CHAPTER XII
PLAYING WITH FIRE
During the morning Jack took a taxi and paid another visit to theoffices in the government building where Mr. Adkins had his desk, doinghis daily stunt under the direction of the U. S. District Attorney andother officials in the service of Uncle Sam.
Perk, also, had his job laid out for him, which was to circulate arounduntil he felt positive he had thrown off any possible spy after which itwas his duty to make certain purchases, following the list Jack hadgiven him, have them all sent to the aviation field in charge of the manMr. Adkins had placed on guard at the hangar containing their ship andthus completing the stock of supplies necessary for their long flightand survey work.
Perk carried out his instructions to the letter, and with great vim,since the fact of their laying in these stores was a positive indicationthat things were coming to pass insuring a speedy getaway and _Action_was what had come to be the greatest asset in life to Perk.
They met again at noon in their eating place, where, choosing anisolated corner table they could discuss their plan of campaign, evenwhile attending to the wants of the inner man.
Perk made his report, which the other seemed to find good, judging fromhis frequent nods of acquiescence and when the story had been told tothe last word, Perk felt it was his turn to learn things.
"I guess now you got the last batch o' information from His Nibs, Jack?"he hastened to ask, expectantly.
"I sure did, partner," he was told. "A few scraps of fresh news that'dbe likely to interest us had drifted in since I saw Mr. Adkins last,which he passed along to me. I'll sort these shreds over later, and fixthem where they belong. So far as I can see now they corroborate whatwe've already been so strongly believing must be a fact."
"Which means, I guess, boss, we head west?" ventured Perk, eagerly.
"Into the setting sun--that's right, Perk."
"Do we still expect to keep in touch with Mr. Adkins, Jack?"
"Whenever the chance opens up, and we have any important news to sendalong or want to know certain things, perhaps even to call on him forthat bunch of old-time Texas Rangers he said he could turn over to us ifwe found any use for them."
"Glory be!" said Perk, plainly excited, "I sure do hope that emergencydoes bob up, 'cause I'd give my last Mex dollar to glimpse them rearin',tearin' ole fighters knockin' spots outen the bunch o 'lawless ringersSlippery Slim's gathered around him. Chances are they'd skip out likehot fleas soon as they heard the ol'time battle cry o' the defenders o'the Rio Grande in the days when cattle rustlers raided the ranches downTexas way."
"But we've got to remember," cautioned Jack, "that these chaps are likelean hungry wolves, that never leave the trail of a wounded stag as longas they can crawl along. I'm not fancying we've pulled the wool overtheir eyes so far and that fact was brought to my attention just after Igot back from conferring with Mr. Adkins."
"As how, boss?" queried the curious Perk.
"I don't just know what influenced me after I'd entered the hotel, tostep back and look out again," explained Jack. "There was the driver ofmy taxi, the trusty who'd been recommended by the clerk at the desk,talking earnestly with an unknown party and even as I watched I saw himthrust a bank note into the chauffeur's itching hand, showing that hehas been corrupted and is in cohoot with our enemies."
"Shucks! is it so rotten bad as all that, partner?" bleated thedisgusted Perk, "All I c'n say is I sure do hope it was a nice brand newfive-dollar bill he handed over to the yeller dog, an' that it's agoin'to turn out to be a sample o' their bogus money outfit. Serve the slickrenegade if he got hisself pulled in for passin' a counterfeit note onsome guy that ain't goin' to sit by and take what's comin' to himwithout raisin' a nice howl."
"Don't be too vindictive, Perk," Jack told him.
"Say, partner, ever see the boob afore?" the other demanded.
"If you mean the chap who was pumping my driver for all that was out,Perk, I can't say that I have. He was a flashily dressed man, with loudclothes that would stamp him as a gambler, like those who used to travelon these Mississippi River steamboats in the old days before the CivilWar, fleecing unsuspecting passengers out of all their money and Ihaven't the least doubt but what he's a member of the very gang we'reexpecting to round up. Mr. Adkins told me it was simply amazing thevastness of the combine Slippery Slim's managed to gather around him buthe was certain it must number many scores of workers, all obeying theorders of the mainspring--crooked Slim Garrabrant."
"Huh! the more you keep on tellin' me them big stories, Jack, thehappier it all makes me 'cause I seem to just know there's bound to be aheap o' rough house stuff croppin' up, to cool my blood, ragin' hot justnow."
"Some fine day you'll be rubbing up against enough fighting to make youcall quits with the game. Perk, my boy; and it's just likely to crop upbefore long if indications count for anything. I felt pretty sure fromhis swagger that this fellow might be the very same master mind incharge of that Ryan boat--then, too, when he walked away he had a littlelimp, which might have come from striking the ground so hard after hischute let him down."
