Part 5

"Naturally so," Jack told him point blank. "We had to get twisted up more or less during that drive through fogland, and the sooner I can pick up my bearings the better I'll be pleased. If you ask me offhand where we might be, I'd say within a few hundred miles of the spot where Buddy Warner took off on his last trip."

"Good enough!" crowed Perk, "nothin' like making things fly when you're about it--no beatin' around the bush for us, partner. Then if we pick our course as per the information that leaked from that airport where he left his mail sack an' took on another batch, why we might begin to keep a watchful eye on the ground in hopes o' makin' some sorter discovery--is that right?"

"You can begin using the glasses just as soon as we get our first glimpse of green spots below. Later on we'll drop down until we're not more than three hundred feet, more or less, above the treetops--if there are any tall trees in this section of country, which might be a question--possibly nothing in that line but scrub oaks, mesquite and the like, stunted stuff that grows on many western mountains and in rocky canyons."

Perk was in a little heaven of his own later on when calling out that he could distinctly see the ground, thanks to his binoculars.

Morning had come, with the sun well above the horizon and everything indicating they had a fair day ahead as frequently happens after a heavy fog. It was a wild stretch of country now spread beneath the sky voyagers, with all manner of lofty peaks in every direction, mountain ranges running criss-cross without the faintest sign of regularity.

"I swan if I'd care to be lost down in that sort o' country," Perk was saying as he continued to stare with great eagerness. "Jest about like huntin' for a needle in a haystack as to 'spect to find a cracked bus in all that awful scramble."

"Oh! we haven't got to where the trail is warm yet, partner," Jack informed him, "though of course it isn't going to do any harm for you to scour the ground as we cut along. When a thing's lost, the chances are it happens to be lying just where nobody suspects--I've found that out myself more than a few times."

"Yeah! jest so Boss," grunted the one who handled the binoculars, "an' if we fall down on the job it ain't goin' to be from not usin' our eyes to the limit. But say, things keep on pilin' up worse than I ever ran across in all my whole life--look at what's ahead there--can you beat it, Jack?"

"Pretty tough stretch of mountain land any way you take it," said Jack as he swept his eyes around from right to left, "but fortunately we have nothing to worry about as long as we keep a fairly decent ceiling. Fact is, I'd call it free-going up here, with a nice cool breeze knocking on our port quarter and not hindering us any, even if it doesn't push us along."

"That's right, Jack--after that boring through a fog belt hundreds o' miles wide, this does seem like a little bit o' Heaven on earth. Mebbe you've noticed me takin' a look all around once in a while--up in the air, I mean? Somehow I've been wonderin' why we haven't glimpsed a single ship since sun-up."

"Do you mean air-mail crates or some of those pilots who're searching for signs of Buddy Warner?" the other demanded of Perk.

"Either kind, if it's all the same to you, Jack. If we're not so far away from where the poor chap said his last goodbye as he took off with his sack of Uncle Sam's mail, strikes me we had ought to've run across one bus anyway, of all the flock that must be on the wing lookin' for the boy."

"Just so Perk, but consider the immensity of space out in these regions, with all these mountains to get lost in. A score of pilots might spend every single day for a whole year in winging around the neighborhood of the Colorado Canyon and never once glimpse the smashed crate, even if it was in some open stretch of ground."

"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."

"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.

"Mebbe it's jest as well I didn't have to riddle the old jay," Perk told himself as he resumed his seat and his glasses. "May be a buccaneer, like some folks say, but he's got good grit and won't take a dare from even a Zeppelin, should one come sailin' along in his happy huntin' grounds."

The morning was wearing away with the amphibian keeping up its merry pace and the country showing no signs of betterment. Civilization was a million miles distant, one would imagine, when looking down on those amazing masses of rocky peaks over which they were winging their way. Judging from what they saw hour after hour, Jack could well believe that changes there had been only to a small degree since Columbus first sighted these shores hundreds of years back. Indeed, for thousands upon thousands of years those giant fingers of rock had been pointing to the blue sky above, just as they saw them now.

They ate some food about noon, washing it down with a few gulps of water they carried in a jug. Strange that even Perk had not remarked upon being hungry, which was such a remarkable thing for him that Jack concluded his mind for once had been taken off the subject of eating and was fully occupied with the strange mission upon which they were engaged.

Several times Jack asked the observer whether he could make out any signs of a river bed ahead and seemed surprised and a bit disappointed when Perk replied in the negative.

"Unless I'm away off my base," Jack finally told his companion, "we ought to be somewhere in the vicinity of the Colorado and the enormous canyon through which it makes its way down to the Gulf of California."

Perk displayed a sudden fresh interest in matters.

"I swan, partner," he remarked in considerable agitation, "does that 'ere mean we might set eyes on that monster hole in the ground I've read so much about? Are we close to the Colorado River where she runs 'long through the Rainbow gorge and the towerin' cliffs rear their red, blue, green and yeller walls hundreds o' feet high on both sides?"

