CHAPTER XXIV
PERK RIDES IN THE GHOST BOAT
"Quack--quack--quack--quack!"
Perk chuckled at the clever way Jack imitated the outcry of a startledfeathered pilgrim from the Far North--old shooter as he was, Perk feltconfident he himself would have been deceived did he not know whence thesounds proceeded.
He listened intently, hoping they might not be disappointed in theirexpectations. There came an answering call from a point close by--itgave Perk a positive thrill--then Jethro must have already arrived,spurred on by his burning desire to pay his debt of hatred long sinceover due.
Jack waited a dozen seconds, after which he again sent out his call,repeating the first one exactly--four quacks.
"Gee whiz! somepin's amovin' over yonder, matey!" whispered the excitedPerk, as they peered through openings in the leafy curtain by which theairship was so deftly concealed.
"I see it," answered Jack, also feeling a thrill of satisfaction, inthat their great scheme gave positive indications of being about tostart off with a bang. "It's some sort of boat okay--too dark yet totell just what shape the same may be. There, it's coming out of hidingnow."
"An' a powerboat in the bargain--Jethro's crate, I shore reckons; buthot-diggetty-dig! see haow fast she's a headin' thisaway, yet yeou caintketch even a ripple, or hear the exhaust one teeny bit. A ghost boat,I'd call her, partner, blamed if I wouldn't."
Jack chuckled as if amused.
"Mr. Herriott put me wise about that," he explained, softly. "It's oneof the big improvements Uncle Sam brought about in that old craft, inorder that it could do the work so much better--and safer. You see, theoverboard motor that's been installed in place of the old one isup-to-date, and has its exhaust away down deep, so it can swing alongwithout any of the racket most power-boats kick up. It's used a greatdeal by fishermen, who troll for game-fish, and would expect but scantcaptures if their boat kept spluttering away as the old type used to do.Get that now, Wally?"
"Jest what I do, ole pal; an' say, aint it won-der-ful what thingsthey're inventin' these days--talk 'bout there bein' nawthin' new underthe sun, why, hardly a day slips past that we doant hear or read 'baoutstunnin' discoveries. That certain is a happy thought. But here he is,clost to us, pard."
"Hello! thar!" came in a low, discreet voice, as the oncoming boatslowed up by degrees.
"It's okay, Jethro--we're on hand as promised!"
As Jack said this the other gave a low laugh, as though greatly pleasedto find his new employer so prompt, and evidently a man of his word.
He was soon leaning from his seat in the cockpit of his ancientpowerboat, (in which he had for some years been engaged taking partiesout from Charleston for their fishing, or shooting) and grasping firstthe extended hand of eager Perk, then that of Jack Ralston.
He had been put wise as to their real identity, but warned to meet themunder their assumed names, so as to ward off any possible risk ofdiscovery. So it was he lowered his voice to a hoarse whisper as hespoke after the handshake.
"Ah 'low as how yuh reckoned ah mout be some slow agittin' hyah, suh;but since they fixed up my ole dickey boat, she shore do step along likesmoke."
"Glad to know that, Jethro," said Jack, to whom the other had turned asif readily recognizing which of the pair must be the leader of thedesperate enterprize with which he had committed his fortunes so gladly."Looks like a fine night for us to make a beginning."
"Jest what hit is, suh; couldn't be no better, ah'd say. An' ah donereckons as how they be some big doin's goin' on over tuh the stationternight."
"That sounds good to me, Jethro," Jack assured him. "Fact is, I'mbeginning to believe the Fates are working in our favor right along,from the way things keep happening. Now I'm going to put the work inyour hands as far as getting us in touch with these parties goes."
"I kinder figgered as how yuh'd do thet same, suh," said the confidentJethro, "seein' as how I knows the ground like er book. I aint agoin'tuh let yuh down, suh, bet yuh boots I aint."
Perk had not tried to break into this brief confab; truth to tell he wasengaged just then in keeping "tabs" on Jethro's manner of speech, so asto determine how close to the real thing he himself had come when tryingto play the part of a genuine Birmingham son of Dixie.
"How are we going to start this racket?" questioned Jack. "All get inyour boat, and close in on the working station, so we can see with ourown eyes just what sort of a show they're putting up."
"Them's ther ticket, suh," he was promptly told, showing that the guidehad formed some sort of a general plan of campaign. "I be'n right upagin the level groun' whar them airships land, an' watched what washappenin' lots o' times. 'Taint no great shakes agittin' clost tuh thetworkin' bunch, 'case they don't reckon they's a single stranger insideo' ten mile. They'd shore skun me alive if they'd run ontuh me; but Iknowed my beans, an' how tuh fool ther best o' 'em."
