The Sky Pilot's Great Chase; Or, Jack Ralston's Dead Stick Landing
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XI
A STORMY NIGHT
By this time the forerunners of the gale had arrived with considerableelectrical display and reverberating thunder. Of course the two flyershad removed their ear-phones since the motor lay silent and thewhirlwind propeller had also ceased to spin around with incalculablespeed but when the thunder began to roar at its loudest they found itnecessary to shout in order to make themselves heard.
"Say, promises to be some screecher, b'lieve me!" was the way Perk putit when an extraordinarily loud crash almost burst their eardrums, thepreceding flash having seared their eyes and nearly blinded them.
"Some fireworks for a fact," conservative Jack admitted frankly, "didn'treckon on such an exhibition so soon. But see here, Perk----"
"Yeah!" snapped the other, showing his readiness to act if anything wasneeded along the order of further security from the rain that was nowdrenching the shore line as if a cloud had burst.
"Seems to me you're forgetting something, partner," continued Jack.
"As what, Boss?"
"Isn't it about time for _grub_?" demanded Jack whose face was set in agrin a sudden flash of lightning disclosed.
"Je-hos-i-phat! if that ain't the very first time I ever did forget sucha thing as eats!" burst out the chagrined co-pilot. "That's a fact, itis our time for attendin' to the gnawin' down below-stairs. Wait up,buddy, an' I'll fix things up okay in a jiffy."
He was as good as his word, although the measure of action he mentionedhas never as yet been exactly settled. Perk knew just where he had puthis supplies and trotted them out with alacrity, likewise undoubtedpleasure for that sacred rite of eating was one of the duties the warveteran always stood by manfully.
Undoubtedly both of them had partaken of meals under many peculiarconditions but if their comments had any bearing on the subject neverbefore had they dined under such frightfully noisy accompaniments asright then with the cannonading from heaven's heavy artillery constantlybooming, the wind howling like a pack of maddened wolves and the wavessmashing against that little rocky ridge that sheltered them so bravely.
Perk had lighted the stub end of a candle so that they might not be incomplete darkness, for it was as though midnight had arrived, especiallybetween the vivid flashes as streaks of lightning went zigzaggingathwart the black dome overhead.
Calmly they continued to munch their sandwiches and take occasional sipsof hot coffee from the thermos bottle, Perk having supplied a couple oflarge aluminum cups for the occasion.
"Don't seem to let up any that I c'n notice," remarked Perk later onwhen they had taken the edge off their appetites.
"Weather fooled me that time for certain," added Jack frankly, "but thenI never did claim to be a good hand at guessing what was coming along inthis line. Government reports have always served me decently and eventhey can't always be depended on. This upset may last most of the nightfor all we can tell."
"Who cares?" sang out Perk, gaily enough. "I worked in a boiler factoryin my salad days an' got used to all kinds o' rackets. Nary a drop o'rain gets in here, you notice comrade, thanks to the swell cabin we'vegot over our heads. Huh! how many times have I gone through big stormsin the open cockpit o' an old-fashioned crate. Been bombarded tooaplenty by half a hundred big guns, with shells bursting every-which-wayaround. Seems like a feller c'n git used to near anything if on'y heruns up against it often enough."
"Snug as two bugs in a rug," agreed Jack lightly. "Here we'll stick itout tonight and go on after morning breaks--no hurry, remember,brother--just take things as they come along and keep in trim for thebig push later on."
"That's the ticket, Jack, boy--it sure wins out in the end--no blunders,jest every move carried out like machine work an' we're sure to come insmilin' at the windup."
Later on there was a little letup in the violence of the storm and Perkeven felt encouraged enough to predict that the worst was over withpossibly a nice, peaceful night's rest ahead.
This, however, proved to be a false deduction on his part for once againthe thunder rose to a deafening pitch, with a wind of such velocity thatJack himself felt a little uneasiness, not on account of his ownsecurity, but because of the great damage he fancied the surroundingcountry would suffer in consequence of wind and flood.
"Danged if the ol' thing ain't turned turtle on us an' got started onthe back track agin!" complained the humbled Perk. "What I know 'boutweather you could stick in a thimble!"
"But you're wrong when you say it's backed upon us," Jack told himpointedly, "for the wind is still coming from the same old quarter, thisis only another section of the same old storm."
"Huh! running this train in sections are they?" continued the disgustedPerk, "wall, I on'y hope they ain't too many more parts to thecontraption--I've seen quite enough a'ready."
Having finished their supper they made themselves as comfortable as theconditions allowed. Jack got to figuring, as usual, for he was a greathand at laying out his plans in black and white for reference when thetime for action arrived. Perk was poring over some clippings he hadpicked up at some time or other and which appeared to be of specialinterest to him.
It was indeed a most eccentric storm, now waning and giving promise ofexpiring, anon picking up again and squeezing out considerable morewater to help finish the flooding of the earth.
Tiring of his reading with a poor light, Perk had for some little timebeen lying there so quietly that Jack half suspected he might havepassed into dreamland. Suddenly he gave a loud grunt and exclaimed:
"Reckon now it might be jest plain Barrowman--an' yet somehow that don'tseem to sound quite right--how 'bout Baxter--Banister--Brockman--shucks!what ails me anyhow--my bean ain't worth a red cent when it comes to'memberin' names--guess I must be goin' a bit loco an' next thing I knowI'll have to sew my own name on my coat in case I forget it."
Jack only chuckled, knowing that his chum was going through the same oldgame of cudgeling his treacherous memory with the usual poor results asof yore.
Later still, and both of them seemed to get more or less sleep thoughthe storm kept up a growling and threatening for hours, as if notcontent with such damage as it must have already done.
Finally Perk, aroused by signs of daylight, looked out and was highlypleased to discover that not only had dawn really arrived, but thatthere was not a single cloud to be seen in the entire heavens.
"Hi! partner, wake up!" he called out, "mornin's got here an' that peskyrow-maker's cleared out for keeps--goin' to have a clear day for ourflight to Spokane. After such a devil o' a blow I kinder guess we mightlook for fair stuff a hull week o' Sundays. But hold on, I forgot I wassech a poor weather sharp, so don't count on anything I might say--Ijest don't know what they got laid up for us flyers, an' that's a fact."
They had a very decent breakfast, for Perk hunted up some dry wood, hecalling himself a Maine woods guide these days it appeared, andconsequently able to skirmish suitable fuel, even after such a drenchingdownpour. Then, after starting a cooking fire he produced a lightweightskillet, also a pound of sliced breakfast bacon, some strips of which heproceeded to fry as though quite accustomed to playing the role of campcook. Then too, he had a new aluminum coffeepot which he meant tochristen on that occasion so the appetizing odors of these two breakfastmainstays soon spread around the entire community, doubtless much to thewonder of various chipmunks and red squirrels that frisked here andthere among the trees.
Jack said nothing, only nodded his head at witnessing these wonderfulrevelations as if things suited him all right. Trust sagacious Perk tomake ample preparations for the numerous meals they would have to counton while engaged in the future tasks certain to be given into theircharge from time to time.