"You said it Perk. Chances are we'll set eyes on that big hole in the ground they call the Colorado Canyon before we strike another night."

"Je-ru-salem crickets buddy! That sounds good to me!" exulted Perk, visibly stirred by the thrilling information. "Allers did sorter hanker 'bout lampin' that pictur', an' it'll please me plenty if dreams do come true."

This kept him quiet for some time, though he worked his glasses with a fresher zeal as though bent on missing nothing that seemed worth looking at. But thus far not the slightest object had been sighted that might turn out to be of special interest to any one looking for a smashed plane.

The sun was now well down the western heavens and Perk was beginning to fear the prophecy of his companion would fail to come true, when something caught his vigilant eye far in the distance and on which he focussed his binoculars. He looked long and steadily before announcing his discovery to Jack.

"I kinder guess partner, we're there all right," he finally burst out.

"And what makes you feel that way, Perk?"

"From the signs ahead I figger we're gettin' close to a big sink and I c'n see the sun glintin' from somethin' shiny yonder--might be that hotel they got on the top o' the west wall, if I remember straight. Yes-siree, it's jest like I'm tellin' you matey, the old river must lie down in that deep canyon. Gee whiz! it makes me near goofy jest to think how I'm goin' to see the biggest canyon in the whole world, with painted walls an' all sorts o' queer relics o' ancient Injuns scattered around. Hot ziggetty dog! ain't I glad they sent us out this way though! If on'y we c'n find that boy, I'll be the happiest chap on earth, an' that's no lie either."

That was Perk's usual way of arriving at a decision without making certain. Jack on the other hand, was accustomed to holding himself in check until he had actually proven it a certainty and even then he rarely gave way to any outburst of joy, leaving that to his more excitable comrade.

In due time they found themselves looking down on one of the most wonderful sights that can be found anywhere in the wide world. A spectacle unmatched in any other land which people come thousands of miles to feast their enraptured eyes upon.

XIII

A STRANDED PLANE

Jack continued to stay at the controls, possibly because he wished Perk to do the observing as his keen eyesight was such a valuable asset.

It proved that the object Perk had seen, and on which the sun was shining in such a dazzling way, was the hotel that catered to the many visitors and tourists who at certain seasons of the year flocked thither, enjoying the thrill of gazing on those natural wonders so profuse in that locality.

Perk could readily make out a number of moving figures on the edge of the canyon, evidently intent on watching the coming of the airship and doubtless speculating as to its mission.

Undoubtedly other boats had been seen flying overhead, since that particular section of country was being combed by a host of swift craft gathered from various quarters, all engaged in the humane task of striving to find the missing air mail pilot.

But Jack gave no evidence of a desire to drop down in the vicinity of the great hotel with its throng of guests--they could give him no information and the time could be more profitably used in commencing a systematic search. It would be time to descend when their stock of supplies in the line of food fell short or the gas tank gave promise of becoming empty. Nothing less must distract them from the task they had been commissioned to carry out with all their ability.

"I c'n see people comin' up out o' the canyon now," Perk asserted with emphasis, "an' seems like they must be mounted on mules or donkeys, 'cause no hosses c'n climb up an' down sech steep slopes. Say, ain't that worth comin' out here to see? I'll tell the world it sure is! Mebbe, 'fore we starts back to old Cheyenne, we'll get a chance to go down into the bowels o' the earth like them folks have been doin', an' seein' the hull panorama from the bottom."

"Who knows, Perk?" quoth the unmoved Jack, "but in the meantime we've got to stick on our job and do our level best to find Buddy--because of his mourning mother if for no other reason--and that goes!"

"I like to hear you say that, partner," cried sympathetic Perk, "an' me to back it up to the limit. My eyes! what a peach o' a pictur' that sure is! Somethin' never to be rubbed out while you live. Beats anything I ever set eyes on by big odds. Niagara was fine enough, but say, it ain't in the same class as this paintin' o' Old Dame Nature's."

"I'd call it sublime, and let it go at that," Jack admitted, "for words never were coined that could do justice to such a tremendous thing in the way of natural scenery."

The hotel was now in their rear and rapidly growing fainter in the distance, while below lay the wide reaches of the enormous canyon, dug through uncounted ages by the swift current of the famous river that miles further on would disappear from sight between walls that reared their heads hundreds of feet aloft.

As if to give them both a comprehensive view of the entire opening, Jack had reduced their speed to a minimum and was following the canyon gap with Perk keeping his eyes glued to his glasses, unable to tear them away for a single second lest he lose something of absorbing interest, possibly the most entrancing object in all that long category.

So it was that Jack felt a shock when he suddenly heard Perk giving tongue as though gripped with some fresh cause for excitement.

"Hey! what's this I'm seein' partner?" he yelled.

"Whereabouts?" demanded the other in a flash, for there was something he could detect in Perk's squeal that would indicate a discovery of more than usual importance.