Jack liked the way the other talked--it showed that Jethro hadconsiderable self-confidence; also that the consuming passion runninglike hot lava through his veins was not apt to warp his judgment in theleast. He could be depended on to keep fairly cool and discreet underany trying condition; and should matters ever come to a showdown, such aman would fight like a South Carolina wildcat, of that Jack also feltassured.
"Then we'll leave the ship concealed here back of this screen, and climbaboard with you, Jethro," Jack told him. "I put it up to you to say whenwe ought to make a start."
"Right away'd be ther right thing ter do, suh," came the answer; afterboth Jack and Perk had changed to the reconditioned powerboat. "Yuh see,it's sum way tuh go, the river's so crooked in places; so I kalc'latethings they'll be fair hummin' by ther time we gits thar."
"Just as you say, Jethro; but perhaps we ought to take certain thingswith us--no telling just how soon we might find a use for the same.Wally, climb back, and pass them over to me--you know what I mentionedI'd like to have along."
Evidently Perk had committed the list to memory, for he handed thearticles over in rapid succession--guns, along with other things thatmust have been a rank mystery to the staring Jethro, though he made noremark.
"That's all, Big Boss," observed Perk, once more changing to thepowerboat, and the seat he had just started to warm up.
Not the ghost of a sound of passing vapor came to Perk's strained earsas the boat picked up a certain amount of speed, heading directly forthe near-by river, which Jack had called the Yamasaw. Perk could hardlybelieve there could be such a thing as throttling the noisy clamor hehad always associated with the passage of a motorboat, usually heardover the water from a distance of several miles. Truly the wizards mustbe hard at work these days, performing near-miracles right andleft--first the aircraft's noisy discharge conquered; and now the humblepowerboat reduced to absolute submission.
Jack quickly noticed that Jethro was making no great attempt to forcehis smoothly working new engine. He could conceive of several goodreasons for this caution--in the first place there was no need forhaste; then again they would be going with the rapid current whiledescending the crooked stream; and last of all he could readilyunderstand how there might be a variety of obstacles here and there,blocking their passage--logs, and huge boulders, which would surelycause the boat to founder, should they crash against some snag head-on.
On the return journey, whenever they chose to come back, the case mustbe different, since they would have the current to buck against, andnecessarily much more power would be called upon to make decentprogress.
However, Jack was not figuring as to just when that retrograde movementwould come about--Perk had handed over a variety of things they wouldrequire if they chose to linger for a day and another night at least,even to some "eats"--catch Perk neglecting _that_ part of thesupplies--not if he was in his sane mind, he had told himself withunction.
Well, here they were gliding along down the river, just as Perk had somany times vividly pictured in his mind, with darkness a
ll around them,and only Jethro's intimate knowledge of the intricacies of the stream,and its various outjutting snags, standing between themselves and a coldbath.
Perk thrilled with deepest satisfaction. From this time on he feltassured all sorts of exciting happenings would be the order of the dayor night; and no longer would he feel bored by inaction. The war againstthe desperate smuggler gang was on, and the outcome could not possiblybe delayed much longer than forty-eight hours, he felt confident.
Half an hour and more had now passed since their start on the inlandvoyage, and several times they found the angry water foaming up aroundthem as if eager to drag the adventurous voyagers down into its unknowndepths. But always Jethro maintained a perfect grasp on the situation,parrying this rock, and that snag, as though he possessed the eyes of acat.
It was simply amazing how he managed, and Perk found himself growingdeeper and deeper wrapped up in sincere admiration for one who coulddisplay such wonderful skill, such fearless handling of a frail boat inall that turgid, leaping water.
Finally Jethro began to slow up, and the others knew from this thatevidently they must be drawing close to the place for which they wereaiming. Yes, several times when it happened the water was more calm,Perk felt positive he caught the faint sound of human voices, as thoughreckless men might be making merry with some sort of liquid refreshmentthat loosened their tongues, and made them feel unusually jolly.
So, too, did he glimpse signs of growing light, and figured thatdoubtless fires might be burning, with supper cooking. Fed up with adesire to set eyes on what lay so close by, Perk counted the minutes asthe boat continued to move smoothly along.
Finally he found that Jethro was propelling it by hand, the noiselessengine having stopped its pulsations; and a minute later they lay backof a screen formed of hanging Spanish moss and clinging vines, quite aseffectual so far as concealment went as the curtain hiding the airship.
"Git out hyah, suh;" whispered Jethro in Jack's ear; "rest o' ther waywe gotter tuh go afoot."