treak and
turning on his employer for State's evidence," was Jack's quick
rejoinder, the idea being quite to Perk's liking as he speedily made
manifest.

"Jumpin' jimcracks! we c'n tote the pair right nifty an' I'm meanin' to
see that other guy gets all that's comin' to him, after that nasty crack
on the coco he gimme with them irons. Say Jack, take a look at my head
an' see if it's sound still--gee whiz! but it felt like the sky'd gone
an' dropped down on me."

Jack speedily reassured him that although there was a lovely lump on the
top of his head, it was nothing very serious. It was understood that
there was not a minute to waste if they were wise. The Lockheed-Vega
might blow in any time and give them trouble.

"We'll get both the prisoners together and Perk, you stand guard over
them while I taxi our boat around here so as to save ourselves the job
of moving them along the trail. Is it all right with you, buddy?"

"Sure is," came the ready reply. "I'll start a little chin with our
honorable guest here an' see how he likes the idee o' sittin' up next
Mr. Philip Ridgeway o' the Treasury Department an' findin' out that this
time he's in the soup for keeps."

Already the prisoner had recovered his customary nerve for on hearing
what Perk was saying he broke out in a laugh.

"Looks a bit serious for me, I own up, boys," he said. "I give you
credit for being ace high above all your class, for you've played a
clever game and beat me by a mile. So that was tear-gas you tossed into
the room, was it?--thought I recognized the smell and I want to tell
you, once that hits a chap's eyes and he doesn't care if a church
steeple topples down on him, he's that paralyzed."

Jack lost no time in starting back to where the ship was hidden and
having negotiated the distance along the perilous trail without running
afoul of anything, he managed to toss the palmetto leaves overboard
since there was no further necessity for camouflage. After coaxing his
charge out of the narrow slip, and once on the open lake, he taxied down
to the cove close to the coquina rock shack.

They managed to lug their prisoners aboard and stowed them away as well
as circumstances permitted. Then Jack gave her the gun and they were
off.

Once they found themselves on their way at a three thousand-foot ceiling
and headed almost due northwest with Tampa as their goal, Perk slapped
his pal on the back and gave vent to his high spirits.

"Oh how joyful