"Right down in the ditch--look ahead, an' you'll see it! Boy, if that ain't a airship lyin' on the sandy shore o' the river, I'll eat my hat! An' yes, by gum! there's a man standin' alongside wavin' somethin' white like a flag o' distress! Oh my stars, c'n it be possible we've run on to poor Buddy Warner so clost to help an' him stuck there like a pig in a poke all this while? Jack, whatever c'n it mean, do you reckon?"

Jack was rather startled by what his comrade was saying, but as always proved himself quick to act.

"Take over the stick Perk, and give me the glasses. I must see for myself what it means. A plane down in that big hole, close to the edge of the rushing river and only a mile or so from help--it seems incredible--why, as I understand from what I've heard and read, parties with their guides often spend a night in the canyon looking through those queer Indian stone houses and even wander along the river for some distance. Why, he never could be that close by all this time and his condition continue unknown."

He was riveting his gaze upon the spot Perk had pointed to, and just as the other had declared, some one was making frantic gestures, waving a piece of white cloth and plainly asking them to drop down and rescue him or at least convey a knowledge of his desperate situation to those at the hotel.

The more Jack stared the greater did the mystery become in his mind. It simply could not be--there must be some other explanation to account for so unreasonable a condition. What should they do about it? The man kept waving his distress signal, and possibly was at the same time shouting something, to judge from his actions although of course his voice failed utterly to reach their ears.

"What's goin' to be done about it, eh partner?" Perk was saying as he swung in a great curve and again started to pass over the object of Jack's scrutiny and bewilderment. "Do we leave him there, after comin' so far to help the poor lad? Ain't there a way for us to slant down an' drop on that sandy shore his boat's restin' on? Bet every red cent I got it c'n be done, brother an' you're the boy to tackle the ticklish job."

"Make still another circuit, Perk," said Jack earnestly from which his companion judged he must be even then considering in his mind whether the proposed scheme were feasible or not.

"He keeps right along signalin' to us not to desert him, Jack. Mebbe now ours ain't the first ship to come sailin' along an' the others gave up any idea o' landin' in the ditch, so he's getting a bit desperate--an' hungry as all get out in the bargain. Must a'been three days since he was reported missin' you remember, partner."

Jack apparently was not wholly convinced. It might not be so difficult a task to drop down successfully, but being able to come up again would be a horse of another color, he figured. Then all at once he made his decision.

"We'll go, Perk--the stick if you please and stand by to lend a hand if it's needed when we make contact. I can see what looks like an inviting place in the water where we can use those dandy pontoons to advantage. Ready for it?"

They swung around once more and this time Jack turned the nose of his craft directly at a slant so as to head for the spot where the pilot of the wrecked ship was running up and down in great excitement, still flinging his signal of distress back and forth.

But when he saw that they were actually starting to drop below the majestic walls of the wonderful canyon as though bent on endeavoring to assist him, he stopped short and stood there wringing his hands in what to Jack was a rather peculiar way for a brave man to do. Still, if he had been through a series of hard knocks, had perhaps even been seriously wounded in the crash of his boat, he might be close to distraction. Anyway theirs must be the job of ascertaining the truth and afterwards doing all they could to afford him relief, though his plane might be beyond remedy and would have to be abandoned.

Now they were approaching the bottom of that rocky canyon--the walls towered above like grim cliffs or battlements, forged by nature to protect the stream that swept through the enormous gorge. It seemed to Perk, as he shot one thrilling look upward, as though they were a mile high and that everything around them was mightily magnified--all save the river itself, together with the stranded ship and the figure standing there watching their coming so eagerly, so filled with freshly risen hope.

Then contact was made between their wonderful pontoons and the surface of the Colorado River and there they floated on the turbulent bosom of the stream.

XIV

JACK MAKES A DISCOVERY

While thus dropping down into the great wide canyon by easy stages, Jack had taken note of several things, although not for a single second failing to keep tabs on his dials and the action of the ship when meeting certain baffling currents of air welling up from the depths and which might have played havoc with things only for this watchful, never-ceasing care on his part.

First he became aware of the fact that the abyss was no longer subject to clear visibility--in fact, it would have been next to impossible for him to have made a decent contact with the river surface only that a sudden glow had started up as if by magic.

It was a fire that helped to dissipate the gathering gloom in that particular spot and the one responsible for this welcome illumination must be the unknown aviator whose crate had been wrecked when falling into the vast sink with the gorgeously painted walls.

Evidently he must have gathered a few piles of dry driftwood so plentifully scattered along the banks of the river, and prepared a pyre to which a lighted match could be applied, a cheery blaze following. Jack sensed all this even without distracting his attention from his work.

At least this seemed to be proof that the unfortunate pilot had kept his wits about him, no matter what dire happenings might have come his way.

The sun could not have set--of that Jack felt certain--so the sudden lack of daylight in the vicinity of that deeply imbedded river must have been caused by the passing of some heavy cloud over the face of the sun. Jack even remembered noticing a bank of clouds hanging close to the southwestern horizon for the last half hour and a favoring breeze coming up must have pushed them across, so as to form a lofty but effectual screen.