That was quite enough for Jack—the memory of the little deed would often arise in his mind and make him all the more satisfied that he had not waited to listen to the applause of those good people who must likely enough always believe it was about the only case on record where two gallant chaps who had actually done a creditable deed, refused to be lionized because of their modesty.
Perk was again paying some attention to the weather, for those black clouds seemed to be gathering thicker than ever toward the southwest aid from the signs, it would not be difficult to prophesy the coming of a fairly savage summer storm.
“Going to be some buster, seems like to me, Boss,” mentioned Perk with a hint in his voice as if he would be pleased to hear what his comrade thought of the proposition and likewise what course they should pursue in order to escape as much of the coming turmoil as lay in their power.
“Between you and me and the lamp-post, brother,” Jack remarked a bit seriously, “I don’t seem to hanker much about climbing in hopes of getting through all that black mess, it’s got a venomous look to me as though it might turn out to be one of those electrical twisters we’ve heard about. I’ve half a mind to run in closer to the shore in hopes of finding some sort of a point heading out into the lake behind which we could run and be sheltered from the worst of the blow. How about that, Perk?”
“Sounds good to me, ol’ hoss an’ by the same token I kinder guess I just sighted the cape we want, a mile or so ahead there.”
He pointed as he spoke to what looked like a fairly sizable point that jutted out from the shore and behind which they would undoubtedly find a lagoon deep enough for their purpose.
“Yes, I see what you mean and here we go licketty-split for that headland,” Jack told him without loss of time.
Indeed, the grumble of distant thunder had by now grown more like a roaring lion or a bull alligator in a swamp, challenging a rival to deadly combat.
“The closer we get the better I like that cape,” Perk was saying as he continued to stare through the glass, “it’s pretty high land and ought to shield us fairly well from any blow I’m glad to say, ’cause the wings o’ the best ship ever built are kinder weak stuff and likely to be blowed away in a gale when held fast by an anchor or hawser.”
Jack was picking the proper spot on which to alight—of course that would be on the water, but then it would be an easy matter for them to taxi around the point and find a safe harbor if things were as they pictured them.