XVII
THE CAMP IN THE CANYON
Things immediately began to happen, and for the time being amidst theexcitement of showing Perk just where the stores and things were locatedaboard the stranded Stinson-Detroiter, Miss Cramer seemed to temporarilyforget the load of trouble she was carrying on her little shoulders.
Indeed, as Jack had already sized her up, she was rather a remarkablesort of a girl--so sensible, so level-headed, and truly brave in thebargain. Under such a heavy strain he felt certain ninety-nine girls outof a hundred would have given way to their helplessness, and collapsed;but here this one had taken her courage in both hands, to set out in theexpectation of accomplishing a task that thus far had baffled a score ormore of the greatest aviation aces the country had ever known.
Soon the energetic Perk had landed everything in the line of eatablesand such truck as Ma Warner--bless her dear old heart, Perk was sayingto himself as he noted what a volume of good stuff lay in the mound hehad erected--had denuded her pantry in order that her beloved boy shouldhave enough to keep starvation at bay, when Suzanne had eventually foundhim.
It was almost ludicrous to Jack to learn with what abiding faith thosetwo who loved Buddy so well had lost no time in starting the loneexpedition on its way; just as though they fully expected Suzanne, now afull-fledged pilot, and feeling able to conquer the world, could beattracted to the very spot where Buddy lay helpless, by the spark oftrue love--to them it must be like the magnetic needle, always pointingso faithfully straight at the North Pole, and the star that hung overit.
"Bless her heart"--Jack was telling himself later on, as he listened toher talking so cheerfully, while busying herself in cooking the supper,with Perk attending to the fire, and offering to help in "any old way.""She wouldn't have had a tinker's chance to do anything in this wildrocky country--only have her own crate crash, and double the tragedy. Soit's lucky for them both we made this same queer contact tonight."
Jack was certainly vastly amused to watch how his cranky chum seemed tobe acting. Usually Perk would have little or nothing to do with theother sex--Jack strongly suspected that at some time in his misty pastPerk might have been "turned down" by some girl in whom he was becominginterested, and so allowed his whole life to be soured by theexperience.
But then this was different, and perhaps the affection he had once feltfor Buddy Warner made him feel warmly toward a girl who adored the samechubby young flyer and who had forgotten her weakness as a newly fledgedpilot, and struck out so boldly in hopes of finding the one who waslost.
The supper was voted a great success, especially by Perk, who drankinnumerable cups of hot coffee, which he pronounced "nectar for thegods," growing a bit poetical in his exalted state of happiness.Suzanne, too, proved herself to be a wonderful cook, and Perk foundhimself quite envying Buddy--that is, if he was ever really found, andalive in the bargain--in having such a good helpmate and life partner toprepare wonderful meals for him every day in the year.
Afterwards he and Jack set about the job of dragging the single-seaterStinson-Detroiter something like forty feet back from the edge of theriver, where it could stay until later on, when Suzanne might find achance to visit the scene again, or send mechanics to dismantle hership, and pack the parts back to the factory for reassembling.
She even wrote something on a sheet of paper, which latter was attachedto the wreck, and would doubtless serve to keep any curious touristsfrom damaging her property. So, too, she made up a small package ofcertain articles which she wished particularly to save, or would be aptto need for her personal comfort which, she assumed, might be taken withthem on the coming voyage.
"In the morning," said Jack, after all these things had been attendedto, "I'm meaning to ask you to let us transfer what gas you have aboardyour bus to our own tank--it will be wasted here, while in our hands itmay save us from spending many valuable hours running off to replenishour wasted supply. Of course I shall see that you are eventuallyreimbursed, Miss Cramer. Even as little as fifty gallons would mean wecould stick to our job so much longer, and then too it might be themeans of bringing us success."
"And if I had a million gallons every drop would be gladly devoted tothe sacred task you have so loyally undertaken," she told him, with asuspicious glow in her eyes, which Jack imagined might be caused bybravely repressed tears. "I think it is just wonderfully fine the wayyou two--and all those other brave men--have been so willing to spendtheir time, hour after hour, scouring the whole country in hopes offinding--my Buddy."
So Jack had to tell her how the entire world of flyers were like acompany of blood brothers; an injury to one being resented by the entirecalling--that their universal braving of the elements, and meetingsimilar perils in their daily work, made a bond like no other on earth,a kinship of like interests.
She was as yet only a novice, but already she had begun to havesomething of a similar exalted feeling toward other air pilots, so thatit was not difficult for Suzanne to understand his meaning.
She told them not to worry about her--that she could easily make herselfcomfortable in the limited confine of her cockpit. True, it had no rooffor shelter; but that bothered her not at all she told them, since shehad camped many times in the open without even a canvas tent, or brushshanty; and besides, the stars were shining brightly overhead, showingthey need fear nothing in the way of bad weather during the night.
Perk again assured himself that she was a mighty sensible andclear-headed little girl, and that if there were only more like her,perhaps--well, there couldn't be, and besides he'd never have the chanceto run across any of that class--it just wouldn't be his good luck.
It was something to make Jack look back to that same evening for yearsto come. He as well as Perk had spent many a night in camp, when onfishing trips, or it might be hunting hikes up in the big woods; but noother camp could have such a royal setting as this one did.
The lofty walls running up as if to touch the star-decked sky, and asthey knew full well that with those vivid colors making a naturepainting beyond all imagination, that the loud song of the happy riverflowing through the greatest gorge in all the wide world, that theblazing campfire, throwing up soaring sparks seemed like brightmessengers of hope to Suzanne as she sat there drinking it all in. Itfilled to the brim the longings connected with the missing air mailpilot. Then, too, there was present that air of eternal mystery such aswould be apt to brood over the spot where ages back the Zuni, and otherIndian tribes, had lived in those quaint stone houses still to be foundall through the hundred miles of the Colorado Canyon.
Perk knew very well that as a rule there was no danger from wildanimals--that frequently parties made it a point to spend at least onenight camping in the canyon, just to say they had gone through such aweird experience; and he had never heard of them being disturbed by manor beast.
Just the same, with this glorious chance opening up to him, Perk waspersuaded to imagine himself constituted as the sole guardian of thefine girl aviatrix, into whose company they had so strangely fallen.Then, too he welcomed the opportunity to again handle thatsub-machine-gun, which had been placed in his possession by theGovernment at the time he and Jack were running down the smuggling ringleaders on the Florida Coast, and a return of which had never thus farbeen demanded by the authorities.
Jack realized what was in the mind of his chum when he saw Perk lookingover that powerful weapon with infinite joy; and while he did notimagine for a minute that there would arise any chance for requiring itsservices, still, since it afforded romantic Perk a good excuse forposing as a vigilant sentry, Jack held his peace, taking it out bygiving his pal a few significant sly winks, to which the other deignedto take no notice whatsoever.
Neither of them knew what arrangements Suzanne had made for sleeping inthe limited confines of her cockpit; but she bade them goodnight, andclimbed aboard with the greatest nonchalance imaginable, as though thisthing of camping out under all manner of
inconveniences might be an oldstory with her, as indeed Jack thought was more than probable.