LIKE A NIGHT OWL ON THE WING
The rush and gurgle of the water parted by the pontoons beneath the
fuselage of the plane was sounding most delightful to the ears of Perk
as he sat there watching the jaws of land draw rapidly nearer.
Resting up was always a painful thing to Perk whose nerves called for
action and had done so ever since he served in the flying corps across
the Atlantic when men's souls thrilled with frequent contacts in the
line of equally daring Hun war pilots.
Now they had shot past the twin points and were out upon the open gulf,
their speed increasing every second as Jack pulled the stick closer
against his chest. Then the experienced pilot lifted her in a zoom that
was simply magnificent, and they were off on their adventure at last.
Rising fast, the boat was soon at a good ceiling for flying. So too the
night promised all manner of favorable things for men of their
calling--up where they were the wind did not amount to much but it was
blowing at quite a lively rate closer to the earth and doubtless the
broad palmetto leaves must be making a considerable slashing as they
struck one another, dead and withered ones sawing like some giant violin
bow.
This, with the wash of the waves upon the pebbled beach, would make
enough noise to effectually deaden the whirr of the propeller--the new
and novel muffler or silencer, fashioned very much on the order of such
a contraption as successfully applied to small firearms, was doing
wonderfully, and Perk every little while made motions as though shaking
hands with himself because of this addition to their security, for under
the usual conditions prevailing anything like secrecy in a noisy airship
had been unknown to the sky detectives.
Perk had been under a strange hallucination when that other plane was
soaring overhead--in fact he was once again back in the Argonne, with
his boat hugging the earth, and an enemy swooping in circles
overhead--he had even gone so far as to imagine the German war ace might
be maneuvering so as to drop one of his bombs straight down on the
stranded craft, with results that must spell a complete wipeout.
When they did not have their handy earphones in service Jack and his
right bower had arranged a secret alphabet of signals, consisting of all
manner of pokes and nudges, by means of which they were enabled to
communicate along professional lines at least. If it seemed necessary to
Perk to ask questions not down on the brief list thus worked out, all he
had to do was to adjust Jack's harness and then his own little outfit,
enabling him to chatter away to his heart's content--and often to the
annoyance of his less talkative chum.
But first of all he proceeded to make good use of the binoculars upon
which so much depended. From side to side he would swing the glasses and
search for anything that looked like a suspicious light on land or water
then turn to what lay dead ahead.
In this region of the Ten Thousand Islands--all fashioned from the queer
spreading mangrove that drops its long seeds so that they stick upright
in the mud, and, quickly developing roots, spring up to add to the
dimension of the original "island" there were never at any time many
settlers so that the coast has been reckoned as the "loneliest ever," on
which account Perk realized that if he should happen to glimpse a light,
whether on land or gulf, the chances were fifty to one it might have
some connection with the operations of the smuggler league.
Perk remembered how that Curtiss-Robin ship had finally disappeared in
the haze lying to the north and from this he sucked more or less
consolation, since it seemed evident the location of their job must lie
in that quarter toward which they were now bound like a great owl
swooping on noiseless pinions to seize its prey.
A delicious thrill ran through his frame from time to time. If any one
could "get a kick" from such a situation it was Perk, who was already
visioning some sort of a battle royal when they struck the smuggling
gang in the midst of their lawless work. The gang did their best to
create a reign of terror.
Once far out toward the west, where rolled the tides of the broad gulf
that stretched for a distance of five hundred miles across to the Coast
of Mexico, he certainly did glimpse a light, low down on the horizon
where just the faintest gleam of the late departed day still lingered.
Ha! the mother ship no doubt, riding at anchor some miles out where the
gulf was shallow and holding ground good--a heavily laden sailing craft,
coming possibly from the Bahamas, and passing into the gulf between the
Florida keys. Its captain knowing that the cargo they carried could be
much more easily landed there than around Miami, where the Coast Guard
was more vigilant.
Long and earnestly did Perk stare, picturing the shore motorboats
speeding out through the gloom toward that signal light to take aboard
their several loads and make for certain secluded harbors where trucks
would be waiting to transfer the illicit stuff to its destined markets
where prices ranged high with the holidays approaching and rich, thirsty
tourists to be supplied.
"Bang! it's gone blooie!" Perk suddenly told himself as he no longer
found himself able to distinguish that suspicious gleam which had
gradually grown dim and then utterly vanished from view. "Now, what in
thunder does that mean I want to know--why should they douse the glim in
such a hurry--wonder if they could have caught any sound from us to give
'em a scare? I'm in a tail-spin, seems like. Oh I shucks! mebee it was
on'y a measly star after all, that's set back o' the horizon. Who got
fooled that time, I want to know, Gabe Perkiser, you smarty?"
He took it humorously, happening to be one of those sensible lads
capable of laughing, even when the joke was on himself.
Shortly afterwards Perk picked up what seemed to be a low-lying light,
this time off toward the east, where he knew the land lay.
"Huh! I kinder guess that ain't a silly star," was the way he expressed
his feelings as he continued to watch the glimmering object that rose
and then grew dim, only to once more flash brightly. "Might be some
squatter sittin' alongside his campfire--mebbe a fishing camp, on'y I
got an idea the light comes from a big lantern and not a blazing fire.
Strikes me it oughter bear watchin' just the same."
A minute afterwards and he could no longer see the object of his
concern.
"By jinks! what sort o' hocus-pocus might _that_ be, I want to
know--did somebody blow that light out just when I was hopin' big things
might come from it, or was it only a bunch o' cabbage palms that come in
between me an' the glow?"
It did not reappear, although Perk kept turning his glasses in that
particular quarter time after time, as fresh hopes awakened.
The amphibian was running as smooth as silk, Perk told himself more than
once--why not, when they had most carefully checked it over with
scrupulous exactness, so as to be able to pronounce it in perfect
condition. That new muffler did the work like magic and Perk really
began to feel as though the efficiency of their aerial mount had been
increased a hundred per cent by the installation of such an up-to-date
contrivance, even if it did cut their speed down more or less--when they
had good need of swift wings it could be done away with, since racket
was powerless to hurt them then.
A few clouds had started up and were drifting overhead by this time.
Perk gave them several hasty looks, possibly wondering whether there
could be any chance of a sudden blow arising since indeed they came from
the southwest, where many of the rains and high winds had their brewing
place, far out on the mighty gulf to be followed in turn by a "norther,"
cold and violent.
"That might be rotten luck for us," he grumbled, sensing trouble in
putting Jack's scheme into operation, "but I guess there ain't anything
to it--right cool even downstairs, I noticed an' they tell me it always
heats up afore one o' these fall rains come along."
He put that matter out of his mind as hardly worthy of attention then a
minute later he made another discovery. Again his attention was turned
toward the west, for a light had appeared low down, a light that
actually moved, this fact convincing the vigilant observer it could by
no possibility be another setting star in the bright firmament above.
"That's the genuine stuff, or I'll eat my hat!" was his characteristic
way of confirming this fresh discovery, and there was certainly a trace
of triumph noticeable in his voice, as though this would wipe out his
former blunder.