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.