Flying the Coast Skyways; Or, Jack Ralston's Swift Patrol

by Ambrose Newcomb

  CHAPTER XIX

  THE LONELY CAMP

  "Perhaps," suggested Jack, tiring of this exercise after a while, "itmight be just as well for us to step ashore, so you can get that firegoing. A little smoke would be worth while as a smudge to drive theseskeets away; they're bent on eating us alive, it seems to me."

  "Jest as yeou sez. Mister," Perk acquiesced, with alacrity; and in lessthan three minutes he had managed to jump ashore from the end of thewing that rested on a log close to the bank of the bayou.

  Gathering some loose wood he quickly had a blaze going, and was joinedby his comrade, who took particular pains to stand to leeward of thefire, so that clouds of thick smoke would cause the fierce insects toabandon the vicinity.

  "I suppose that, generally speaking," Jack went on to say, "we would behunting dry wood so as to send up as little smoke as possible, for fearof attracting notice, and bringing unwelcome visitors to our camp; butin this case the chance of detection plays a very small part in thegame. We certainly need lots of pungent smoke in order to drive thesehordes of nippers away. So go to it, partner, the more the merrier."

  Later on they sat down where the wind would waft some of the smoke intheir direction, and being at peace with the world just then found thatthey could compare notes, and reach certain conclusions.

  Although the sun was still quite some little distance above the horizon,as they figured, (being unable to see anything through that mass ofcypress, and hanging moss) it was already commencing to grow dusk backof the camouflaged airship.

  "I knows as haow it aint time yet," Perk finally spoke up, getting tohis feet with determination written large upon his face; "but jest thesame I caint hold aout any longer--I got to listen to the growlin' daownbelow-stairs, as sez its past time to stoke the furnace; so sech bein'the case I'm ameanin' to start aour supper, if so be yeou aint no'jections, suh."

  "Not in the slightest, Wally, so get busy as soon as you like," he wastold.

  The other did not wait for a second invitation, but making his way backto the cabin of the amphibian presently returned with both arms full ofmysterious packages. After depositing the same upon the ground near theblazing fire, Perk made a second trip aboard, and from that time onbusied himself in the one occupation of which he seemed never totire--making preparations to supply a rousing meal, cooked over such abed of red embers as he delighted to supply.

  Jack was pretty hungry himself, and enjoyed the spread greatly--itsmemory was likely to long haunt them; and in speaking of the past thetime was apt to be set by such phrases as "something like a month afterwe had that glorious camp supper on Black Water Bayou, remember,partner?"

  Jack sat there working at his maps for some time after they had finishedeating; so, too, he made numerous notes, to be conned over and overagain, until he could repeat the gist of them all as occasion arose.That was his way of preparing for a campaign; and no masterly tactics ofa successful war general could have been an improvement on hisprogramme--to prepare in advance for all manner of possibilities was asnatural to Jack Ralston as it was to breathe; which plan certainly hadmuch to do with the customary success falling to his lot.

  Suddenly both of them caught the distant report of a gunshot; and staredat each other, as though mentally figuring what such a thing mightsignify.

  "Did you take notice which direction that gunshot seemed to come from,eh, Wally?" demanded Jack, presently, as no other similar soundfollowed.

  "I'd say from over there," Perk swiftly replied, pointing toward thesouth as he spoke. "What dye reckons, suh, it'd mean?" he asked in turn.

  "Oh! nothing that concerns us, I imagine, Wally, boy--some chap mighthave run across a hunting wildcat most likely, and couldn't resistgiving him the works. But it settles the direction where that secretlanding place may lie, I feel almost certain. That's one of the points Iwanted to pick up; and before the night is over we may be able to provemy prediction sound."

  "Yeou doant reckons, suh, they kin see this heah fire aburnin', doyeou?"

  Jack laughed as though the idea had no standing with him.

