CHAPTER XV
PERK AS A FIRE-FIGHTER
It was not far from midnight.
Perk had insisted on taking over the controls, so that Jack might securea little rest, possibly even pick up a few catnaps in addition. Theywere at a low altitude, perhaps not more than a thousand feet up, sincethe air was a bit cool higher and it was certain they stood in no dangerfrom colliding with mountain peaks while crossing the wide State ofTexas, where nothing save the level plains lay beneath.
Perk was alive to his duties, but this did not keep him fromoccasionally stretching his neck, so as to look over the coaming of thecockpit, and trying to make out objects that might be dimly detected onthe seemingly limitless plain below.
As a rule next to nothing worth while rewarded these efforts and reallyhe continued doing his little stunt from sheer habit, but there did comea time when he showed sudden interest, and even half arose from his seatto stare with increasing intensity.
Not only that but he immediately banked, to start circling around acertain point. A minute afterwards Perk reached out and shook Jackgently by the shoulder. The ear-phones being still affixed to theirheads, Jack naturally desired to know what was up, and did his pal wishto give over the stick to him.
"Nothin' doing, partner," he was told with emphasis; "but there'ssomethin' queer goin' on down yonder, and I've swung around so's to giveit the once over. On your right, Jack, an' there, see how it sparks upagain, will you?"
"I'd say it looks like a fire," ventured Jack, after taking a good look.
"My idea to a fraction, boss!" snapped the deeply interested Perk.
"Seems like it might be breaking out through the roof of some sort ofcabin, or ranch house," further suggested Jack, himself now almost asexcited as his running mate.
"You said it, boy!" declared Perk; "but somehow I don't lamp anybodykickin' around in a big fuss, 'cause o' the shack bein' ablaze; strikesme either nobody ain't to home or else they're so sound asleep theydon't know what's goin' on. Glory be! if that's the case, partner, theystand a mighty good chance o' bein' burnt to death in their beds. Whatought we do 'bout it, Jack?"
"First place we've just got to rouse 'em up, and the way to do that isto rush our engine to the limit, so's to make a big row--if that doesn'twake anybody it'll only mean they're away from home--or else alreadysmothered by the smoke." Perk accordingly started up such a racket thatthe dreadful roaring noise seemed hoarse enough to awaken the dead andall the while he kept swinging around in a continuous circle.
Jack, bending over the side, watched to see if this had any effect, norwas his discovery long delayed.
"That fetched them, Perk--I can see several moving figures, and theyseem to be rushing about with pails in their hands. If the fire hasn'tgot too strong a start they may be able to throw enough water to put itout."
"Jack, couldn't we do somethin' more to help the poor dicks?" criedPerk, ever ready and willing to assist anybody in trouble, no matter atwhat cost or personal risk to himself.
"It mightn't be a safe thing to attempt a blind landing," he was told;but something in Jack's voice or manner when he said this encouragedPerk to go a bit further.
"Why, chances are it's as level as a barn floor down there," he hastenedto say, eagerly; "here, you could take the stick--there never was abetter hand at makin' a three-point landin' than you, partner; me, Imight drop a few flares down, an' that'd give us a squint o' the ground.If we kept to leeward o' the fire there wouldn't be any risk fromsparks, don't you see, Jack? I never yet had such a fat chance to be afire-fighter; let's go, boy--they need all the help they c'n get, Iguess."
The temptation was so great it soon overpowered Jack's sense of caution;really he fancied he would never forgive himself if he allowed Perk toshow a higher sense of duty to people in distress than he himself coulddisplay.
"All right, you win, Perk!" he quickly called out; "hand over the stick,and get those flares ready to drop when I give the word."
Perk started to make a move, showing that he knew just where the objectsof his desire were located, for he did not have to leave his seat inorder to place his hand upon the small package of flares.
Meanwhile Jack had reduced their speed to a minimum compatible withsafety, still continuing that circular movement. The fire had by thistime assumed sufficient proportions to dispel any doubts they may haveentertained regarding its true nature, for it was burning at a livelyrate. Jack could see a crouching figure sprawled on the roof, andapparently emptying bucket after bucket of water on the greedy flames,and passing the empties back down the nearby ladder to some one standingon an upper rung.
It was all mighty exciting, and to Jack seemed like some sort offetching picture as shown on the silver screen at the movies--a scenedeveloped through the skill of a wizard director, aided by a group ofstar actors, so as to bring out all the realistic effects.
