The volume of the shouts was gradually becoming less and less; which fact must have resulted from their placing more distance between themselves and the aroused camp; also through the men ceasing to give voice to their excitement, under the conviction that there was no possible remedy for the disaster—and then again the Combine, being swollen with gross profits, could stand such a loss, so easily replaced.
In due time Jack and Jethro approached their goal. It was to be hoped they would find Perk already there; or that he must show up soon after they arrived. They lay among the bushes, and waited, Jack knowing Perk would be apt to give a certain little sound, very like the cheep of a night bird, such as they had frequently used under similar conditions.
A few minutes later sure enough he caught the expected signal, which, upon being immediately answered brought a stooping figure reeling into view. Jack hastened to reach for his chum’s right hand which he wrung with considerable unction.
“Good old Perk—you filled the bill okay, I’m telling you, my pal! That’s one ship less for them to use in their business—we’ve made a small dent in their armor, and let’s hope there’s plenty more still coming to them.”
Perk, though breathing hard, was also emitting queer sounds that announced his feeling of complete satisfaction. Jethro also insisted on giving him a generous handshake, to let him know how tickled he felt over seeing those he hated so fiercely meet with their first loss.
“Gosh all hemlock! but things did work smooth, let me tell you-all,” Perk finally gasped, unable to repress his exultant feelings any longer, despite his lack of wind. “Say, she whooped things up right stunnin’, when the slow match it got its work in—I’d say she did fellers!”
“Slow-match, did you say, brother?” asked Jack, having been given a hint on catching that significant word.
“Shore thing, ole hoss,” Perk told him, in high glee. “I amused myself while we was in that Charleston hotel, amakin’ up a lit twister I calc’lated might pan aout okay; an’ she certain did me proud—took most two minutes fo’ the spark to creep ’long an’ touch things off. Whoopee! didn’t them bimbos kick up a reg’lar jamboree though, when the hull ship started in one big nest o’ fire—nawthin’ like a nice sprinklin’ o’ gas to make things hum.”
“Shake hands again, Wally, boy—it takes a cracker-jack like you to think up big things,” and Jack acted as though he took more genuine pleasure in having Perk make such a “bulls-eye” than if he had occupied the spot-light himself.
They dropped into the cockpit of the old but rejuvenated powerboat and were soon on their way back to the secreted airship. Fortunately they ran across nothing hostile while carefully following the channel of the tortuous river; had another speedboat laden with contraband come along back of them they might have been hard put to hide, since the oncoming craft would of necessity be using a searchlight, so as to buck the villainous current, as well as avoid snags, and half hidden rocks.