“Oh! I reckon now you’re meaning an eagle, eh Perk?”
“Old Baldhead, the great American fraud that Uncle Sam keeps stampin’ on his coins. A loafer an’ a shark, too lazy to do his own huntin’ an’ stealin’ his grub from the hard workin’ osprey. See him cuttin’ it for all he’s worth, tryin’ to butt in on us! Hey, mebbe the ornery fool’s got a big notion we’re tryin’ to put the laugh on him, an’ means to give us the defy—a fool notion, I’d call it. Let him try hittin’ up against the side o’ our fuselage an’ see what happens to him, that’s all.”
Jack evinced sudden interest, as was proven by his saying sharply:
“But see here that may not be all, as you think! What if the fool bird plunges madly at our ship? Instead of butting his head against the fuselage he might strike our propeller, which would knock him galley-west, but also disable our craft. Perk, better get out that sub-machine gun of yours and be ready to settle his hash if it seems likely he can head us off.”
“Hot ziggetty dog! I never though o’ that, partner!” cried the now thoroughly alarmed Perk hastening to scramble out of his seat, dive back and drag out the firearm with which he had done such gallant service not so long ago.
“Watch the rascal,” Jack was telling him in steadying tones, “and if it looks as though he’ll reach us, start gunning for him, otherwise hold your fire out of respect for the motto on our gold coins. Sit pretty, partner—I’m depending on you to do a good job.”
Jack changed his course a trifle, as if intending to give the charging bird a chance to live to another day. In this way the chase was made more stern and the possibility of a fatal contact between bird and the man-made king of the upper air rendered less likely.
Perk, crouching there with ready gun, held himself prepared to pour out a hot fusilade if it became absolutely necessary. He had to judge the velocity of the eagle’s advance and also note how Jack was so skillfully edging away to the left in order to avoid slaughtering the brave but misguided bird.
After all it was a false alarm, for the eagle shot past at least twenty feet back of their rudder, going “for all he was worth” as Perk afterwards explained it and by the time he could swerve, the plane was so far away that the baffled bird felt compelled to give up the pursuit, though doing so grudgingly, Perk decided.
He hardly knew whether to be inclined to jeer at the foolish actions of the king of the air, or give him a cheer on account of so brashly charging the great bulk that he must have considered a rival in his special field. At least there was no need of making use of the gun which he hastened to put back in its former nook where it could easily be snatched up in case of any sudden emergency.