CHAPTER V
THE DUEL IN THE AIR
The significant flashes abruptly ceased; but Perk realized this was onlybecause the expert pilot handling that same Ryan wasp was also duckingdown in an exact copy of their own game.
For the moment Perk lost sight of the shadowy pursuing craft; then Jackchanged his tactics, and once again brought his boat on an even keel.Perk strained his eyesight in an endeavor to pick up the other shipafter it too had swung into a direct course.
"Devil take that guy at the stick," he stormed to himself, although Jackcaught almost every word, since the earphones were still in operation,"he's seen our move, an' gone us one better. No slouch o' a pilot,either, I'll admit. When that gent who goes by the name o' Slippery Slimpicks his gang he knows how to pull trumps out of the pack all right.Give him another shoot, Jack, old hoss; mebbe he wont be so lucky nexttime. He's got some kind o' a rapid-fire shooter aboard, and had startedto send a hail o' lead 'bout our ears just as you turned the trick onhim."
Jack was apparently quite willing to give a repeat, for hardly had theother ceased shouting than they again shot down in a dizzy dive thatseemed likely to lower their altitude by something like five hundredfeet.
Perk was keeping a close watch, and knew that once more the grim pursuerhad copied their daring maneuvre.
"He's a good one, or I'll eat my hat!" he burst out, as they were"cutting a blue streak" once more through the growing darkness, and hecould see those suggestive flashes again punctuating the gloom in theirtrack. "Jack, he's started that racket again, don't you know; and anysecond we may get a slug in our belly, bustin' things all to flinders.Try a razzle-dazzle on the boob, old broncho!"
So making a bank, Jack changed his course, running at right angles, andif anything at a faster pace than ever. Perk had the situation "sized upto a fraction," as he himself would have called it; he realized that itwas only through the greatest of good luck they had escaped being hit byone of those flying missiles; and that so long as the mysterious enemykept using their ship for a flying target they were in constant peril.Despite all this ducking and dodging on Jack's part he did not seemsuccessful in throwing the pursuing craft off the track. To be sure thedarkness was gradually growing thicker with every passing minute, andthis seemed to be their only hope of crawling out of a "hot hole,"according to Perk's calculations.
Perk afterwards frankly admitted that he was frothing at the mouth onaccount of finding himself up against a situation where the cards seemedstacked against him--where his hands were tied as it were, and thatreckless pilot, chasing after them hell-bent, held all the trumps.
"No use tryin' that game any longer, Jack, boy!" he yelled suddenly."See the glim all 'round us, partner--sure as you live they've even gotsome kind o' a searchlight aboard, just like they'd planned all thisthing out beforehand. Guess now it's up to Little Perk to put a pluginto their game. Hold her steady a bit, boss; I'm meaning to make 'emsit up an' take notice they can't hog _all_ the fun going. Watch mysmoke, Jack, old hoss."
It was a delicate situation without any doubt; for if those aboard thatlittle Ryan plane, taking advantage of the halo of light covering thecraft they followed, continued to make use of their rapidfire gun, thedanger of a hit had vastly increased; but Perk must have some sort ofscheme in mind it was evident, or he would never have asked his chum tosteady the badly wobbling boat when such action only doubled theirperil.
Calmly and deliberately, as though simply bent on fetching down a deerhe wanted for his next camp supper, steady old Perk had his faithful gunup to his shoulder, and was sighting that piercing glare of light thatmarked the bow of the pursuing aircraft, betraying the presence of asearchlight.
Possibly owing to the clamor of their own working motor Jack could nottell when his companion unloosed a fusilade of shots; but he did knowthat something suddenly changed the situation, and to their advantage;for as though a blanket had been tossed over the piercing ray theillumination abruptly ceased, leaving them to continue their wild flightshrouded in encompassing darkness.
Then, too, the sound of Perk's exulting yell was quite enough to tellthe story of his success in finding a glowing target for one of hisseveral missiles--the old sharpshooter had evidently lost none of hiscunning by reason of a lapse in action.
"Set 'em up in the other alley, boys--give your Dutch uncle a chance toshow an old trick or two! Now _will_ you be good, or must I give youanother smash in the jaw--better haul off while the haulin's good,fellers--I'd sure hate to make you crack up, and fade out!"
Even though his clever shot had doubtless utterly smashed thesearchlight, and put it out of business, that bothersome rapidfire gunwas still in working order, as Perk discovered when once more thoseinsistent flashes, following closely upon each others' heels, announceda fresh barrage, with the unseen, unheard hissing bullets doubtlesswhizzing all around them.
This was adding insult to injury, Perk was doubtless telling himself, ashe realized that his lucky shot had after all failed to daunt thatstubborn pair in the speedy Ryan ship.
"You _will_ have it, seems like," he growled to himself; for since hehad discarded his earphone harness just previous to starting his late"shooting spree," Perk could no longer hold intercourse with his fellowflyer; "all right then, I'll try some more o' the same sorter medicine;what's good for the goose orter be fine for the gander. Mind your eyenow, boys, and keep a tight grip on your chutes if anything happens notdown in your gamble."
Again did the continual flash of spitting fire from the gun afford thesharpshooter in the chased ship abundant opportunities for focussing hisaim; although instinct may have taken the place of vision on Perk'spart.
Fortunately Jack must have been expecting something along those lines,knowing his companion so well, and how he was always eager to "repeat"when things were coming his way; for he kept the flying boat wonderfullysteady just then, even though realizing how such action doubled theirown chances of being hit.
Perk was now shooting on general principles, in hopes of being fortunateenough to find a billet for one of his random bullets. He went at thebusiness with all the _sang froid_ of a veteran fighter, accustomed tomeeting hostile craft up in the wide air spaces, or even above theclouds--all the fierce delight of matching his skill and life against afoeman worthy of his steel had once more gripped the old flying warrior;and it may be for the moment he deluded himself with the belief thatthis was but a reincarnation of those never-to-be-forgotten days whenall Europe was held fast in the throes of the grisly war-god.
Suddenly Perk ceased firing, nor was this caused by the magazine of hisrepeating rifle being empty--he had seen that the discharges back yonderwere no longer in full blast, showing that something must have happenedto cause such a sudden cessation to hostilities.
Before he could attempt to analyze what this might mean it was allflashed before his questioning mind--a burst of flames came from thespot where last he had seen the shadowy shape of their persistentpursuer clipping through space like a blazing meteor.
Perk sat there doubled up, his mouth half open, staring with might andmain, as some object began to drop toward the earth with ever increasingspeed--something which he knew full well must of necessity be thebeautiful little Ryan plane, which he had admired so much when atCandler Field at close of the late day, and before this wild dash intothe darkness of night began.
Evidently one of his missiles (fired with such grim determination whenhe "took the bit in his teeth," and struck back) had found its mark, andunleashed the dangerous contents of the gasoline reservoir, with thesplashing fluid instantly catching fire from the exploding spark of therunning motor.
No flyer ever saw his enemy going down in a flaming coffin withoutfeeling compassion gripping him; that one moment had changed his heartfrom bitter hatred to a sense of pity; knowing as he must have done thatthe day might be near at hand when he too would share in a similardreadful fate.
And so Perk found himself
all in a nervous tremble as, laying down hisgun, he managed once more to adjust the head harness, so as to be ableto again hold communication with his fellow adventurer.