CHAPTER XXIV
IN THE TOM SAWYER CAVERN
"She's acomin' closer right along, Jack!" Perk was saying, cautiously,as he limped along at his companion's heels, evidently more or lesstired after his long tramp, with that great pack settled on his back.
Jack realized this fact himself. He was keeping a wary eye turned in thequarter whence the roaring sound could be heard, constantly growinglouder with each passing second. If he suddenly discovered theapproaching plane he could give the plodding Perk the "high sign", whenboth must drop down flat to keep from being discovered by those in theship's cabin.
As it happened the incoming aircraft was keeping low down, its pilotundoubtedly expecting to swing into the valley by way of the spreadingjaws of the narrow pass.
By the time they managed to gain their old location the landing had beensuccessfully accomplished, a fact that caused Perk to remark:
"Huh! them guys arunnin' that crate aint no dummies at their job, sureas shootin'. That was a slick landin' the gink at the stick set daown.Wow! See haow they're aswarmin' eout o' evry shack, will yeou; like thiscomin' back o' the patched-up ship might mean it was afetchin' 'em allsorts o' stuff they kinder hankered after? What a soft time them ratsair ahavin', with nawthin' to do 'cept wait fur the supper bell tosound."
"Watch and see what manner of stuff they take out of the cabin," advisedthe wide-awake Jack, with an evident hope he might learn a few"wrinkles" concerning the occupation of the confederates in thismountain retreat, by thus checking their plane's cargo, for he had notedthat it was heavily laden.
There seemed to be an abundance of willing workers now, and the way thefreight was lifted out of the cabin, to be carried toward the big logcabin, told of the personal interest they had in the stuff.
"Looks mostly like grub, I'd say," Jack remarked, keeping his eyesfastened to the useful binoculars; "and I reckon business, whatever itis they're carrying on, must be good, for them to buy such a mountain offood, staples and fancy groceries in the bargain."
Perk could be heard making a queer sound in his throat.
"I'm a piker if this doant beat anythin' I ever stacked up against," hegritted between his teeth. "Hard times, they say, an' yet here's a buncho' tough guys aloaded up with 'bout sech truck like a oil-well nabobdaown in Oklahoma might lay in fur the hull winter. Mebbe I wouldn'tlike to board up at this hotel fur a spell! I'd sure make a dent intheir ole grub pile."
The plane cabin was soon emptied, and apparently it had held an enormouscargo. They saw the two men forming the crew head toward the dininghall, as though to await the call to supper. Perk, having begged to holdthe glasses, was eagerly staring at the pair, wearing dingy flying togs.
"Hot-diggetty-dig!" he muttered, just loud enough for Jack to hear him,"so _that's_ what took ole Nat outen San Diego, was it? Did somethin' tomake him want to skip by the light o' the moon, an' then hitched up withthis ere rotten bunch o' crooks. He sure had it comin' to him, bein'he'd been skatin' on the edge o' goin' bad some time back."
"You seem to know some one, Perk, from what you're saying?" venturedJack.
"Yeah! a galoot called Nat Tucker, once a fair sorter pilot; but kindercrooked, some folks used to say behind his back. That's him, the stouterlad with a limp--got that onct when he had to step off a mile high, an'his chute didn't work as nice as it orter, lettin' him crash when helanded in a hay field--would a been killed if it'd been rocks, likethese here. Found his level okay when he struck this rotten crowd. Had asorter nice halfbreed squaw fur a wife, too, pretty as a picture; but Iheard she kicked Nat aouten the house, so he's cleared up fur keeps.Well, he's kinder classy as a pilot, an' said to be a reg'lar dare-devilin his way. The boys'll sure be some s'prised to hear what's happened toole Nat."
As the crowd down in the valley had thinned out by this time, most ofthem passing into the big log cabin, Jack concluded there was nonecessity for himself and Perk to remain any longer at their lookoutpoint.
