“N—no, not quite that bad; but there are reports of a nasty field of fog gathering in the direction of the mountains far back from the coast; but we’ll have to take our chances, now we’re fixed for the jump—it may not turn out as bad as they reckon on. Let’s get ready to slip off, Perk.”
CHAPTER IX
Headed for Trouble
An hour later the two adventurers arrived at the San Diego aviation grounds, having taken a taxi to carry them and their limited luggage.
The night was a fine one, so far as the star-studded heavens could be taken as an indication. If there was fog gathering some hundreds of miles distant along the route of the air mail course, no indication of such worry to the pilot’s peace of mind had reached this coastal station.
“Goin’ to have a right decent start, looks like,” Perk mentioned, after they had dismissed the taxi close to the isolated hangar just outside the aviation field limits.
“I expected we’d have it clear as a bell,” Jack told him, as he unlocked the doors of the hangar; “just as well that we don’t have our troubles strike us before we even hit our pace—time enough for all that when we get well on our way.”
As Jack had anticipated there was light aplenty for their purpose; ships were coming and going at this early time in the evening, so that the field lights were all on, making it easy to see.
Secrecy was such a part of their business that they did not even have hostlers present to help push their bus out to the runway—it would not be the first occasion when these two energetic fellows had managed all such things by themselves.
They did not loiter, now that the final take-off was at hand; Jack was a little afraid lest some mechanic, or pilot, hearing them working, and being more or less curious concerning the pair who owned the trim aircraft in which they had been taking trips for weeks past, (and about whom a halo of mystery hovered) might come nosing around, offering to lend a hand, but really hoping to pick up a few words that would explain their leaving under cover of night—honest to goodness sportsmen, going off for a hunt, or a fishing jaunt to the mountains, would not be apt to time their departure while the world was smothered in darkness.
They were now poised on the short runway, and ready to start off. Perk had followed his mate aboard, and was already busying himself with certain preliminary duties that always fell to his charge.