Part 17 (1/2)

”But I'm up in the air when it comes to knohat else he's stuck in his pockets,” Perk told hi questions nor did Jack seem anxious to enter into any explanations

”We'll leave things here all fixed so as to make a quick take-off,” hat the chief pilot remarked as they prepared to step ashore and while he did not see fit to offer any explanation with regard to just what he had in mind, Perk felt thrilled to believe there was already so forht be carried out if only the conditions seemed favorable, and the weather proved considerate

As they walked slowly along Jack kept frequently snapping his light on and off so that they could take an instantaneous inventory of what lay just beyond their feet for the night proved exceedingly dark although all that would be changed after a while, when the late ht

Perk, just as he promised himself, had made certain to pick up that serviceable pole hich he had dispatched the rattlesnake and this he kept poking out ahead, as if to stir up any lurking reptile thatcoiled in the path

His nervousness increased as they drew near the spot where the one-sided fight had taken place He had apparently been brooding over theif the edy and sensing what had happened, was lurking thereabouts, bent on exacting a terrible revenge in payment for the untimely demise of her partner

When he felt certain they had passed this particular narrow part of the trail, Perk began to breathe easier, but he soon had reason to fear lest he was crowing too soon for just then he felt Jack buck up against hi in a low but distinct voice:

”Hold up and listen, partner!”

CHAPTER XXIV

ON HANDS AND KNEES

Even while Jack was saying those feords, Perk had recovered from his sudden alar hiain, seeone certainty for the splash of water told the story as well as the abrupt explosions of a working estive sounds all ca fear which he iined must have also seized his coht be a passenger aboard that shi+p, heading once more across the state to Miami and that in consequence, all of Jack's carefully laid plans would meet the same untimely fate as befalls an ambitious soap-bubble when struck by a stray puff of air

So they continued to stand there and listen to the telltale sounds with sinking hearts Perk in particular seerinding his strong teeth as though desirous of letting out an explosive but restrained by the fact of Jack being so close at hand

”Gee whiz! this here is what I call tough luck, Boss,” he gruht be able to dispel his fit of the blues in so a much clearer vision than he himself possessed

”Oh! I don't know, partner,” said Jack in a wholesome, optimistic tone

”It looks a little dark, but just wait amay not be so bad--it doesn't pay to jump at conclusions”

”Shucks! that's lad to hear you say the last chance ain't snuffed out yet,” ained his point which was to coax Jack to loom that had descended on his, Perk's soul

”There, he's off!” declared Jack as a significant change in the clatter so thoroughly understood by any airman announced the hop-off froive him a spill, either,” Perk went on to say and the disconsolate vein in his tone told plainly enough how he had been secretly hugging to his heart a hope that the ht suddenly develop soht to be abandoned in its inception

”Even that factwe could wish for,” Jack told hi built on the order of a felloho could see so to rejoice over in nearly every occurrence, noit

”There he swings up an' is off--a slick juain--knows his business okay anyway But Jack, tell side hi seems to tell ht that be?” demanded the other quickly

”Notice that he's already banking, so as to lay his course toward Cape Sable--square in the south--get that, don't you Perk?”