CHAPTER XVIII
THE DESERTED SHACK
"Well, that's somehow I guess over, and I'm mighty glad," was the wayPerk voiced his feelings, when the clouds were rolling away, and theheavenly host of stars backed up the moon in lighting up the firmament.
"Same here," echoed Jack, still more or less tired after his energeticbattle with the unleashed elements.
"And strikes me the air's got some chilly," added the other; "I own upI'm shivering to beat the band right now. Where d'ye figger we might be,partner--must a lost our course in all that kettle o' rain an' wind, an'drifted far to the south, eh, what, old hoss?"
"No question about it, Perk; I could feel the pull right along; still,there wasn't a thing to do but let the old crate take the reins in herteeth. Once morning comes we'll manage somehow to get a line on ourlocality, and swing back to our course."
"Some hours off yet," ventured Perk, whose lips were indeed trembling,as if the chill was beginning to get in its work--perhaps all thatrecent excitement was helping to make him shiver, as it often will, evenin the case of the most valiant of men.
Jack noticed this fact, even though he himself experienced nothingsimilar, for some reason or other.
"See here, Perk, you ought to have a chance to sit alongside a warm fireand dry off; the rain must have got under your slicker, and I reckon nowyou're slopping around in water back there. Something's _got_ to be doneabout it."
"Shucks! boss, don't bother 'bout me; I'm a hard-shell you must know,an' a little dampness ain't agoin' to do me any harm, Jack."
"Just the same we'll try and make a landing," continued the other, "ifthere's half a chance; all I'd want would be to stack up against a levelstretch of upland, where the drainage had carried off all that flood."
"Yeah, that sounds all to the good, boy but what difference will itmake, I want to know? After such a storm it's bound to be some cold evenaway down here along the Texas-Arizona line; they call them Northers,jest like I've heard they do down in Florida. Forget it, partner--I'm atough guy, an' ain't wantin' to be coddled like a baby."
"Just the same I say we're going to land, if half a chance shows up,"affirmed the pilot, in that set way of his. "We'll find the stuff tobuild some sort of fire, Perk, where you could make a pot of hot coffee;which'd do you more good than a switch of hard liquor. Put that in yourpipe and smoke it."
Perk remained silent for almost two whole minutes, during which time nodoubt he was revolving in his mind what Jack had proposed--inimagination he could almost _smell_ the delicious aroma of the coffee,boiling so merrily over the red coals and even feel a joyous sensationof warmth stealing through his chilled body.
"Okay, Jack; you win, hands down. Me for the coffee every time, to befollowed by a quiet smoke o' my fav'rite brand o' tobac. Have your ownway about it, partner."
"Then get ready to try and make out what sort of ground we'll soon bepassing over," added Jack, as he turned the ship earthward, and sliddown on a long glide, with the motor clamped shut. "We'll skim alongclose enough for you to get a good idea as to how matters stand, and yetgiving enough distance to keep clear of any clump of trees, or littlebald knobs of rises."
Presently Perk assured him he could manage to get fair glimpses at whatlay below; at which Jack again started on an even keel, moving with aslittle speed as was compatible with safety.
It was not very long before the watcher gave tongue.
"Looks good to me down yonder, partner--guess now we might make a safean' sane landin'--'specially with _you_ at the stick. Circulate a littlebit to the south, brother, 'cause it looks some better thataways."
This Jack did, and then at another signal from the observer, heproceeded to drop down with almost as much confidence as he might havefelt when making a landing on Candler Field, well lighted, and withevery convenience suited to safety and comfort.
His confidence, it seemed, had not been misplaced, for they effected avery fair contact, all things considered, even though the landing wassomewhat "joggly and rough" as Perk expressed it.
Once the ship came to a stop and both of them hastened to clamber out oftheir close quarters--"cribbed, cabined and confined," Jack sometimesliked to say in connection with their limited cockpit, although his palalways reminded him of the fact that _cabin_ was something onlyconspicuous by its absence.
Perk's first movement was to start threshing his arms against his thighswith more or less vigor, in which he showed good common sense sincethere is no better method for stirring up sluggish circulation after along period of inaction. Jack on his part commenced to check up oncertain sections of the undergear, meaning to make certain he had doneno damage in making connection with the earth under such unfavorableconditions.
"Everything in ship-shape, I reckon, Perk," he announced. "And now let'smake out to find something in the line of trees, where we might pick upenough wood for that fire."
"Looks kinder like things'd be mighty well soaked after all thatdownpour," affirmed the shrewd Yankee-Canadian; "so it'd be a tough jobcoaxin' stuff to take fire. But wait a minute, partner--I didn't get achance to tell you that I spied what looked like an ol' tumbledown shackover to windward--I guess now it might be abandoned, but just the same,partner, we'd be apt to run across some dry wood inside."
