“Which I take it covers the case okay,” agreed Perk. “On ’count o’ them big holes in the ground together with the tricky cross currents o’ wind, air pockets an’ all such sneaky things every airman hates with all his heart, we have to keep up some high an’ even through the glass, small objects like the wings o’ a smashed crate are bound to look like pin points.”
“When your eyes tire of searching,” remarked the considerate pilot, “give me the word and I’ll change places with you, partner.”
“Sure thing old hoss—I don’t aim to hog all the fun,” Perk quickly observed and kept staring this way and that in an honest endeavor to cover the entire ground as thoroughly as possible.
From time to time he would break loose to tell of some abnormal freak of nature that he had discovered. To all these sallies Jack made no reply for he himself was thinking deeply and trying to map out a consistent method of conducting the search on which they were now fully launched.
The Government, conscious of the duty devolving on the post office department to show natural concern for the lives of its faithful employees, had seen fit to detach Jack and Perk from all other duties and order them to exert themselves to the utmost in an effort to find the missing pilot. Aside from the glory that would fall to those who won out, Jack felt very keenly for the old mother of Buddy Warner, doubtless passing sleepless nights while the mystery of her boy remained an unsolved problem.
XII
IN THE COLORADO CANYON COUNTRY
Ever since hopping off at Cheyenne their course had been more or less directly southwest, for Jack, on consulting his chart, had figured that this would take them close to their intended goal.
Only in a general way was he able to decide as to where they must be on this morning after their long flight through that enormous fog belt. Strange as it might seem, thus far they had glimpsed nothing positive that would give them their exact location, but just the same Jack was so certain about his figuring, knowing what distance they had covered since the start, that he did not concern himself greatly over this question.
In good time something would come along to clear things up nicely, and once they got their bearings if would be possible to pick up the game with heart and soul enlisted in its carrying out.
“Now would you b’lieve it partner,” Perk was saying at one time much later in the morning, with the same wilderness covering the face of the earth far below as wide as eye could reach, “if there ain’t one o’ them pirates o’ the air spreadin’ himself to try an’ cut across our path, like he wanted to take a close-up o’ sech a queer contraption that keeps on makin’ all them roarin’ noises. I call him a feathered hijacker, ’cause he lies in wait tryin’ to hold up industrious fish-hawks when they been an’ grabbed a dinner outen the river, an’ robbin’ ’em o’ it.”