CHAPTER VII
STRIKING THE FOG BELT
With the stars shining brightly above them, and a moon just past itsfull climbing the eastern heavens, having dissipated the darkness of theearlier part of the night, Jack and his fellow voyager continuedplunging along in a very satisfactory fashion, having no reason forfeeling further concern regarding the peril to which they had been solately subjected.
But things were not destined to continue so comfortably for the twoadventurers, it seemed. Perk was just congratulating himself for aboutthe fourth time at having such a comfortable flight, when he sat up andtook notice of the fact that those heavenly bodies were beginning tolook exceedingly hazy.
"Danged shame, that's what, to spoil such a dandy night!" he muttered.
"What ails you now?" demanded Jack, on hearing the other make thislittle remark that bespoke exasperation at least; "another boat on ourtail?"
"Well, I guess not just now," replied Perk, scoffingly; "one was more'nenough for a single jump. But we're agoin' to run into a pesky fog belt,sure as you're born, old hoss!"
"That all?" laughed the other, who apparently saw nothing of particularconsequence about such a common happening; "it may perhaps manage toslow us down more or less; but what does that matter, when we've gottime to burn. The Big Boss told us, remember, not to hurry things atall--plenty of time, oodles of money, and any backing we chose to callfor in the way of a new boat, or more helpers. We should worry, oldscout!"
"'Tain't that in peticular Jack," complained the other; "but of allthings a sky detective's got to run smack up against, fog's the one Idespise most. It's got me in bad more'n a few times, so I've grown tolook on the peasoup stuff like it was my--er, what-dye-callit--Nebraska, no, I mean Nemesis."
"Yes, now you mention it, Perk, I remember you telling me somethingabout that strange feeling you have creep over you. No need for you toapologize--in my knocking around among airmen I've found that often eventhe most daring and reckless in the bunch had some kind of a weakness,if only you looked far enough under the surface; just as sometimesyou'll find a boasting bully actually afraid of his little wife at home,who's smacked him with her handy rolling pin many a time."
"Huh! wasn't I a canvas man 'long with a travelin' circus a wheen o'years ago, an' didn't I see the biggest elephant in captivity rear up onhis hind legs, lift his trunk sky-high in the air, an' squeal like funjust when a little half grown mouse happened to run along near hisalley. Well, I'm the tusker, an' fog is the mouse, as you might say--wenever do get on well as a combine. Hope it hugs the ground, an' leavesus a clear track up among the clouds I c'n see creepin' up aheadyonder."
"Doesn't bother me a whit, partner; don't forget we've got that newradio beacon aboard to try out; and if it's as clever as I've heard tellit'll carry us along our route to Orleans through the thickest nest offog anybody ever stacked up against. Naturally we can't expect to getthe full benefit of its capacity to hold a speeding plane on its truecourse; because the invention's hardly more than half baked up to now;but I set it according to directions, and if at any time we begin toslide off our course the light that springs up is bound to givewarning."
"A bully good layout I'd say, if it c'n do what they claim," venturedPerk, who undoubtedly had read certain things concerning the newinvention, and was eager to learn just how it would pan out. "You showeda level head, partner, when you decided to take the offer o' that gentin Atlanta, and try the thing out. Guess, then, I needn't bother my head'bout gettin' astray; if things keep bein' invented it ain't goin' to bevery long till a pilot'll get slapped good an' hard if he misses runnin'on a straight line, or even veers from his proper course in a great bigblow."
"We're living in a machine age, Perk, and every day things are headingthat way on the run--electric helps in kitchen, factory, and even aboardour air cruisers. While the brainwork and strain grow harder the actualmanual labor is lessened all the time. But as you say it's getting a bithazy, and chances are we're in for a spell of blue fog."
Ten minutes afterwards there could not be the least doubt concerningthat fact, for by degrees even the stars vanished from view, ditto thegorgeous round moon. Still, since the sky remained brighter in the east,it was not at all difficult to tell where the fair mistress of theSouthern night had hidden her face behind the opaque veil.
Jack was now flying by instruments alone, since never a thing could beseen by the keenest eye above, below--they seemed to be hung inunlimited space; but pushing along with considerable speed just thesame, bound for the distant city on the vast Mississippi, situated notso very far from its delta.
Thus passed a full hour.
Suddenly Perk saw a small light spring into view on one side of theplane, and it certainly electrified him considerably.
"Hi! there, partner, we're off our track--shifted to the east, seemslike, unless I'm away wrong in sizin' things up 'cordin' to Hoyle. Gotto swing her to the larboard-watch side, I kinder guess--how 'bout that,boss?"
"You hit it that time, Perk, and here she goes to climb back to our truecourse. Worked just as we figured it would, and put us wise to a factwe'd hardly have picked up in any other way. I reckon now this sameradio beacon's bound to turn out a great help to the poor badgered airpilot, flying blind when fog hides the ground beacons, and he gets noaid from the heavens above."
"I'll say it's the best thing I've struck for a long time," affirmed thedelighted Perk. "There she goes--the glim I mean--closed shop, havin''complished the business set for her; showing we must have struck ourreal course again."
"Easy money," laughed Jack, just as well satisfied. "Makes a fellow situp and try to guess what the next big idea connected with aviation willprove to be; doesn't seem to be any limit to the dazzling discoveriesthese scientific chaps'll turn out."
"Just so, partner--like that big chute they're trying out, which theyclaim will keep any plane from crashing--if the engine goes dead all yougot to do is to press a little button, and when the drop comes open goesthe monster umbrella, able to hold you and the crate suspended in theair, to gradually fall to the earth like the colored balls from abursted skyrocket. Great stunt that, an' I'm livin' in hopes it'll be myluck to some day find myself aboard a ship that's equipped with such agiant chute, an' have the glorious experience of seeing the thing work."
Jack seemed to consider it the part of wisdom to pull up more or less,as they were in no hurry, and could drop down on the aviation field atNew Orleans by dawn, even though they concluded to just "loaf along."Disliking anything pertaining to fog Perk naturally said nothing to hintat a desire for further speed; besides his own good sense told him thatwhat his mate had just said with regard to no necessity existing forhaste, was sound logic, and a due regard for "safety first."
So the time slipped away, with midnight finding them past the meridianof their projected flight. Perk had long since subsided and seemedcontent to sit there in the double cockpit, letting his thoughts roamback to the exciting developments of the earlier night.
Years had elapsed since last he watched a doomed plane writhing andtwisting in its death agonies, with the flames wrapping it in anenvelope--a blazing coffin speeding headlong to a final crash; and here,strange to say, after all that time intervening he had again passedthrough a similar experience. Now that he had an opportunity to calmlyreview the happening, Perk admitted he was pleased to know the twooccupants of the Ryan cockpit had apparently escaped a miserable fatethat must have been laid at his door.
Two A. M. and all's well!
Perk figured that when a few more times sixty minutes had passed itwould be time for them to catch a first glimpse of the great rollingturgid stream that could, when the heavy rains united with the meltingsnows up in the mountains of the Far West, create vast floods thatplaced much of the low country along the river under many feet of water.It had been a long time since last Perk had set eyes on the Mississippi,and hence he was considerably worked up over the prospect of soonglimp
sing the mighty flood.