“I have a pretty strong idea it was their ship, covering a well-known course from the coast to this valley in the rocky unknown territory too rough even to have been explored, as it was believed to be worthless for even mining purposes. As to whether those aboard were trying to strike us in the fog, that’s still a mystery, and must remain such for the present.”
“Then do yeou guess they knowed we was ahead on the same track, eh, Jack, ole hoss?”
“Remember Perk, that as far as we know they didn’t change their ceiling at any time—just kept booming away at the same level. That being the case they couldn’t have heard the sound of our own motor working, as their exhaust would deafen them completely; for we only caught the racket behind us when we were shooting the shoot, with our engine shut-off.”
“Good enough for us, buddy—then we got a clear field ahead, an’ c’n foller aour own plans right along.”
“For the time being; but don’t forget we’ve got rough sledding ahead. It all depends on how long we’ll be held fast in the grip of this accursed fog pack. Running blind isn’t a very satisfactory way of getting along, especially when you only know the country through rude charts that may be all right, and then again sprinkled with errors that are bound to be full of danger to us.”
“Hit an’ miss, Jack, we’re used to takin’ the chances—it’s all a part o’ the followin’ we’re rappin’ in. We jest got to do aour best, an’ leave the rest—aint I been adoin’ that same mighty near all my whole life? an’ seems like little ole Perk he’s still on deck, able to eat his three good meals a day—whenever he c’n git the same.”
“It’s after midnight, Perk.”
“So it be, partner; an’ we muster gone a good many hundred miles since jumpin’ off—strikes me we orter be clost to the goal we had in aour minds; if so be we been keepin’ on a di-reck course, with no wabblin’ to check us aout.”
“I figure that way myself,” replied Jack; “but nothing can be done to make certain until conditions change for the better.”
“Which would mean we got some hours to kill, ’fore mornin’ comes along to give us a show fur aour money, eh, Jack, ole boy?”