  "Not in a thousand years, Wally; it must be a matter of a mile, perhapstwice that between this spot and from where that gun was fired; you see,the night air heads toward us, and would carry the sound quite a longway."

  He proved that he felt no uneasiness by continuing the conversation thathad been interrupted by the sudden far-off shot; and so Perk did nothesitate to toss more fuel on his cheery campfire.

  They were thinking of turning in aboard the nearby boat, and seekingtheir necessary rest, when Perk, who had unusually keen hearing, sat upand inclined his head to one side as though listening.

  "Jest what she is, for a fack, partner," he went on to state; "an' shoreas yeou're born, suh, they aint no muffler aboard _that_ ship, I'll takemy affidavy on that same."

  "It _is_ a ship, no doubt about that, and heading this way out of theeast, you want to notice, buddy," Jack indicated, as though that merefact had a deep significance in his eyes.

  "Yeah! that's so," agreed Perk, readily falling in with the conceit, ashe usually did when Jack was the originator of any proposition. "Theyair acomin' straight from aout on the ocean, where mebbe a steamer isalyin' anchored, an' loadin' its cargo o' contraband on fast blockaderunners that come 'longside; also sky-carriers in the bargain, sech asdrop daown close by on the sea, an' take on all they kin carry."

  The faint sounds rapidly increased in vigor until even a novice couldhave decided it was an airplane making almost directly toward theirstrange camp on Black Water Bayou.

  "Keep on listening, brother," advised Jack; "and then we'll comparenotes as to where we heard the last clatter. Things couldn't be workingmore smoothly to suit our plans; and we ought to be pretty well primedby the time we come back here to join up with Friend Jethro."

  Finally the now loud clatter ceased, which those airmen knew full wellmeant it had succeeded in effecting an apparently safe landing, whetheron land or water they could only surmise.

  So carefully had they both tried to get the exact locality fixed intheir minds that when they came to comparing ideas it was found theyagreed almost to a dot; so Jack was able by referring to his smallcompass to make a note of the circumstance, as well as their unitedconviction.

  "I kin shut me eyes an' see what a busy bunch is workin' unloadin' thatsame crate," Perk observed, a little later on. "Scent's agettin' alittle warmer, seems like, partner, when we ketch the racket o' asmuggler plane comin' in from the mother vessel away off shore, beyondthe twenty mile danger line."

  "I'd say it surely was," agreed Jack, grinning happily, as if in answerto the joyous look he detected on his partner's sunbaked face.

  All had by now become as silent as the grave, at least so far assuspicious sounds undoubtedly caused by human agencies; but otherwisethings did not happen to be so quiet. From the nearby swamp came amultitude of queer croakings and gurglings, accompanied by harsh criessuch as night herons seeking their food, or other birds of similaractivities, might make while fishing.

  "Gee whiz!" Perk at one time burst forth, "did yeou ever in all yeourlife listen to sech queer sounds as them? Hark to that splash--surereckons some roostin' bird must a fallen off its perch, an' if all thatflutterin' and squawkin' stands fo' anythin' its got swallowed up in thejaws o' some critter waitin' daown below fo' its supper. Glory! I wonderif weuns kin get any sleep with all these heah carryin's on in fullblast. Jest hear 'em whoopin' it up, will yeou, suh?"

  However, when the time did come for them to go aboard the boat and seektheir cots, by closing the cabin door much of the noise was deadened,and after all Perk found little difficulty in getting to sleep.

  Nothing occurred during the night to disturb them, or cause any unduealarm. Doubtless that variegated noise kept up through the livelongperiod of darkness, but it gave them no concern whatever.

  When Perk happened to wake up he believed he could catch a feeble gleamas of daylig
ht outside the cabin; and upon investigating found it to bea fact. He thereupon aroused his companion, and another fine meal wassoon in process of preparation over a resurrected fire; to which ofcourse the pair did ample justice, after which they made ready foranother flight, and a return to the city.