Once back at their former campground Jack picked up his supper at thepoint he had quit when the sound of the oncoming airship drifted totheir ears.
Perk looked expectant, as though he still remembered that his chum hadpromised to enlighten him concerning various discoveries made during theday just then closing.
"I've been figuring things out," Jack commenced saying, as he continuedhis interrupted meal, "and from a number of little things I saw I'malmost certain these banded crooks must be carrying on a bogus-moneyplant up here--several times when the wind changed I thought I couldcatch a queer sort of sound that was along the line of machinery, apress perhaps working at printing the counterfeit bills."
"Gee whiz! I wonder!" ejaculated the deeply interested Perk, his eyesaglow with half suppressed excitement.
"Stop and figure it out for yourself, buddy," Jack went on smoothly, asthough his own mind was already fully made up. "Could anybody think up afiner and safer location for such an illegal plant than up here, wherethey could carry on their work without molestation? And then, when theyhad a good grist of bogus stuff to scatter over the western country, howeasy to send it out aboard that swift airship? I warrant you they'redoing a land-office business--no stagnation in this neck of the woods,even if it's said to be the case nearly everywhere else all over theworld."
"Gosh! doant it beat the Dutch, Jack, haow chumps like that kin lick upall the cream on a pan o' milk, leavin' the skim stuff to honest folks?But yeou said yeou'd picked up a heap o' pints, which I'd hear 'boutlater on. Aint that time come 'raound yet, buddy?"
"Hold your horses, Perk; that news can keep until after we get locatedin our new sleeping quarters. Suppose we divide up all this stuff you'vefetched, along with what we already had on hand; so I can help tote thesame. I can see with one eye how you must be fairly worn out with whatyou carried all the way up here. Come, let's get a move on, partner."
Perk did not show much signs of being so dead tired, judging from thealacrity with which he scrambled to his knees, and busied himself makingup the two packs. One, which he evidently fully intended for himself,was about twice as heavy as the other; seeing which, (and comprehendingthe usual generous spirit of this big-hearted chum) Jack managed to pickit up when the other was not looking, and absolutely refused tosurrender when appealed to.
"Not any, partner," he told Perk, resolutely; "what do you take me for,a weakling, or a shirker? If you say much more I'll sling _both_ packsover my shoulder, and leave you to trot along in the rear. I've donenothing but loaf all day, while you were as busy as a beaver. Get out,and stay out, d'ye hear, boy?"
He led the way, and seemed to know just where he was going, passingaround a dozen great rocks that barred their passage. Perk marveled athis pal's skill and memory as a guide, never pausing to question hisroute, but following the circuitous trail as though he had trodden thesame for a long time.
Finally, when they had descended the slope for a short distance, Jackstopped in front of a minor cliff, and pointed to the fissure inquestion.
"I'll go on ahead with my flashlight, and you keep close to my heels,Perk," he explained. "So far as I could tell there's nothing apt to tripus up; but its just as well to be on your guard, with a clumsy bundle onyour back, and your legs being a bit tottery after that long climb.Ready, buddy--then in we dip."
Perk could not keep from feeling something of a thrill as he followedhis partner into the fissure, which seemed to widen the further theyadvanced. Presently he could no longer glimpse either wall, and hencecame to the conclusion they must have already reached the large cavernmentioned by Jack earlier in the evening.
Coming to a halt the leader shifted his hand torch in such a fashionthat both of them were now able to see the walls, as well as the highceiling of the natural cavern. Perk could not repress an exclamation ofmingled satisfaction and awe.
"Hot-diggetty-dig! but aint this jest grand?" he burst forth. "Me alwaysa feelin' a yearnin' inside to glimpse what yeou'd call a reg'larcavern, li
ke Tom Sawyer an' Huck Finn explored, daown on the bank o' theMississip; an' here she be like magic. Say, this takes the cake,partner."
"Welcome to our new home, brother," laughed Jack, but not hilariously;"and now to drop our packs so as to rest up."