The Sky Pilot's Great Chase; Or, Jack Ralston's Dead Stick Landing

“Okay Boss?” inquired Perk, picking up the ear-phones as if ready to adjust them to his head because it might be necessary for them to exchange remarks soon after they started, and according to Perk’s mind it was very essential they should be prepared.

“Here we go!” came the answer, upon which the motor took hold and the big ship started forward, followed by the cheers of Birdseye and his fellows although these grew fainter as the amphibian went bumping along, increasing its pace as Jack saw fit to pull back the stick against his breast, until just as they finally lost contact with the ground, the racket of motor and propeller smothered all other sounds completely.

They were off to a safe start and no damage done. Perk settled down in his seat ready to take up his accustomed duties although he felt convinced everything was in apple-pie condition aboard the boat.

Their course was a point off due north, Perk having coached his mate with regard to that important matter. Besides, from their lofty lookout point it would soon be easy enough to discern the post known as Fort Laney for it lay on one of the small rivers that emptied into the Mackenzie, itself starting in Great Slave Lake.

Perk could not but remark upon the changes that were gradually taking place in the country the further north they went. This struck him as wonderful, for although he had spent several years in this region, never before had he been privileged to take such a sweeping survey of the landscape as on the present occasion for heretofore he had been upon the ground where rocky mountains and all manner of huge obstacles obstructed the view and restricted the vision.

He could figure out just about in what quarter the Peace River lay, a place he had good occasion to remember since one of the most stirring adventures connected with his service in the Mounties had taken place on its banks. So too, was he able to look in the direction whence must lie the town of Simpson, on the great Mackenzie, some hundred miles or more distant as the crow flies. There was also Great Bear Lake, another body of water he had looked upon, and which must stir up other vivid memories for events in which he had taken a leading part, connected with the arrest of a notorious halfbreed, terrorizing the region roundabout, had brought him rather close to a fade-out since he met with serious wounds in the resulting scrimmage before he and his pal were able to overcome the desperado.

In this way Perk was indulging in recollections of past events that seemed very agreeable, to judge from the beaming smile he wore as he kept using the binoculars in order to pick out familiar scenes as they loomed upon his vision from time to time.

Then all at once Perk showed positive signs of excitement.

“Hi! there partner, let me take the controls for a spell! Want you to have the glasses and pick up that caribou jumpin’ off away yonder jest on t’other side o’ them birches that stand out so white’n clear.”

Jack lost no time in doing as he was bidden for thus far it had never been his good fortune to glimpse a real caribou outside of a zoo and the thought of watching one on its native heath and feeding ground gave him quite a little thrill.

“Get him yet?” demanded Perk anxiously, seeing that Jack was moving the binoculars along as though their swift passage was carrying them past the patch of birch trees.

“Sure do, buddy,” admitted the other, to add: “Looks like he might be close enough to eat out of my hand – keepin’ an eye on this crate all right, as if he didn’t just like our looks. There, he sprang off like an express train on the transcontinental railroad and I’ve lost him in the thick bush. I’d like to knock over one of his breed while we’re up here but hardly think I’d be justified in staying around a single day longer than is absolutely necessary.”

It turned out, however, Jack did get an opportunity to do that very thing, but of which event more anon.

He again took over the stick, being desirous of handling the ship when later on they reached the river post and started to drop down on the stream for a stop-over, long or short, neither of them knew just then.

Ten minutes later Perk made his announcement.

“I c’n make out the barracks as plain as anything, with the river just beyond. We’ll be there in a jiffy, partner! How it all comes back to me, the interestin’ life I led up here with the boys – I’ll sure miss that Davis lad who, I learned, was one o’ the pair got killed in the fight with that bloody-minded Hawk. Claude Davis had an old mother livin’ in Toronto, an’ many a time he used to tell me things ’bout his fambly that made me think I knowed the hull passel o’ ’em. Poor old lady, it must a near killed her when she heard how her lad laid down his life for his country. I always did claim these splended Mounties up here, forever ready to take great risks to protect the scattered settlers, are soldiers jest as much as those o’ us who served in the big scrap across the Atlantic. But look ahead, Jack, an’ you c’n see the post now with the naked eye. Yeah, and as sure as you live there’s a Mounty steppin’ up from the boats, carryin’ what looks to me like a string o’ fish! Gee whiz! how many times did I furnish the fish course for lots o’ dinner messes. Seems like ’twas on’y yesterday, or the day ’fore, since I put my teeth in a cold-water fish from that river which empties into the Polar Sea.”

Presently they were circling the post, running out over the river which Jack was eyeing closely, as if to make certain it offered plenty of excellent opportunities toward making a landing. At least he had been assured there was sufficient water at almost any point to answer their purpose, the stream being high at this particular season of the year when so much snow had been melting all through the watershed which the river drained.

“See,” cried the alert Perk, “sev’ral more o’ the crowd have rushed out o’ the barracks, knowin’ from the shouts that chap set up somethin’ out o’ the ordinary was on the bills. But jest the same I kinder guess a bunch o’ the boys must be away right now. What did we hear ’bout that cunnin’ snake, the Hawk gen’rally outsmartin’ the Mounties by makin’ a sham attack on some place so’s to send a posse whoopin’ thataways while he proceeded to play his own game unmolested fifty miles away, an’ never a uniform in sight?”

“Going down – lower floor – hold your breath, Perk!” cried the pilot as he shut off the engine and, thrusting the nose of his craft sharply downward, proceeded to start a swift dive toward the river a thousand feet below.

Perk could not restrain his enthusiasm, but standing half erect waved his hat excitedly, also letting loose a few frightfully loud yells that must have been eye-openers to the several uniformed Mounties standing close to the river’s edge, watching in sheer amazement the swoop of the descending aerial cabin plane.

