CHAPTER VI
PARACHUTE JUMPERS
Just then Jack hurriedly banked, and swung around as though to doubleback on their late course. This of course told Perk the pilot must bealready aware of the terrible tragedy that was being enacted close athand, and meant to see its finish with his own eyes.
With the abrupt change in their course he was in time to catch a glimpseof the flaming object still spiraling earthwards, a billow of fire thatglowed suggestively in the darkness.
Then far below it seemed to strike the ground--they heard no soundwhatever, but the fire became stationary; although increasing in fury,since the wind created by its passage no longer whipped the devouringflames. Evidently by the time the conflagration stopped for want offurther material on which to feed, nothing inflammable would be left ofthe once haughty little Ryan masterpiece save the engine, and othermetal parts.
"What's the big idea, old hoss?"
Perk asked this as a leader, wishing to get a better grip on his ownnerves, since they had been dreadfully shocked at the dire result of hisrandom shot.
"Going to circle around a few times, and drop down a bit," came theilluminating reply; "though I reckon it's no use, since nothing couldlive in all that awful blast."
"Mebbe not, Jack," remarked Perk, a bit cheerily; "but there's a fairchance neither o' them guys got snagged in the flash o' that gas."
"See here, Perk, have you some foundation for saying that?" demanded theother, eagerly.
"Sure--they jumped all right, boss," Perk told him.
"You saw them do it then, did you, boy?" continued Jack.
"They bailed out okay--I saw two take the jump right after the firstflash came--went down like plummets in the bargain--smart lads thoseguys are, I'm tellin' you, partner."
No doubt Jack was glad to hear this bit of news, for it had filled himwith horror to realize that in order to escape they had been compelledto ruthlessly take human life. He was much younger than Perk, veteran ofthe World War, who had grown more or less hardened to such happeningswhen staking his own life against that of a tricky German air pilot.
"Still goin' down, are you?" asked Perk shortly afterwards, on findingthat they were still swinging around in a wide circle, that burning pyrefar below being the hub of the wheel of which their boat was the outertire.
"Might as well," came the ready answer, showing that Jack had made uphis mind hurriedly.
"Guess now they'll get down somehow, boss; a whole lot depends on whatkind o' landin' they'll be able to make--if its rocks, or trees, theygot to strike it's apt to be some hard sleddin' for the boys. Say,'taint possible now you're fixin' to try an' lend 'em a helpin' hand?I'd hate to know they'd been wiped off the map in that hot fire; butsomehow I don't feel like playin' the part o' the Good Samaritan to suchman devils as them two."
"No danger of my trying to make a landing where the chances are ten toone it just _can't_ be done," explained Jack, seeing that his companionwas almost ready to mutiny if any such mad proceeding were contemplated."I'd just feel better if I knew they'd reached ground okay; then wecould keep on our way, and it'd be up to them to get out of the scrape."
"Huh! I get you, partner," grunted the relieved Perk. "Don't think I'mbitter about the thing, 'cause they're sure hot stuff all right; but I'ma bit slow to accept that forgive and forget stuff, specially after anyguy's tried his level best to gimme a dirty deal."
"We'll try the thing out while on the job," Jack announced. "Our ownwonderful escape from meeting just that same kind of fate makes me kindof soft. Perhaps we'll not be able to learn a single thing; you know howit often is when you've finally struck ground after quitting the ship bythe chute route--all out of breath--sometimes knocked up a bit, if youescape broken bones--not any shape to shout, or do anything but just liethere, and suck in the air in big gasps."
"Yeah, that's right for you, old hoss," Perk readily agreed. "Me, I oncegot a collar bone smashed that way. No harm in our makin' a few swingsaround these diggin's 'fore we put out for Orleans. That fire keepsburnin' like things they got sprinkled right well with the juice whenthe tank blew up. Go to it, Jack, just as you please, never mindin' afew squeals from a hard-boiled guy like Perk Perkiser."
"I'm going to shut down on the engine, and take a little glide, so wecan pick up anything like a yell," announced the pilot a minute later.
"Go to it--duck then, boy!" snapped Perk, as he temporarily relievedhimself of his ear-phones in order to catch anything bordering on ashout from the ground below.
The simple expedient was carried out successfully, and when once againthey leveled out, to continue circling, Jack asked eagerly:
"Get anything, Perk?"
"Not a bleat, partner," replied the other, who had hurriedly held hisearphones in position so as to cover the emergency.
"Sorry for that, but we'll try a couple more times before calling it alloff," suggested Jack, who could be more or less persistent when theoccasion arose for such action, though never carrying it so far as to bereckless.
