“Wonder what did ail the boat to make that stick go dead so you couldn’t get a wiggle outen it?” Perk mused as though something brought his thoughts suddenly around to the fact that thus far neither of them had any thorough knowledge concerning this cause of the sudden forced landing.
“We’ll get around to that right away,” the other told him, “but even if we should learn what we want to know, and must find out, there’d be no reason for us to climb out of this snug nest this afternoon that I can see.”
“Bully for you, Jack, ol’ hoss, I was jest hopin’ that’d be our programme. Kinder took a likin’ for these sweet little lakes an’ wouldn’t mind spendin’ a night on the bank o’ this one. Might somethin’ turn up to give us a whirl—never c’n tell, I guess, what’s goin’ on away off here in the wilds, where two-legged critters are as scarce as hens’ teeth.”
That was the same old Perk showing his deep-seated love for action. It had grown upon him over across the big water, at the time he was with the balloon corps in France, and became a part of his very nature ever since so that he could not keep from sighing for a change whenever stagnation set in.
Accordingly Jack led the way and they began a minute examination of the stalled motor. Both of them were more or less proficient in all matters connected with airplane engines, although it seemed as though a new species of trouble was springing up every little while, requiring fresh study in order to master the problem.
A whole hour was spent in checking things up before Jack discovered what ailed the hitherto perfect mechanism in which he had come to place the most implicit confidence. He proceeded to show Perk what he had thus found out and to demonstrate the surest way to correct the fault.
“After all, that’s one on me,” Perk soon frankly admitted, “but I kinder guess you’ve solved the riddle, ol’ hoss. Next thing to find out is whether we c’n fix it out here so far from everything.”
“No great trouble about that, partner,” said Jack. “You play a while and let me dig around—not any too much room for two guys to work in and fact is I won’t need any help—if I do I’ll call you.”
“Okay with me, Jack, since our left wing jest tips the shore I guess I’ll step off an’ have a look around. Everything looks quiet enough, so mebbe there’ll be no need o’ me luggin’ that heavy machine-gun along.”
“Suit yourself about that, partner,” remarked Jack in an absent-minded way, as though his thoughts were pretty much taken up with the job he had on hand.