CHAPTER XXVII
THE LUCKLESS SPEEDBOAT
The night passed without anything in the nature of an alarm. Once whenJack chanced to wake up, he could catch the familiar pulsations of acloud-chaser of an airship passing, at a considerable distance; and asnear as he could figure, heading directly toward the rendezvous on thecreek, where a descent would be made to the exact spot on which theother craft had so lately been mysteriously incinerated.
"I wonder if that turns out to be our next victim," was what thelistener said under his breath, as he dropped back to continue hissleep.
In the morning it was deemed quite safe for Perk to build a cooking firewell back of the rise, so that even though a boat should pass up or downthe river curious eyes would not be apt to see anything suspicious. Theair, too, was favorable, since it came from a direction to leeward ofthe water, which would carry such light smoke as arose from the smallfire safely away.
Perk gave himself and two companions a very acceptable breakfast, allthings considered. He was possessed of a fair amount of culinary skill;dearly loved to get up a camp meal, and satisfy the yearnings of hisalways empty stomach; and moreover had selected a number of such viandsas would appeal to the taste of three hungry men, reduced to their owncookery.
Afterwards Perk kept himself busy doing a number of things that had someconnection with their comfort along the "grub line," as he termed it.
Jethro seemed content to just take things comfortably; while Jack foundan abundance of employment in making up his notes. This was carried outin the code language, so that if he had the hard luck to fall into thehands of the enemy they would not be able to discover what all the queermarks really stood for--without a knowledge concerning the key it wouldseem more or less like the silly scribbling of a child.
Then, too, Jack allowed himself to figure out what would be the natureof their next undertaking, following out their plan for striking tellingblows at everything that helped to build up the strategic working of thesmuggler ring's illicit business.
"It should be tried out if another of those speedboats makes shore whilewe're hanging around up there," he told himself, after one of thesespells of deep thinking; "anything that goes to create a feeling ofgenuine consternation in that mob comes along our line of action. We'veprepared for all those kind of little surprises, and mustn't lose anychance that drifts our way, that's absolutely certain. Well, we'll waitand see what turns up to-night."
At noon Perk once again disappeared back of the screen of brush, vinesand dense foliage, to concoct another fragrant and much relished meal.At night they would have to fare on cold stuff, as Jack hesitated torisk the glow of a fire so near the river, where some sort of boat mightbe passing, with a chance of discovery that would spell disaster to alltheir pet schemes.
As the afternoon moved along Jack cast uneasy glances up at the sky,where openings in the heavy belt of trees allowed of a fragmentarysurvey.
"Seems a little like rain, fellows," he told his mates; whereupon bothof the others took a good look, and pronounced their several opinions.
Jethro, Jack found, proved to be one of those natural weather oraclessuch as may occasionally be run across among the natives in southernsections of the country; and his opinion struck both the others as soundand reasonable.
He even in his quaint fashion, and in the lingo of cracker land,explained on what he based his prophecy that, while the clouds mightpersist there would be no rain fall inside of twelve to twenty hours;although beyond that he was not prepared to say, and felt there was afair chance the clouds would wet things pretty well before giving way toclear skies again.
"Mebbe then we kin put in one more good blast 'fore we git housed uphere in aour houseboat," Perk advanced, as both his opinion and hissecret wish.
"Let's hope so," Jack told him, to bolster up his already droopingspirits. "Anyhow, if it hasn't started to rain when we're ready to pullout to-night, it's agreed we'll not hold back on account of a littleducking."
"Yeou sed it, buddy," Perk snapped with avidity, accompanying the wordswith one of his old-time grins, that told of renewed expectation offresh achievement.
So after they had partaken of some cold refreshment to stay theirhunger, they completed their preparations for sallying forth to inflictfurther damage on the enemy, and add to their consternation by allpossible measures.
Their course was identical with that pursued on the former occasion. Itwas darker than on the previous night, owing no doubt to the curtain ofclouds that shut off even the friendly starlight. Jethro, however,proved to be equal to his task, and as they made but comparatively slowprogress down the swift running stream managed to steer his boat withoutcolliding with the obstacles lying in wait. These bobbed up now to theright, and again to the left--seething little whirlpools, and uglypointed rocks, but partially out of water--just as in days of old inGrecian seas, mariners had to keep clear of Scylla and Charybdis, twomonsters who threatened their craft with destruction,--the whirlpool onone hand, and a cruel-fanged monster rock on the other.
They eventually reached the spot for which they aimed, and again was thepowerboat screened behind that accommodating natural curtain. Then,after a little delay while gathering certain things (the possession ofwhich would save a tedious trip back to the boat, such as had beenPerk's portion on that other occasion) the trio began their long crawl,with the idea of locating that inviting spot from whence they could viewthe camp, and yet be out of sight of the rough characters making up theworking force of the smugglers.
To the dismay of Perk there was no airship awaiting action at the spotof the previous night's blaze. Evidently the one Jack had heard passover--and of which he had informed both his comrades--must have passedout again to where the mother-ship lay at anchor; or else possibly spedback to some island like the depot at Bimini, where another cargo couldbe taken on.
"But they mebbe might slip in some time to-night," Perk told himself, indeadly fear that they were to have all their work for nothing, whichwould certainly have been too bad, and must grieve the honest fellowterribly.
As for Jack, he chanced to be thinking in quite a different direction.
It began to grow somewhat monotonous, just lying there and listening towhat hilarious jokes and slangy conversation passed between the roughhired workers, smoking and drinking alongside the comfortable fires.