XXIV

READY TO START

A splash, a short run upstream and the amphibian was riding the little waves like a duck. Then as Jack once more turned on his power they taxied in close to the bank where a wing would serve as a gang-plank to get them ashore.

“Hello! ol’ hoss Red Lowden!” bawled Perk, in a glow of excitement.

One of the Mounties, with the marks of a sergeant on his sleeve, exhibited great excitement at hearing himself thus addressed so familiarly by a party who, up to that moment, he had not recognized owing chiefly to the aviator’s goggles and helmet, which were now hastily removed as Perk jumped ashore.

“Gabe Perkiser!” the sergeant gasped, apparently staggered at learning the identity of one of the flyers.

They met and shook hands with enthusiasm, for in those days of old they had been boon companions.

Perk put a finger on his lips.

“Go slow ’bout callin’ me by that name, brother,” he told the other, half under his breath. “Jest now I’m sailin’ under false colors, as you might say. I’m in Uncle Sam’s Secret Service, an’ known as Gabe Smith, a Maine woods guide in the employ o’ a rich gent, a real sport an’ big game hunter – let me introduce him to you Red – Mister John Jacob Astorbilt,” and with the last word he gave the wearer of the uniform a wicked wink that spoke volumes to Red, who nodded and shook hands with Jack.

He could give a pretty clever guess as to who and what this determined looking young fellow must be and the story could keep until a more convenient season.

“Glad to meet you, Mr. Astorbilt,” he went on to say aloud for the benefit of the two other Mounties hovering close by with the design of being made acquainted with the newcomers.

They were both wise and seasoned members of the force, although Perk was meeting them for the first time and thus judged they had been transferred from another post during his absence.

“I hope Colonel Ascot is well,” remarked Jack softly as he stood there close beside Red Lowden, “I am anxious to meet him, for I have a strong suspicion he will be deeply interested in certain documents I am bearing with me, both from Ottawa in your Dominion here and also from my Big Boss at Washington, D. C.”

The other, who was a sturdy specimen of Canadian manhood, with the eye of a hawk, nodded his head and looked wise as he hastened to say:

“Wait till I introduce you to these members of our patrol and then I’ll lead you to the Colonel, who is doing a bit of official correspondence inside his office close by.”

This was soon accomplished and as the sportsman in search of fresh thrills Jack met the couple of Mounties. Leaving Perk chatting with them he followed the sergeant into the long, low log barracks where in a cubbyhole at the end they found a tall, severe looking man, dressed in the garb of an officer, seated at a desk and busily engaged in writing.

He must have heard all the commotion outside connected with the arrival of the cloud-chaser, but being deeply interested in what he was writing and too much given to decorum to display any vulgar curiosity, he had remained there.

But after all he turned out to be very much a gentleman as well as a fine disciplinarian, as Jack speedily learned for after he had explained just who he was and what the nature of his long flight into the wilderness contemplated, he found Colonel Ascot vastly interested and sympathetic.

Red Lowden had discreetly withdrawn, saluting as he went so Jack and the commandant of the frontier post were alone in the office.

“I wish to assure you, young man,” observed the Colonel again cordially squeezing Jack’s hand, “you are bringing me the finest possible news. This knave has been playing the very devil around the whole sector and so far has had us guessing. The hardest nut we’ve had to crack in the entire term of my service in the corps. If by any great luck we can combine our forces and accomplish his capture, I shall feel myself in your debt beyond measure.”

Jack was gratified at hearing these frank and hearty words.

“I have a companion with me, Colonel,” he further observed, “a reliable chap in the bargain and a clever aviator. He once had the honor to serve under you up here – Gabe Perkiser.”

He saw a pleased expression flit across the grim face of the commandant and judged that Perk must have been something of a favorite with the Colonel.

“Glad to hear that, sir,” the latter told his visitor, nodding his head in approval. “Perk was a credit to the uniform all the time he was with us in our job of rounding up disturbers of the peace and guarding honest men against such rascals and blackguards as continually drift up to this country. They seem to think its loneliness will guarantee them immunity from the long arm of the law they have flaunted. I’ll be pleased to see him again – and in the service you represent so creditably, as I can well imagine.”

“We look for a bit of assistance from your force, Colonel,” continued Jack, “and you will find your authority for giving us a helping hand in these documents from your head office,” with which he handed the other a small packet of official looking papers.

“I can take everything you say for granted, Mr. – er Astorbilt but am sorry you have dropped in on us at a most unfortunate time, since the majority of my men are away – there came a sudden call for assistance at a little settlement of newcomers some fifty miles distant – it was believed a raid was contemplated by this desperado, the Hawk. The letter was signed by a man whom I happened to know stood in the light of a leader in that community, and although I may have had my secret misgivings I felt compelled to start a squad off late last evening. They will hardly get back here under the best of conditions for another forty-eight hours; and even at that their mounts will be far from fresh for another wild dash.”

Jack had even figured on something like this coming to pass, and in his mind laid out a plan of campaign.

“We have come direct from the Frazer trading-post, Colonel,” he hastened to explain; “it was taken by trickery last night, the old factor seriously wounded, and the post robbed of everything of value, including precious pelts, food, ammunition, and all else.”

Colonel Ascot looked greatly annoyed.

“Then my fears were justified,” he went on to say, with a grimace, and a shrug of his shoulders; “never has that man’s equal been known in all the years I’ve been up against clever crooks. It was a false appeal for help, intended to employ most of my men, and give these desperate looters plenty of time to get away with their plunder. Under the unfortunate circumstances what can I do to further your plans, sir? Anything in my power you may command – I have but three of my force at the post, being short-handed just at present, as several are on leave of absence for special reasons.”