things--that the other had had quite enough
of this exchange of hot fire and was pulling out, or else that in his
crafty German way he was meaning some sort of flank attack in hopes of
carrying the fort.

Faster and faster was the taxiing airship rushing through the water and
Perk continued to hold his fire, realizing that the fight was over.

"Go to it, Oscar old hoss!" he burst out, as he grasped this clinching
finish of the strange engagement with the rival gunmen separating after
a hot exchange of compliments, each apparently able to move off under
his own steam, "Beat it for all you're worth while the goin' is good.
There, he's lifted his crate in one big pull an' I kinder guess he ain't
hurt much either, else he couldn't show so much steam. Wall, here Perk's
been left in possession, after all that bluff he put up. But it sure was
a dandy jig while it lasted."

At that Perk began to laugh as though the true perspective had flashed
before his eyes for then, and later on, too, he was ready to declare
that a more ridiculous as well as unprofitable battle had never been
waged between two rival pilots of the upper air lanes.

Now the fleeing ship had mounted to a fair ceiling and was rushing off
in a roaring zoom but Perk noticed his late foe was heading due east as
though bent on picking out an entirely different direction from the one
he had used when coming with an impetuous rush to investigate the
mysteries of the mangrove islands.

"Huh! that strikes me as a bit queer," Perk was telling himself as he
gazed after the ship, now growing smaller and smaller as it placed miles
between them. "Looks like Oscar might a remembered a mighty important
engagement he ought to keep. Oh well, I've had my little shindig, and
it's just as well we both came through okay--them as 'fights an' runs
away, may live to fight another day,' that old sayin' has it which is
sure a true thing. Hey! what's this mean--seems like I didn't come
through as soft-like as I figgered I had--blood on my hand, yep, an' on
my face ditto. Guess one o' them nasty zippin' bullets must a creased my
ear, and fetched the juice a little. Shucks! nothin' to bother about I'd
say."

He took his old red bandanna and dabbed at his right ear with many a
grunt as well as chuckle.

"Seems like it's the only time I've weltered in my own gore for a coon's
age," Perk was saying as he looked at the stains on his faithful if
faded rag that had been his close compani