XXIII
THE NORTHWEST MOUNTED POLICE POST
It was now high time they were once more afloat.
Jack was well content to be on the wing since apparently nothing morewas to be picked up at the devastated trading post. He and Perk shouldbe heading for the station of the Mounties, so as to inform theircommander with regard to what had happened at Frazer's, further south.
Accordingly, after telling the old factor not to worry as they meant tostart the Mounties on the way to the scene of the outrage with the leastpossible delay, both he and Perk pressed the hand of the wounded man andpassed outside, followed by the admiring Birdseye who would never ceasefrom sounding the praises of Jack's surgical work.
The next thing to concern the pals was in line with their expectedhop-off. Would it be possible to make the jump from such a wretchedfield, with its many bumpy spots calculated to cause the moving craft towobble fiercely?
Together they walked over the anticipated course, examining the natureof the ground, to toss aside, when possible, such rocks as threatened tojar them seriously. When finally they had thus surveyed the entirestretch, Jack pronounced the decision in which his comradeconcurred--that although they would assume some risks, still in thecourse of their experiences in the past both of them had successfullyclimbed out of even worse traps than the one they were now up against.
So they went aboard, watched by every living creature about the postsaving Old Jimmy himself. As usual Jack checked his dials and the motorwith a skill that only comes from long experience added to that peculiarair-minded wizardry possessed by just a few pilots, like Lindbergh.
"Okay Boss?" inquired Perk, picking up the ear-phones as if ready toadjust them to his head because it might be necessary for them toexchange remarks soon after they started, and according to Perk's mindit was very essential they should be prepared.
"Here we go!" came the answer, upon which the motor took hold and thebig ship started forward, followed by the cheers of Birdseye and hisfellows although these grew fainter as the amphibian went bumping along,increasing its pace as Jack saw fit to pull back the stick against hisbreast, until just as they finally lost contact with the ground, theracket of motor and propeller smothered all other sounds completely.
They were off to a safe start and no damage done. Perk settled down inhis seat ready to take up his accustomed duties although he feltconvinced everything was in apple-pie condition aboard the boat.
Their course was a point off due north, Perk having coached his matewith regard to that important matter. Besides, from their lofty lookoutpoint it would soon be easy enough to discern the post known as FortLaney for it lay on one of the small rivers that emptied into theMackenzie, itself starting in Great Slave Lake.
Perk could not but remark upon the changes that were gradually takingplace in the country the further north they went. This struck him aswonderful, for although he had spent several years in this region, neverbefore had he been privileged to take such a sweeping survey of thelandscape as on the present occasion for heretofore he had been upon theground where rocky mountains and all manner of huge obstacles obstructedthe view and restricted the vision.
He could figure out just about in what quarter the Peace River lay, aplace he had good occasion to remember since one of the most stirringadventures connected with his service in the Mounties had taken place onits banks. So too, was he able to look in the direction whence must liethe town of Simpson, on the great Mackenzie, some hundred miles or moredistant as the crow flies. There was also Great Bear Lake, another bodyof water he had looked upon, and which must stir up other vivid memoriesfor events in which he had taken a leading part, connected with thearrest of a notorious halfbreed, terrorizing the region roundabout, hadbrought him rather close to a fade-out since he met with serious woundsin the resulting scrimmage before he and his pal were able to overcomethe desperado.
In this way Perk was indulging in recollections of past events thatseemed very agreeable, to judge from the beaming smile he wore as hekept using the binoculars in order to pick out familiar scenes as theyloomed upon his vision from time to time.
Then all at once Perk showed positive signs of excitement.
"Hi! there partner, let me take the controls for a spell! Want you tohave the glasses and pick up that caribou jumpin' off away yonder jeston t'other side o' them birches that stand out so white'n clear."
Jack lost no time in doing as he was bidden for thus far it had neverbeen his good fortune to glimpse a real caribou outside of a zoo and thethought of watching one on its native heath and feeding ground gave himquite a little thrill.
"Get him yet?" demanded Perk anxiously, seeing that Jack was moving thebinoculars along as though their swift passage was carrying them pastthe patch of birch trees.
"Sure do, buddy," admitted the other, to add: "Looks like he might beclose enough to eat out of my hand--keepin' an eye on this crate allright, as if he didn't just like our looks. There, he sprang off like anexpress train on the transcontinental railroad and I've lost him in thethick bush. I'd like to knock over one of his breed while we're up herebut hardly think I'd be justified in staying around a single day longerthan is absolutely necessary."
It turned out, however, Jack did get an opportunity to do that verything, but of which event more anon.
He again took over the stick, being desirous of handling the ship whenlater on they reached the river post and started to drop down on thestream for a stop-over, long or short, neither of them knew just then.
Ten minutes later Perk made his announcement.
"I c'n make out the barracks as plain as anything, with the river justbeyond. We'll be there in a jiffy, partner! How it all comes back to me,the interestin' life I led up here with the boys--I'll sure miss thatDavis lad who, I learned, was one o' the pair got killed in the fightwith that bloody-minded Hawk. Claude Davis had an old mother livin' inToronto, an' many a time he used to tell me things 'bout his fambly thatmade me think I knowed the hull passel o' 'em. Poor old lady, it must anear killed her when she heard how her lad laid down his life for hiscountry. I always did claim these splended Mounties up here, foreverready to take great risks to protect the scattered settlers, aresoldiers jest as much as those o' us who served in the big scrap acrossthe Atlantic. But look ahead, Jack, an' you c'n see the post now withthe naked eye. Yeah, and as sure as you live there's a Mounty steppin'up from the boats, carryin' what looks to me like a string o' fish! Geewhiz! how many times did I furnish the fish course for lots o' dinnermesses. Seems like 'twas on'y yesterday, or the day 'fore, since I putmy teeth in a cold-water fish from that river which empties into thePolar Sea."
Presently they were circling the post, running out over the river whichJack was eyeing closely, as if to make certain it offered plenty ofexcellent opportunities toward making a landing. At least he had beenassured there was sufficient water at almost any point to answer theirpurpose, the stream being high at this particular season of the yearwhen so much snow had been melting all through the watershed which theriver drained.
"See," cried the alert Perk, "sev'ral more o' the crowd have rushed outo' the barracks, knowin' from the shouts that chap set up somethin' outo' the ordinary was on the bills. But jest the same I kinder guess abunch o' the boys must be away right now. What did we hear 'bout thatcunnin' snake, the Hawk gen'rally outsmartin' the Mounties by makin' asham attack on some place so's to send a posse whoopin' thataways whilehe proceeded to play his own game unmolested fifty miles away, an' nevera uniform in sight?"
"Going down--lower floor--hold your breath, Perk!" cried the pilot as heshut off the engine and, thrusting the nose of his craft sharplydownward, proceeded to start a swift dive toward the river a thousandfeet below.
Perk could not restrain his enthusiasm, but standing half erect wavedhis hat excitedly, also letting loose a few frightfully loud yells thatmust have been eye-openers to the several uniformed Mounties standingclose to the river's ed
ge, watching in sheer amazement the swoop of thedescending aerial cabin plane.