Perk tested the duck-call several times, blowing softly, so as not to cause any guest, or possibly even a spy, in an adjoining room to wonder what such a series of queer sounds could mean.
“Huh! been a long time, suh, since I done used one o’ these contraptions,” he finally advanced. “They do fotch the s’picious birds aswimmin’ closer in to the stools—yeou knows I gotter to buy a bunch o’ cedar decoys tomorry, ’case no shooter ever goes aout to bag ducks withaout a flock o’ the same.”
“That’s down on your list of last supplies to be picked up, I remember, Wally. And when I’ve told you a few more things that come to me tonight we’d better turn in for a good snatch of sleep. No telling how much time we’ll be spending keeping wide-awake night after night, once we embark on that part of our big game. In fact, it’s possible we’ll have to change things around, and do about all of our sleeping daytimes.”
“Suits me right well, suh—so long’s I gits fo’ hours at a stretch, with a few halfway decent eats thrown in, I doant never kick.”
Less than half an hour later and they were getting ready for a spell of forgetfulness. Perk, as he crawled into bed, was muttering something to the effect that there would be only one more occasion when they could treat themselves to the real luxury of a decent bed, with a fine bathroom conveniently close at hand.
“But what do it matter with sech a ole campaigner as me—anything we kin strike aint agoin’ to be one-tenth as bad as when I was over in them stinkin’ trenches, up to my knees in water, an’ listenin’ to hell broke loose all raound, with the Heinies throwing shiploads o’ shells, an’ other devilish explosives—awful pizen gas in the bargain, every-which way—I ain’t complainin’ o’ anything after what happened to me there, no siree, I aint.”
In the morning they took a leisurely breakfast, and then separated, each of them having a complete list of certain necessary things that had to be attended to.
Jack had declared it his intention to take-off around midday, for they could once more follow the course now becoming quite familiar—passing out to sea, and from a great height learning whether a mother-ship lay off the coast, with fast speedboats tied up alongside, taking on cargoes—although no attempt would be made looking to coming in to the mouth of some estuary, up which they meant to push under cover of darkness.
Only one thing could keep them from making their start as planned, and this would be a bad weather report covering the coastal region from Brunswick, Georgia all the way past Hatteras, to the mouth of the Delaware. Optimistic Jack, however, was hoping for the best, since as far as he could see no bad weather appeared on the latest report from Headquarters, as given in the Charleston papers.
Much was accomplished during the morning, and both of them brought back various packages that were to be carried in their bags to the field, at the time of taking off.