties scouring the whole
side of the Rockies," replied Jack, trying his best to keep his voice
from breaking for the suspense had him in its grip as well as the poor
girl. "Did you manage to save him, sir--tell us--or--or was it too
late?"
He heard a low, bubbling cry, or was it a sob--at his elbow but his eyes
were riveted on the tall erect figure of the mysterious recluse. The
other was nodding his head--surely that could be reckoned a favorable
sign. Jack again summoned his courage to the fore and went on to ask the
crucial question:
"This girl, sir, is the sweetheart of Buddy Warner, whose strange
disappearance has thrilled the entire nation--have pity, and relieve her
dreadful suspense--is he alive?"
Another nod, and in the affirmative, accompanied by a ghost of a smile.
Then came the words that would ring in Jack's ears for many a moon:
"Alive, and with a good chance for recovery, I am glad----"
"Quick! catch her, Perk!" yelled Jack as he felt the girl falling in a
dead faint from the reaction. The relief proved too much for the
strained condition of her nerves.
A dash of ice-cold water from the lake soon revived her and she smiled
at the pair bending over her so solicitously.
"We must get her ashore without any delay," announced Jack, for he had
great fears lest the enraptured girl take it upon herself to jump
overboard and without any assistance from either of her guardians manage
to make land.
Perk instantly dropped into the water which came almost up to his waist.
It was pretty cold, but what did that matter to one so fond of calling
himself a "tough old guy" and able to negotiate where others would
shrink back.
Suzanne sprang into his arms as though not a second was to be lost in
reaching the side of her beloved Buddy. So too, did Jack follow the
example of his pal, determined not to be cheated out of the glorious
sight when Suzanne and Buddy were reunited.
Once they were all ashore, dripping wet, but heedless of so little a
thing under the circumstances. The master of this lonely region led them
along what seemed to be a narrow, well trodden path, circulating among
the piled-up rocks and trees, until presently they reached a rude shack
from the stone chimney of which arose the tell-tale smoke that had been
their guiding beacon in discovering the retreat of the recluse.
Suzanne dashed ahead of their guide and they heard her joyous cries as
they reached the open door. She was down on her knees, her arms around a
figure stretched out on a rude cot.
And so it was that Jack and Perk came upon the lost air-mail pilot whose
hand they were soon squeezing with heartiest enthusiasm. Buddy was
bandaged pretty well and confessed to a broken arm and quite a lot of
bruises, all of which would keep him "on the shelf" for a month or so
but everything was "all right," he told them and expressed amazement as
well as pride when told that Suzanne had not only received her pilot's
license, unbeknown to him, but even made a long and successful solo
flight in the mad desire to join in the wide search for him.
The hermit was saying nothing, only listening with great interest and
Jack could easily see that somehow this strange happening must have
renewed his interest in the outside world from which he had for years
been a stranger.
Such chattering as followed.
The happy girl turned every little while to beam upon her two faithful
squires as if she could never forget how much they had done for her.
Perk stared at her as though entranced. Evidently he had never imagined
there could be so much loveliness in all the wide world as he saw
pictured there in her rosy face with eyes like twin stars. For such a
delightful little "dame" the honest fellow would have braved the perils
of Niagara or the Whirlpool Rapids, if need be, to see such rapture
steal over her face. The proud feeling, that he had been able to prove
of service to Suzanne in her hour of blackest despair, would reward him
ten times over for any bodily discomfort he may have endured. And Buddy
too, he was surely worth finding--so jovial, so chummy in his ways and,
lucky guy, with so dainty a "best girl" to hover over him and be his
devoted nurse.
No one would ever know the part he and Jack had taken in this happy
ending of the widely published mystery attending Buddy's vanishing in
the night. The rules of the service to which he and his pal had sworn
allegiance forbade such a thing as publicity. To have their pictures
sent throughout the land, with an account of their previous successful
labors in rounding up transgressors of the law, would put an effectual
damper on any future jobs coming their way. It was not to be permitted
under any circumstances whatever and not only the hermit, but both Buddy
and his girl must solemnly promise never to disclose the names and
vocation of the two airmen who were mainly responsible for the finding
of the lost aviator.
That, however, was a minor matter to both comrades. They were not in the
Secret Service of Uncle Sam for any glory or honors that might be
showered upon them. They did not risk their lives day after day with any
hope of being decorated with a Victory Cross or any ribbon telling of
foreign service. It must be sufficient reward for them to feel that they
had performed their duty to the best of their ability, no matter what
its character and, backed by the long arm of the Law, brought wicked
violators to the bar of justice, there to receive the penalty for their
crimes.
One thing Jack noticed almost immediately was how everything connected
with the bandaging of Buddy's broken arm had been carried out with
astonishing neatness. Had he been a patient in some hospital, attended
by the most famous of surgeons and with a clever nurse as his attendant,
he could not have been in better shape.
Jack looked again closely at the mysterious recluse, noted the keen eye,
the slender, agile fingers which moved with dexterity when he fixed up
some little slip in the bandage and made up his mind that the world had
undoubtedly lost one of its most gifted surgeons when this unknown man
took to the woods, so to speak, for some reason never known.
Buddy was a bit weak and his host bade him not to keep talking too long,
since excitement would not be good for him in his present
condition--indeed he had quite enough as it was. But Suzanne begged so
hard to be permitted to wait upon him and promised to keep him quiet,
that she was finally given permission to do so.