CHAPTER XXI
PICKING UP CLUES
By this time the man whom Uncle Sam's two clever sky detectives hadtrapped, showed signs of being almost in a state of collapse. Too latedid he realize what a terrible mistake he had made when yielding to theblandishments of Slippery Slim Garrabrant, and acting under the beliefthat he could defy the law and get away with it.
"What's the big idea, partner," Perk was asking after he and Jack hadfixed things so there was no possible chance for their prisoner to breakaway, and give them the laugh. "Do we jump off right now, or wait tillmornin', I'd like to know?"
"No hurry at all," was the calm reply, "I want to go over our crate oncemore before we start that hop across to the California border, I've goodreason to believe things are okay but a second overhauling will satisfyme better."
"I kinder guess you won't want me to slip over to this here town, an'pick up a few fresh eggs, eh, boss?" and Perk's voice actually took on awheedling vein as he made this remark for if there was anything hedearly loved along the line of "eats" it was those same "fresh eggs."
Jack shook his head.
"Hardly think it would be wise," he observed; "we don't know the lay ofthe land for one thing--it might be this party has some backing amonghis neighbors, and we'd find ourselves in a hornets' nest before we knewwhat was what. No, we can stick it out here the balance of the night,which is pretty well gone right now, and be off about sunrise."
"There's a lot more stuff around in here that'd burn right well,"insinuated Perk; "how 'bout another bit o' fire--this night air feelssome cool to me an' 'sides, we'd have a blaze ready so's to boil morecoffee 'fore we kick off, eh, what, partner?"
"Please yourself so far as that goes, Perk, I reckon it wouldn't feel atall bad to have some fire, as we must hang out here several hours. Butdon't make any noise if you can help it. Besides, we ought to keep aneye out for trouble, no telling what this slick chap might work off onus."
"Oh! we'll one o' us keep watch off'n on," promised Perk, startingwithout any further delay to gather some fuel, and get a blaze going.
While he was thus engaged Jack took their prisoner in hand, andcommenced to grill him. There was nothing of the dreaded "third degree"rough-house measures in what Jack attempted but he tried to show the manwhere his best interests lay.
"You're in a bad fix, my friend," Jack told him: "and unless you comeclean, so as to help us round up the balance of your outfit, you'll becertain to get the full penalty the law lays down. We know a whole lotabout Slippery Slim and his ways, and are dead certain we're bound toend up his graft before many more days pass by. So when you're answeringmy questions don't try to lie to me, for like as not I'll be alreadyacquainted with the facts and know you're trying to beat around thebush. Dangerous business, let me tell you; far better for you to holdyour tongue than deceive me. Come clean, and I promise you I'll doeverything in my power to have you let off easy, besides no one needknow you've turned State's evidence."
Then he started in to put pointed questions, concerning certain pointsthat were vital to his plans. Once he caught the man squirming under thelash, and giving an answer that he very well knew was like "beatingaround the bush."
"You know better than that, my friend," he told him sharply, "that'sonly half a truth you've given me. Don't try it again if you know what'sgood for your health, or it'll be a matter of possibly ten years beforeyou see your family again. Stick to the truth, and it may be only aquestion of six months you'll spend at Atlanta behind the bars. Now tellme again what I wanted to know."
He had managed to impress his strong personality upon the writhingwretch, who was ready to throw himself unreservedly upon his mercy andso the answers were given without hesitation, although in some instancesthe man declared he did not know, as he had only once been across theline and visited Slippery Slim in his hideout among the Mexicanmountains.
When Jack realized that he had really pumped the other dry, he felt hehad profited in many ways and that their sudden determination to make, anight landing, so as to recover after their buffeting by the storm, hadbeen a most fortunate happening indeed.
For one thing he had learned that the name of their frightened prisonerwas Simeon Hawkins, and that he had a wife and several children livingin the little prairie town only a few miles distant--a fact that seemedto give him great distress, now he found his avaricious dreams wrecked,and himself in the hands of a couple of those very same Secret Servicedetectives whom the "big boss" had undoubtedly referred to socontemptuously.
Perk had been "listening in," and chuckling happily whenever he realizedhis mate had made some sort of a "ten-strike," picking up valuableinformation that was destined to ultimately serve their endswonderfully, and help to "pot their game."
They sat there for some time, talking in low tones. The man who layclose by helpless was silent as a rule, although several times heuttered a dismal groan, when his feelings overpowered him.
"Guess I'll step out, partner," remarked Perk at one time, "an' slipover to the ship, I'd sure hate to have some critter do us a bad turn bymeddlin' with any o' them dials an' gadgets. What I wouldn't do to _him_would be a caution, that's right."
From the fact that Perk carried his rifle along with him his meaning wasnot difficult to understand and Jack felt sorry for the chap who was atthe other end of the gun sights when his pal pulled the trigger.
Perk cautiously approached the grounded ship, and started whendiscovering some moving object just in its shadow. The moon was shiningbrightly now, so that it was an easy matter to see for quite some littledistance, although so deceptive was the light that even sharp-eyed Perkcould hardly have told whether some dark object seen fifty feet off wasa stump or a black dog sitting there and watching him.
Waiting until the object moved again, he discovered he had been wise tohold his fire, for by then he had made it out to be some species ofanimal. He took several forward steps, whereupon the beast started tomove off, uttering a little nasty snarl while doing so.
"Shucks, on'y a stinkin' kiote after all, skulkin' 'round to see if hec'n stir up a little grub o' any kind. Get out, you varmint!" and hewaved his gun above his head while starting to run forward.
This completely demoralized the cowardly prairie marauder, so that hetook to his heels, and quickly vanished in the near distance. Perk foundeverything all right when he gave the stranded plane "the once over";and being satisfied that there was nothing to be feared from a coyoteprowling around in search of a supper or breakfast, he returned to theshack to report all well.
Jack was busily engaged making certain notes, and reading othersconnected with their present business, as jotted down in his memorandumbook in a peculiar brand of short-hand all his own, but which wouldappear as so much Greek or Choctaw to any one else.
"Better turn in, and get a few winks of sleep, brother," he told Perk,who had yawned once or twice as he sat before the fire. "I'll wake youup in about an hour or so when you can take your turn playing sentinel,until the dawn shows up."
"Just as you say, old hoss," came the ready reply; "fact is, I'm a bitdrowsy, an' could get away with a few winks; but don't forget to wake mewhen the hour's up, remember."
"That's all right, partner," Jack told him, laughingly; "we're in thisgame thirty-thirty, and you'll have your turn, depend on it. Now getbusy, and don't you dare snore above a whisper either."
"If I do jest gimme a poke, Jack--tryin' to break myself o' that nastyhabit but I got to have help, you know--no feller ain't whollyresponsible fur what he does when he's asleep."
In due time Jack aroused the other, and himself sought a brief period offorgetfulness in sleep. So the balance of the night passed, and morningcame with a clear sky, and a promise of decent weather for thecontinuance of their flight.