CHAPTER XXVI
ON THE FACE OF THE MOON
Jack proved as good as his word, for they were off shortly afternightfall, and headed almost due east. No one at the aviation field hadthe remotest idea as to who they were, what their destination might be,and whence they came. But then this particular port was becoming a veryimportant link in the trans-continental chain, with lines of greatpassenger and freight airships going and coming not to mention theseveral speedy air mail boats that covered their hundreds of miles dayor night and as a rule on a schedule that seemed as perfect as that ofany train time table.
Perk was unusually silent, at least for him. Perhaps he was realizing atlast the serious nature of the job they had undertaken--that it wasrather a weighty proposition, such as was bound to require all theirunited reserve force to put across.
Still, he had absolute confidence in Jack's ability to swing theundertaking, and also refused to allow anything like doubt to assail himwith regard to their united courage.
It was by this time well understood that the climax, when it came, wouldoccur on Mexican soil for now that all accounts from every quarter werein hand, they knew absolutely that the den of the counterfeiting gangwas in a secret cave among the mountains of Sonora also that thesagacious Slim had bought protection from certain local Mexicanofficials, who were suspected of secretly plotting a new revolution, andtook this means for obtaining the money needed to purchase arms in theStates.
It was even said that Slim never flew back to his headquarters withoutloading his swift plane with a dead weight of guns and ammunition as theprice he had to pay for being allowed to operate undisturbed on foreignsoil.
"A pretty kettle of fish, I'd call that sort o' game," Perk hadindignantly asserted, when he learned of this see-saw method of curryingfavor with the plotting generals who hoped to once again turn thecountry upside-down and kick the present rulers out of office, as wellas seize the city banks with their rich booty.
And so it was, but Jack realized how it accounted for the long spell ofimmunity Slim had enjoyed while he lined his pockets, and spread thatfinancial panic throughout the Southwestern States. There never had beenhis equal as a skillful worker and bold lawbreaker; one who knew how toset neighbor against neighbor, and make every one work so that he couldrake off a heavy dividend from each separate deal.
So he had for a long time been coming and going, crossing the border, asa rule by the air route, carrying his cargoes of deceitful bank bills tovarious distributing points--like the one Jack and Perk had struck bysheer accident--gathering the genuine stuff contributed by his numerousdupes, and leaving bulky packages of the wonderfully executed spuriousnotes in exchange.
It was a veritable Golconda for the industrious worker, who, safe frominterference, had kept as busy as the proverbial bee, that stores honeyday after day.
They followed the line of swirling beacons the air mail boys were in thehabit of trailing, since by this means they could pass some of thenumerous danger spots on their route. In good time Jack expected to turnhis back on these friendly flashing lights and head due south, to crossthe border, and fly over foreign territory.
He had been placed in possession of certain secret documents issued bythe Mexican government, which proved how they knew of the unholyalliance made between Slim, the counterfeiter king, and those traitorousgenerals who yearned for fresh outbreaks so as to pamper their ownpersonal fortunes, just then at low ebb.
There existed something of an arrangement, whereby the Mexicangovernment agreed to stand back of any effort made by the Department atWashington to capture Slim, smash his gang that was widening its powersevery day, and clean out the mess of near-bandits with whom he hadallied himself.
If it were necessary all arrangements had been made whereby Colonel JoseMorales, with a crack regiment of hard fighting regulars who had seenmuch bloody service in bringing the defiant Yaqui Indians to terms byinvading their mountain fastnesses, and meeting them hand-to-hand--wasstationed within a day's ride of the ravine where Slim had his plant andcould be summoned by means of certain smoke signals. No sooner wouldthese "talking smokes" be detected than the order would be given "bootsand saddles," with the mounted regiment in full swing for the debatableground where Slim had his nefarious nest.
So, too, had a secret arrangement been effected with the old leader ofthe now defunct Texas Rangers, most of whom were in the service of theGovernment connected with the border patrol and orders had been giventhe former gallant hero that if a certain message were received, nomatter by what method, he was to gather a squad of his old fighters, andcross the border, sure of being warmly received by the loyal Mexicantroops who would welcome his assistance in wiping out the sore spot thathad been so long a blot on their country's honor.
Thus it would seem that everything possible had been done towardstriking a telling blow. It only remained for Jack Ralston to start theball rolling, when it must gain fresh impetus with every revolution.
Perk acted as though decidedly pleased when later on he discovered thatthey no longer followed the flashing beacon trail--Jack had gone as faras was judicious along that line and now headed straight into themysterious south, toward the border of the neighboring republic wheredisorder still held sway, and disgruntled chiefs continued to plotagainst the rule of the recently elected president.
Every mile traversed now was bringing them closer to their goal, andPerk found more or less joy in picturing the thrilling climax, when theywould give Slippery Slim the surprise of his life--if only no leakconcerning their clever plan had come about.
The moon had risen, and was hanging there in the east, a silvery shieldwith one edge clipped off telling that the queen of the night wasalready well past her "full" stage and running for a fall.
All at once Perk had an electric shock.
He leaned convulsively forward and gripped his mate by the shoulder, atthe same time pointing toward the southeast and shouting through thehead phones:
"Look, oh look--see what's passing across the moon, Jack!"
Then just as suddenly did he release his clutch, to fall back in hisseat, and exclaim most dramatically, with a touch of disgust in hisvoice:
"Shucks! It's slipped past, dang the luck!"
"But I got it all right, Perk," the pilot assured him.
"Then it _was_ a ship, an' my lamps didn't fool me, partner?" Perk criedin renewed excitement.
"As sure as you're born, that's what it was, brother," Jack added.
"Headin' south, same as we're doin' right now, eh, Jack?"
"You said it, buddy--just what the crate was doing, Perk."
"What's the answer--could it a been _him_, on his way back home with aload o' machine guns, life they say he carries every time he crosses theborder, after takin' out a freshly printed batch o' his flimsy stuff tosoak on the honest folks back home?"
"That's something we can only make a stab at," replied Jack. "Chanceslean that, way, I must say; but just the same it might have been somemail plane that's got blown off its regular course, and is beating itfor the home port. Then again I understand the border patrol arehandling a few ships in their line of intercepting flyers making abusiness of smuggling Chinese aliens across the line night-times."
"I'd give a heap to know the answer to that puzzle," continued Perk, whodisliked enigmas, and all that sort of thing calculated to make a fellowlie awake nights, bothering his poor brains. He never had been fitted byNature for the job of being a real detective.
"We'll never know," his pal told him, "unless it happens we run afoul ofthe other crate when our courses draw closer together and if it's Slimwhose fingers grip that stick we'd rather be excused for having thathappen--our job is to fetch him back _alive_, and not make him lose hislife in a crash."
"Me, I ain't peticular just what _does_ happen to the slick guy," Perkwound up the little talkfest by saying. "Only, when it comes to a realshowdown either Slim or us got to go to the wall--dead or aliv
e, thething's goin' to be settled for keeps!"