“Hot-diggetty-dig! it’d be simply scrumptious if on’y we had a good breakfast on top o’ that exercise,” with which gruesome remark Perk pulled in his slack belt another notch, under the impression that by increasing the pressure on his empty stomach he could cause the distress to disperse.
The light in the east had been growing brighter all this while, having taken on a pinkish tinge that announced the speedy coming of the king of day. Of course it would still be dark down in the valley, so there was no use as yet in their moving over to their shelter of the preceding afternoon.
“Seems like I might get a move on, an’ be agoin’,” Perk suggested; nor did the other try to place any obstacle in his way.
“Nothing to hinder you, buddy,” Jack was telling him, holding out his hand with a smile. “I’m not going to say another thing about being careful, because I’m dead certain you’ll be on your guard every minute of the time. Only, if set upon fight with all your might; for you must know men like these jail birds, most of them I reckon having broken out of bondage, hate our class as the devil is said to detest holy water; and they’ll never give you a decent chance if you surrender.”
And Perk, that veteran of the war across the big pond, nodded his head as he went on to say nonchalantly, as became a soldier of fortune:
“Yeou want to understand, partner, if I jest have to turn my toes up to the daisies in this game I’m agoin’ to have some company along the road to shadow-land, yeou bet yeour boots on that same. Ta! Ta! an’ look fur me araound sunset, er earlier if I kin make it a go.”
Jack hated to see him depart, but it was all in the line of business; and many unpleasant things have to be endured in following the path of duty; none realizing this truth better than men in the Secret Service, where they never know at what minute they may be called upon to risk life and limb in carrying the summons of the Law into all manner of dens and hideouts, where potential criminals may be lying in ambush, with machine-guns, and bombs, ready to bring destruction to the daring officers of Justice.
Jack, as soon as the early morning mists had cleared away, began work. He had laid out a dozen important things he wished to see through, and as a beginning once more posted himself in a recumbent position behind the friendly screen of those stunted bushes, close to the edge of the steep descent—a most colossal precipice it now became in his eyes, although always in the nature of a cliff to dwellers of the sunken valley some hundreds of feet below.
Of course, as he dared not creep any closer to the brink, he was unable to make any sort of survey of the near section; but he fancied the more important huts and shanties were within range of his glasses.
He moved his hands with the utmost care, for how was he to know when the bright rays of the rising sun might glint from the magnifying end of the binoculars, attracting the attention of some suspicious man far beneath by the brilliant flash that was bound to follow a hasty movement?