"Get ready, Perk!" he told the other suddenly.
"All set, partner," came the inspiring response.
"Let her go, then!" called out the pilot, just as he found himself overa point to leeward of the burning ranch house that he figured would bethe best place to make a landing.
Perk had a flare falling almost as the last words left the lips of thepilot and then both of them used their eyes to advantage as it nearedthe ground, lighting up a small section fairly well--at least what hethus saw seemed to convince Jack it would be fairly safe to attempt alanding, for the ground looked smooth, and free from outbuildings,corrals, or wire fences.
"Drop another, quick as you can!" directed Jack; then, as this wascarried out he started down, showing the die was cast, come what would.
Perk threw a third flare to one side, in the hope that its light wouldafford his pilot a chance to effect one of his really marvelouslandings; which turned out to be sound reasoning on his part--the shockwhen their landing gear came in contact with the ground was not verysevere, and Jack managed so that they did not run more than thirty feettoward the burning house.
Thus far all was well.
Perk was out of the cockpit like a flash, but managed to hold his eagerspirit in check long enough to allow his comrade to join him. Then theyhurried over to the building, which they could now see, thanks to boththe moonlight and the brilliance of the blaze, must be some kind of aranch house.
Several men who had the appearance of cow punchers were working for allthey were worth, fetching water from a well, and hurling it where it wascalculated to do the most good.
"Let's give you a hand in that game, neighbors!" Jack burst out with, ashe joined the string, backed by Perk, and commenced handling bucketsfull and buckets empty, with as much vim as though tested and triedmembers of a village fire company.
At such a time the addition of two more willing workers can doconsiderable toward smothering a fire, especially when there happens tobe no wind moving; and from the moment of their arrival things began totake on a better look as though up to then the fight had been hovering"on the fence," as Perk called it, and the balance being overturned,victory was in sight.
Perk was in his glory, and the brisk way in which he hurried thosebuckets along was worth going a long way to witness; Jack never wouldforget how proud he felt over the marvelous performance of his runningmate, and how those encouraging cries, so constantly emitted by Perk,seemed to enthuse everybody with fresh vim and go.
Finally the last spark was extinguished, and the house saved, havingsuffered but scant damage. Then the men, yes, and women too, gatheredaround the pair of aviators who had come on the scene just in the nickof time, to first of all arouse the people of the prairie ranch to asense of the danger that hovered over their heads, and finally takechances in effecting what might have been a rough landing, so as to lendtheir material aid to the fire fighters.
"Surely you will not think of starting off again till break of day," thebig man with the white head of hair, evidently the rancher himself, wassaying, while engaged in pumping
the hands of the two who had droppeddown from the sky, as it were, to bring warning of the burning roof, andstart the stiff fight against the greedy flames that had ended sosuccessfully. "Stay and eat breakfast with us, strangers; we'd like toknow you both some better, and have a chance to thank you mostheartily."
"Unfortunately we must be on our way, neighbor," Jack told him. "Ithappens we are on special duty, and delay might upset certain plans weare bent on following out. It was just by sheer accident we discoveredthe fire, and took the customary means for attracting attention that allair pilots employ; but some other day, if we chance to be in thisneighborhood, we'd be pleased to see more of you all."
The women added their voices to the pressing invitation, but Jack wasforced to decline, although doing so smilingly, since he would haveliked very much to see more of these warm-hearted stockmen and theirwild riders, possibly picking up some useful knowledge concerning theway a ranch is run in these modern days, so different from early timesin the cattle country.
"It is absolutely necessary for us to be going," Jack told them all, "ifwe are lucky enough to be able to hop-off again. Perk, I wish you'd takea look over toward the west, and see if the ground is fairly clear;while I talk for a few more minutes with our new friends here."
He was astute enough to avoid giving their names to any one but theranchman, who readily promised not to mention them to a living soul; hefelt heavily indebted to Jack and his chum, and considered that theyknew their business best--for one thing he felt absolutely certain thefact of their being in such a hurry had nothing whatever to do with anyunlawful act on their part--he had as much confidence in them as thoughJack had actually confided the fact of their being Government SecretService agents, bound on a mission fraught with much peril to life andlimb, the prime object of which was to save honest people from beingvictimized by a gang of unprincipled sharks, makers of clever bank notesthat were without the pale of the law and only base counterfeits,although clever imitations of the genuine bills.