“You rate me much too high, brother; if I’m any judge you’ve got far better vision for distances than I ever boasted. But it’s always been one of my pet schemes to build up my memory by what you might call a brain photograph that I can depend on to give me my points when in a fog, or the blackness of midnight. But come on, let’s be moving upwards again, Perk.”
Before another half hour had expired they were once more crouching back of their friendly brush screen, and taking turns in making good use of the powerful binoculars.
“Lucky thing, Jack, we didn’t leave these here bully glasses behind by mistake when we fixed to start on this same little jaunt an’ adventure,” Perk was saying, almost under his breath, as he handed the object in question to his companion, making each movement slowly, so as to keep from attracting attention to the top of the high cliff.
“That could never happen to us, brother,” Jack told him, with conviction in his tones; “because wherever we go in our task of getting some particular man the Government wants badly, these same glasses are worth their weight in solid gold—don’t make any mistake about that, partner.”
“Huh! I’d say six times over, they air, Mister. ’Member haow we used ’em daown there in Florida, when chasin’ after them wind-jammer planes the smugglers were usin’ to fetch in all kinds o’ stuff that didn’t pay any duty—hard booze, diamonds, even yaller Chinks what was willin’ to set up the long green flimsies so’s to get a footin’ on U. S. A. soil. They helped us kerry aout aour plans jest fine.”
The long afternoon slowly passed, and as evening drew on apace Jack was ready to call it a full day.
“I’m loaded for bear, as they say, Perk,” he announced, showing signs of giving up the lookout, with the gathering of shadows far down below in the long valley. “I mean by that I fancy I’ve got all my bearings down pat, and couldn’t better the same no matter how much time I spent.”
“Gosh all hemlock! partner, does that same mean we kin get started this very night to make contact with Simeon?” demanded the duly thrilled Perk, backing out on hands and knees from his covert.
“Why waste any more time when there’s no need?” Jack told him. “A bad spell of weather might come along to knock our plans silly; or perhaps these chaps down yonder might have some scheme that would take them pretty much all away on a big lay. We couldn’t play our hands if the man we want so badly has gone off with his crowd, to hold up some bank, or treasure train, could we? So while the stars hold out to shine up in the sky, and things seem to be fairly quiet with that mob, we’ll see what luck we have. I’ve got it figured out that Simeon must sleep in that dun-colored army tent close to the cookhouse, and dining hall; so that’s bound to be our main objective tonight, after we land in the valley.”
“Huh! only thing I got to worryin’ ’bout, partner, is dawgs,” said Perk, with a particular emphasis on the last word.