"Suppose you step over and take a look-in, Perk," suggested the other."I'll stand by the crate here, and keep our little glim working, soyou'll get your bearings when you start back."
"You said it, Jack," acceded the lanky one, always eager for any sort ofservice; "an' by the same token now I'll tote my gun along--never c'ntell what sorter game you'll stack up against on these here Texasplains, I'm told. I feel like I could knock over a wolf er two, just toget my blood to movin' at a faster clip--how 'bout it, boss?"
"Suit yourself, Perk," he was told, as Jack climbed back into thecockpit so as to manipulate the light he mentioned, and which wouldprove sufficient to serve the wanderer as a beacon when wishing toretrace his steps.
Accordingly Perk wandered off, having decided as to the quarter where hehad glimpsed what looked like an old and lonely shack or cabin, faintlyseen in the moonlight.
He came back in a short time, bubbling over with satisfaction.
"It's all right, Jack--just like I guessed, it turned out to be anownerless shack but the roof looks like it might've shed the rain, an'oh! boy! heaps o' dry wood inside, with a whoppin' big fireplace whereyou could slap on the biggest log agoin'. Mebbe I ain't glad you thoughto' this game. Come along, an' we'll fetch the stuff for a warmsnack--coffee, crackers, an' bacon in the bargain. Talk to me aboutluck, it's comin' to us in big chunks."
"Oh! we've got to get used to that sort of thing," said Jack, in themost matter-of-fact tone imaginable; "when you're on such a wonderfullay as this anything's likely to happen, and all kinds of surprisesspring out at you."
"I wonder," was all Perk could say in reply; but he lost no time ingathering together such articles as aluminum coffeepot, skillet, cups,and such other things as he knew would be needed to complete theirlittle midnight spread.
"I reckon it's safe for us to leave our crate off here," remarked thecautious Jack, "but I'll fix things so no busybody can take-off whilewe're away," which he did without any trouble; after which they both setout to move along to the deserted shack Perk had located, lying rightthere, just as if a favoring Fate had designed it for their especialbenefit in an emergency, as the grateful Perk told himself.
Arriving at the humble shack, that once may have housed a happy familyin days that were gone, they made use of Jack's electric torch in orderto gather some dry splinters of wood, which, heaped above some paper onthe open hearth, soon blazed up, and afforded them an opportunity totake a look around.
Other fuel more lasting was hurriedly added to the fire, and this donethe two air adventurers took stock of their surroundings. There wasnothing much to see, since the shack happened to be entirely devoid ofany kind of furniture, even o
f the most primitive make; but the roof hadstood the ravages of time, and promised to hold out for years still tocome.
Perk held out his chilled hands to the blaze but only for a few minutes;apparently the possibility of brewing some "nectar" was an overpoweringtemptation, for presently he started to work.
In short order he had the steam coming out of the coffee pot spout, anda most delightful odor permeated the interior of that ancient shack.When the coffee was ready, Perk poured some of the amber fluid in bothaluminum cups, and offered Jack one, together with a freshly openedcarton of tempting crackers.
"Goes right to the spot," the self-made _chef_ observed, rubbing a handacross his stomach, as though experiencing the most blissful sensationthere; "best coffee I ever tasted, barrin' none, an' say, I've tried ita good many places like France and Germany, as well as in Turkey too."
"Same here," Jack assured him, as he drained his first cup. "By the way,didn't you say you'd fetched some bacon along over here?"
"Jest what I did, partner, an' now I've had my fust swaller o' coffeeI'll get a move on an' soon have some o' the same asizzlin' in the pan."
He started to carry out his words, with the interested Jack watching hisefforts to try and make the frying pan set evenly on the fire, a featthat requires considerable knowledge of camp tactics in order to besuccessful. After one near spill, with Perk only saving an upset byquick work, Jack modestly broke in to give a bit of advice, notforgetting, however, that old saying about "too many cooks spoil thebroth."
"Too hot to keep hold of the handle looks like, partner; now if only wewere outdoors we might find stones enough to form some sort offoundation on three sides of the fire, where you could rest your pan.Hold on, here's this old hearth that was made of some kind of Mexicanbricks--adobe they call them and it looks to me like some of 'em mightbe loose. Here, I'll manage to pry a few up for you, Perk, old man--justhold--your--horses and----"
Jack did not finish his sentence, and the cook, glancing up to see whatailed him, found his pal holding the first adobe in an uplifted hand,while he was himself staring hard into the cavity from which it hadcome, as if he saw something wonderfully fascinating there!