"Darned pity he didn't break a leg, or even his measly ol' neck, I'dsay," grumbled Perk, one of his fits of resentment gripping him justthen. "Got no use for these treacherous snakes that squirm, and wormtheir way into the confidence o' honest gents, on'y to play a low-downtrick, an' fill their pockets with smackers."
"There's one thing we've got to guard against," suggested Jack, whoseemed to have a faculty for looking at every side of a picture, andanticipating troubles that might never have occurred to others lessgifted.
"As what, partner?" asked Perk, brightening up once more.
"Delay is what they may be hoping for--some way to hold us here whileimportant news is carried to headquarters. I can even see how they mightmake some sort of ridiculous charge against us to the police, in hopeswe would be held several days under suspicion."
Perk looked astonished.
"But see here, boss, we got our credentials from Washington to provewe're in the Secret Service, an' sky detectives at that; they jestwouldn't dare hold us on some sorter flimsy charge 'cause that'd get 'emin hard with the Government, wouldn't it?"
"You never know how these affairs may turn out," said Jack. "Often thereseems to be some kind of a jealous feeling between States officers andthose of the Government--almost like a little vendetta, each arm of theLaw striking out at the other, and getting in a sly lick that's good fora laugh after hostilities have died down. These Southern city policemight make out there was a grave charge of abduction or something likethat, compelling them to hold us _incommunicado_--that is keep us fromintercourse with the U. S. District Attorney's office until several dayshad elapsed and then setting us free with a lot of apologies that didn'tmean anything whatsoever."
"Yeah! I get your drift partner," said Perk, frowning. "We sure can'tafford to spend any of our valuable time in the hoosgow here, if we c'nhelp it. 'Cause things set that way I hope you get busy an' fix it sowe'll shake the dust o' this same burgh off our shoes in a hurry. Gotthe date settled yet, Jack?"
"I shook hands with, and said goodbye to Mr. Adkins this morning, Perkand you are at liberty to figure that out as you please."
"Then it's _tonight_?" asked the other, looking well satisfied with suchan enticing programme.
"Wind and weather permitting we'll clear out soon after twilight settlesdown on the city and the river," Jack assured his understudy.
"Me, I'm sittin' pretty, an' taking things as they come along, oldhoss," continued Perk. "Let's perambulate and attend to the crying needsof this high noon hour--the girl told me they expected to have appledumplings for lunch today an' that's one I'd nominate as bein' among myprime favorites--you know I got a _few_ I really enjoy an' that's no lieeither."
"Yes, I know a good many on your list--fact is," said frank Jack, "if Iran down the whole menu this noon there'd be only a scant few that'smiss
ed being called your especial favorites each in its turn as the windblew. But just as well we did all the eating while the chance lasts, foronly a magician can tell what our bill of fare is going to be during thecoming week or two--some weird dishes most likely--boiled owl, friedrattlesnake, baked prairie dog--Heaven knows to what ends we may bereduced."
"Have a heart, partner, don't take my healthy appetite away bymentionin' them terrible dishes. 'Member you promised we'd hire a taxiafter lunch, an' drive all around the city, lampin' the big sights likethe French market, the queer buryin' places where holes in thick wallstake the place o' graves, on 'count o' there bein' so much water in theground, with the city settin' so low down, an' the ol' Mississippi onone o' its benders. Then I want to eat Gulf oysters an' shrimp at one o'them cute little stands we noticed yesterday afternoon; try a reg'larCreole dinner tonight at that place Mr. Adkins told us about--afterwhich I'm all done with Orleans, an' ready to pull up stakes for keeps."
"We'll keep that to the last, Perk, and go to the flying field from theeating house by taxi. From that time on we'll have to depend on our ownheads and hands to keep us out of difficulties. But let's hope we canclimb up to a three thousand foot ceiling, and strike out as if we wereaiming for Savannah or Jacksonville, only to swing around inside of halfan hour, climb high over the city and river and put for the Texas borderat full speed."
This enchanting program gave Perk much cause for rejoicing and he satdown at their regular table in the restaurant feeling, as he expressedit, "happy as a clam at high tide" and full of little laughs that seemedto gurgle up from his shoes.
They chatted of other happenings, not wishing to "talk shop" in such acrowded place, lest listening ears pick up certain information thatcould be used greatly to their disadvantage--Perk had an endless fund ofinteresting reminiscences that, told in his inimitable fashion, were anever failing source of joy to the appreciative air pilot.
The afternoon was spent in motoring all around the most interestingportions of the city, the obliging Mr. Adkins having made out a list ofsubjects they should not miss seeing while on this first visit to thejustly famous Louisiana metropolis.