PERK GETS AN EARFUL
"Go to it, ole hoss; I'm all set!" was the way Perk announced the fact
that every atom of drowsiness had fled from his eyes, and he was as
wide-awake as any hawk that ever darted down on a farmer's chicken pen.
Accordingly Jack started in to tell of the pleasant time he had
experienced while spending a couple of hours with Mr. Casper Herriott
and his charming family.
Perk was mildly interested at first, which was saying a good deal,
considering how anxious he felt to have the narrator "get down to brass
tacks," as he himself would have expressed it; meaning facts intimately
connected with the perils and anticipated progress of their present big
adventure.
When, however, Jack reached the point where his host had made him
promise to fetch his best pal along at some later date, as he was
particularly anxious to meet and know him, Perk manifested fresh
interest, and even asked several questions, thus learning what Mr.
Herriott had said about having heard more or less concerning his,
Perk's, good qualities--and eccentricities.
"Shore," he told Jack, soberly. "I'll be glad to meet up with the gent
any time yeou see fit to invite me along--mebbe when yeou've sorter got
matters hitched to the post, an' we're figgerin' on jumpin' off fo'
keeps. I doant know 'baout the lady, since I aint much on talkin' to
sech; but I'd jest _love_ to see them kids--got a soft spot in my ole
heart fo' awl boys an' gals, 'specially them that aint much--er
soperfisticated--hanged if I know haow to git that ere word; but anyway
yeou ketch my meanin', partner."
Then Jack began to branch off to other things, with Perk sitting there,
his eyes never once leaving the face of his chum, drinking in every
low-spoken word as though he meant to print the same indelibly on the
tablets of his memory--a bit fickle, it must be confessed, when he was
caught unawares.
One thing followed another, and the interest seemed to increase rather
than diminish; until Perk was breathing hard, and making a whistling
sound between his set teeth, a little habit he had when intensely
excited.
"I asked about the amphibian that was to be placed at our disposal,"
Jack informed the other later on; "and Mr. Herriott apologized because,
as he said, he understood it had been decided best and safest for all
concerned if instead of the wonderful new navy speed boat, one of the
latest patterns along that line, as first designed for us, they had sent
a much used Curtiss Falcon; although certain new fangled devices had
been attached, such as combination wheels and pontoons, that had been
successfully tried out in active service, and were much the worse for
wear, but staunch for all that."
"Gee whiz! that's goin' to tickle a feller named er-Wally a heap, let me
tell yeou, buddy!" exclaimed Perk, with glistening eyes. "Allers did
hanker to see haow that ere contraption panned aout. What else is there
'baout the boat we'll 'preciate, boss?"
"A number of up-to-date things that are apt to come in handy," Jack told
him; "but remember, pains have been taken to make it appear they've been
attached to the flying ship for quite some time--it might look
suspicious if they were all _new_, as though placed there for some
particular purpose--get the full meaning of that, do you, Wally?"
"Yeah, jest so," the other made answer, a bit hesitatingly, but with
growing assurance in his manner; "them bally guys got sharp eyes, an' if
so be they happens to have a spy right hyah in Charleston town, he'd
lamp sech extravagance, an' keep an eye on weuns."
"That's the right answer, boy--you said it. Well, another fine thing Mr.
Herriott told me, was connected with a suppression of the row made by
our exhausts. You know that's been a source of great annoyance to us in
times past, when it meant a whole lot if we could get close to our
intended quarry without kicking up such a tremendous racket that every
living thing inside ten miles must know an airship was somewhere
around."
"Hot-diggetty-dig! air yeou tellin' me they done got that squall muzzled
at last--that yeou kin make a grand sneak up on yeour meat withaout them
suspectin' a single thing?"
"Well, they do say it's pretty close to having the noise kept under
perfect control," Jack went on to state. "Whenever you want to stop the
staccato sounds from publishing your coming to the entire country, ten
miles in every direction, all you have, to do is to press a button, and
the muffler gets down to business automatically. Even the whirling sound
of the propeller has been fairly quieted in the same way."
"Say, that shore is great news!" Perk exclaimed, enthusiastically; "an'
I'll be near crazy to see haow she works, aput in practice."
"Just hold your horses until tomorrow, when we'll go out to the field
and take our first flight in the old cabin Curtiss Falcon ship, to find
how she handles. I never had the pleasure of piloting one of that type
of ships, and so there'll be a heap for both of us to learn."