It was now getting along toward midnight, and they had been lying inthat cramped condition for several hours. Some of the men had thrownthemselves down near the fires, as though to pick up some sleep; butsagacious Jack noticed an air of expectation among them as a whole,which assured him they anticipated some fresh arrival, whether from theair or the river of course he could not say with certainty.
Presently he did notice that two of men who appeared to be leaderswalked down to the crude wharf, and seemed to be changing things aroundas though preparing for coming shipments of contraband stuff.
"I figure it's going to be a boat," he told himself on seeing thismovement--"they've had word of its coming, I reckon through thatpowerful radio station on the coast, which we're given orders to find,and knock out of business."
And a boat it proved to be, for shortly afterwards Jack caught a distantsound as of an engine working; and since it did not come from above itmust be moving up the stream, having some time before entered at themouth of the Yamasaw.
Before long they could detect the strong light that bore upstream, toshow the pilot where to keep the nose of his craft. Later, the speedboatwas tied to the dock by a capable hawser, and the labor of taking herheavy cargo ashore began.
Of course there was nothing that could be done to interfere with thelanding of the contraband, and its being loaded on the waiting trucks.Their orders had been along different lines--they were to try and hurtthe operations of the daring smuggler ring, kill it off if possible; butunder no consideration risk the betrayal of their plan of campaign bytrying to hinder some of the goods that w
ere landed from reaching theirfar-away destinations as scheduled.
Jack, watching closely, soon saw the parties who manned the speedboatseemed in no particular hurry to start back down the river. Havingdelivered their valuable load of wet goods in security, they ran no riskof being seized by a revenue cutter, or contraband-chaser, if dawnshould find them close off shore.
The two officers were sitting at a rough table chatting with several ofthe leading smugglers, and drinking something that looked like realchampagne; while the balance of the crew had mingled with the campers,and seemed to be taking an hour or so off.
Jack having kept close tabs on all that went on felt confident there wasnot a single man aboard the speedboat. His hoped for opportunity was athand, and no time must be lost.
So, having previously notified his mates what he meant to attempt, henow left them, carrying some small bundle along, the nature of whichPerk understood very well since it was he himself who had hooked up thefire bomb with the time-clockwork that could be set for any minutenecessary--and which was now arranged two hours ahead. Jack soon foundhimself alongside the boat; and watching his chance he slipped aboard.He was not over five minutes at work, when he again appeared in theshadows alongside the rough wharf, from whence he readily made theshore.
When he a little afterwards rejoined his companions the order must havebeen given for the crew to get aboard, as the boat was scheduled to takeoff, perhaps to head for Charleston, or Georgetown, to pick up neededsupplies that were regular, and not in the contraband class.
Those ashore gave their allies a round of cheers before the vesselvanished down the stream--why not when they surely had not anything tofear in the line of discovery? Those sneaking Secret Service agents hadnever bothered them seriously ever since the headquarters rendezvous wasstationed at this hard to reach point on the twisting, turbulentYamasaw.
"We'll hang out here for another hour and more," Jack whispered to histwo backers. "I'm hoping to pick up some more valuable points fromhearing the men chaffing one another--I'd give a lot just to know wherethat radio sending and receiving station is located, as it would save usconsiderable trouble in combing the entire coast of South Carolina."
"Yeah," Perk was saying, oh! so softly--no one hearing his customarymanner of speech would ever imagine he could modulate his voice sowonderfully--"an' I shore reckons we kin see the fine light that's laidaout for Fo'th o' July celebration on this late Fall night, jest as goodup hyah as daown thar."
"A heap better, Wally," Jack assured him.
The time passed tediously to active Perk. He had listened eagerly aslong as the sound of the working engines of the elegant speedboat couldbe heard down the river; but by degrees they grew fainter, until evenkeen-eared Perk was unable to place them.
Long afterwards he drew the attention of his mates to what seemed aqueer illumination up in the clouded heavens toward the southeast.
"Huh! kinder seems like sumpin' might be agoin' on over yonder, suh,"was what he said in Jack's ears; "which I has a most pow'ful notion hasto do with aour purty racin' boat what's more'n likely kicked her heelsat many a rev'nue cutter that couldn't close in on her nohaow."
"You said it that time, Wally," Jack assured him, feeling a littlethrill himself over the probable success of his attempt at wiping outyet another of those swift air and water vehicles engaged in doing thetransportation for the wholesale smugglers' combination.
Some of those in the camp had by this time also taken note of thetell-tale crimson stain on the low-hanging clouds, for they began towatch it in considerable surprise, as well as uneasiness. What hadhappened on the preceding night was only too fresh in their minds forthem to forget the unaccountable nature of the disaster.
"Gosh! we shore got 'em guessin', partner," Perk was saying, softly,after they were once more aboard the old and faithful powerboat, withcat-eyed Jethro at the steering wheel, guiding the boat's destinies bysheer intuition and good hearing combined.
"Looks that way, brother," was the other's terse but eloquent reply.
They met with no accident while on their way back to their "location,"as Perk sometimes referred to the hidden camp, he having been out withcompanies of Hollywood people when making pictures demanding ruralsurroundings, and consequently picking up a few of their customarydesignations.
They had just managed to get safely aboard the amphibian when the firstrain-drop came down; and in less than ten minutes it was pouring;evidently Nature herself was in league with Jack and his allies to favortheir undertakings in a friendly as well as most admirable fashion.