So a dozen seconds or so afterwards he again gave warning that it wastime for another drop of a few hundred feet--not that they meant to takeany chances by getting too close to the unknown terrain lying in thepitch blackness under the flying ship; but simply to be able to listenwith the horrid clamor of the bustling engine momentarily stilled.
No better success followed this second maneuvre--all was deathly silentaround, above, below, as though never a solitary living human beingexisted within miles of the spot where the destruction of the Ryanmonoplane had taken place.
"We'll give a third and last try," was Jack's announced decision, towhich Perk added:
"Three times, and batter's out--by then I rather guess we'll be downclose enough to the solid ground to make another drop dangerous. Eitherway I'm satisfied we've done the right thing, old hoss. Suit yourselfwhen you see fit to coast," whereupon he once more denuded his ears ofthe exceedingly useful and really indispensable phone harness, to awaitthe occasion of the last try in the line of an aviator's duty.
"How about it, Perk?--get a whisper?"
They had completed the glide, and were once more on a level course, withJack even turning the nose of the ship a bit heavenward; since neitherof them knew what the nature of the ground below must be--whether somehill lay directly ahead, against which they might smash for a completewipeout.
"Huh! a heap more'n that, partner!" came the triumphant reply. "Heard ashout, an' then another some distance off--struck me both jumpers hadlit okay, and were tryin' to communicate, so's to get together again.Guess things ain't so bad after all with them guys, an' we c'n be movin'on our way without botherin' any more 'bout their safety. Sometwo-legged varmints seem to be watched over by Old Satan hisself, theybein' that venomous, and evil-minded."
Jack made no rejoinder to this remark, tinged with bitterness as it was,only pointed the nose of his craft upward, and started to spiral foraltitude. Undoubtedly he was feeling greatly relieved because of theirhaving escaped so miraculously from the hovering peril; and best of allmanaged to turn the tables on those who would have encompassed theirdestruction just in order to defend the lawless game in which they wereengaged in connection with Slippery Slim.
Perk must have been doing a little hard thinking as the time passed andthey raced on their way, for later on he started to speak; and as usualhis line of chatter told that he was seeking information, trying to finda solution of certain exasperating puzzles that were "twisting hisintellects," as he himself described matters.
"Things kind o' got me goofy, partner, an' I'd like you to raise thecurtain some, if so be you feel so bent. First place I guess it goeswithout questionin' that these huskies must be in cohunks with thatthere big gun, Slippery Slim Garrabrant?"
"Oh! that's a dead certainty--who else would have any reason forwaylaying us in Atlanta, and setting up this trap for us to fall into?"
"Shucks! then it stands to reason, boss, he'
s got means for findin' outwhat the Secret Service aims to do; an' so has been able to play theboys for suckers every time they set out to lay him by the heels, eh,Jack, old hoss?"
"That's past history, Perk; even the Big Boss got wise to it, and triedeverything possible to learn where the great leak happened; but ourexperience proves they haven't discovered it so far. I'm making up mymind that the closer we draw to the headquarters of this rotten cliqueof crime, where they make the bogus long-green that's been flooding thewhole West for a year and more, why, the harder our job is bound to be."
"Which tickles me a heap, boy--I'm just yearnin' for comin' to gripswith that gazaboo o' a Slim; and now we're on to the job I'll never behappy 'till he's on his way to that big Government pen we glimpsed inAtlanta, where some other lads we helped to pinch are doin' time."
"Well, if you keep on as you've started, Perk, we'll flatten the wholegang like pancakes--they've stacked up against a new sort of revenue dogwhen they started a shooter of your calibre on the trail. First yousmashed their searchlight, and then sent a chuck of lead into the gastank that broke up the game. That's the kind of a pinch hitter you are,partner; and right now I want to congratulate you on such dandymarksmanship."
"Lay off that stuff, Jack--nothin' but great luck fetched the bacon homefor this lad. But me, I'm shakin' hands with myself 'cause I had thathunch a bear gun mightn't be such a bad thing to tote along on a tripthat's goin' to carry us across the border, an' into Old Mex, like asnot; where the greasers are sometimes tough nuts an' hard to handle theytell me. 'Spose we'll run across them two hill billies again, partner?"
"Wouldn't surprise me a bit if we did," replied the pilot, leveling offat a three thousand foot ceiling, and still heading due southwest. "Likeas not they've got plenty of ready cash along; and after having been socleverly upset in their calculations, due to your beating them sillywith a barrage of hot lead, they'll be hot to wipe out their disgrace.Oh! yes, we're going to run up against that foxey pair again before thebook is closed for keeps."