"Shucks! I done handled a amphib many a time, but that was years back,
when they didn't near come up to the new kind; an' with all them
contraptions attached in the bargain. It's agoin' to be high sport
dodgin' 'raound over them swamps an' wild sections o' territory, duckin'
daown to settle on some bayou, or mebbe a meanderin' river with a fierce
current, sech as I read they got close to the Atlantic seaboard--bet
yeour boots it is, partner."
"I reckon you're right there, buddy; but for the present we mustn't have
much thought for amusing ourselves--everything we do should have a
decided bearing on the carrying out of our game."
"Shore thing, boss," agreed Perk, not at all dismayed at having cold
water thrown on his high hopes; "but if so yeou happens to git a good
chance to knock over a brace o' fat mallards, in carryin' aout the
duckin' part o' aour program, why, there aint any crime 'baout makin' a
nice cookin' fire ashore, be they, and havin' real wild game fo' supper?
We gotter eat to live, yeou knows, an' I'm right fond o' duck, when in
camp."
Jack grinned, and shook his head, even though smiling, as if he found
his chum's specious argument unanswerable.
"We'll leave all that to the future, brother," he told Perk; "it isn't
always advisable to cross a stream until you come to it."
Then he went on to reel off still more of the information passed along
to him by his late host; and while many things he told may not have
seemed as important in Perk's eyes as the two just mentioned,
nevertheless he tried to pay strict attention, and asked numerous
questions, to convince Jack he understood all he said.
"And before we take off for a spin," Jack added, as an after thought;
"we must get all the raft of things aboard the amphibian we fetched here
to use in our work. There will be other necessary stuff to pick up from
time to time, as we advance along our road; for we've got to remember
that once we make the grand getaway we'll not see the floodlights or
boundary zones of Charleston aviation field again until we've won our
game; or come back defeated, as others have done before us, men supposed
to be as clever as they make them in our particular line."
"Then we got a big day afore us tomorrow, eh, what, partner?"
"Looks that way, buddy," Jack lost no time in saying; "and on that
account I reckon now we'd better call a halt on this talkie, and hit the
hay. For one I'm about as sleepy as they make 'em, and ready to crawl
between the sheets, leaving tomorrow to look after itself."
"Meanin' to run up an' see the gov'nor tomorrow, any?" queried Perk, as
he started to take off his shoes, and suppressing a big yawn while so
doing.
"I made an arrangement to get over to his house tomorrow night, should I
have further questions to put up to him," Jack admitted. "Then again
there's always a chance of some later important news coming in from
Headquarters, such as we ought to hear about without delay, since it
could bring about some sort of change in our plan of campaign."
Perk grunted, as though he grasped the idea; but was really too tired
himself to think of asking more solutions of the possible puzzles as yet
bothering his brain.
With the coming of dawn they were both astir, for when on duty Perk
could cut his sleeping portion in two, if it was deemed necessary; while
Jack had ever been able to get along with a few hours recuperation each
night.
They went down and enjoyed a fine breakfast, although Perk had to be
warned again not to founder; since they had a strenuous day ahead, when
he needed to be in the best possible condition. Consequently he had to
deny himself a third helping of sausages and fried eggs; as well as a
fourth plate of griddle cakes; dripping with fresh butter and Southern
syrup. However, he "opined" he would be able to hold out until lunch
time; for which he meant to be provided by securing some stuff at a
bakery, together with hard-boiled eggs aplenty--trust an old campaigner
with vast experience for looking after the "eats" when backed by an
abundance of the "long green."
When they had laid out a program that covered everything for the day,
they took a taxi, and ran out in style to the aviation field. Jack
assumed the post of running things, as was his right, acting as a
wealthy young sportsman, used to doing just about what he pleased, and
"letting the world go hang!"
He had a little chat with his good friend of the previous day, and they
learned that their other ship, the Curtiss-Falcon, was housed in the
same Blevins Aircraft Corporation hangar that now sheltered their big
Fokker tri-motored craft; which made things doubly comfortable, when
they would start changing their possessions from one to the other.
Jack only waited until some call took the superintendent off, leaving
them by themselves, when with Perk's help he commenced the job of making
the transfer. This had been taken into consideration before they left
San Diego, and later on in the Curtiss-Wright hangar at Candler Field,
Atlanta; so that everything had been placed in a series of cartons, such
as might be tossed overboard when their contents were disposed
of--particularly in the case of edibles, and such perishable supplies.
These handy cartons would have prevented any one from knowing what they
were stocking up with, and in such wise warded off possible suspicions
that might have started a string of happenings none too pleasant to
contemplate.
After this job was completed came the running of the antique Curtiss
cabin amphibian out of its hangar, and settled in position for the
coming takeoff; with Perk all agrin, as if he anticipated a glorious
cruise.