back contents forward {{frabfp072.png}} || eagles of the sky || ocr> Perk picked up one of the lanterns, for fie fix> Perk picked up one of the lanterns, for he knew they would need some sort of illumination if they intended to explore the regions below deck which he termed the "hold," not being much of a sea-going man, although capable of filling quite a number of different callings from engineer to air pilot. He had not taken half a dozen steps after descending the short flight of steps leading below when he came to a sudden halt. "Glory be! what was that?--sounded real like a groan, Jack!" he exclaimed, trying to peer into the gloom of the hold, where there seemed to be row after row of the same type of wooden cases with foreign inscriptions burned on them. "Just what it was, Perk," agreed his chum, pressing close behind the holder of the lantern, "lift the light a bit, I think I can make out something stretched out flat--yes, it must be a man, I'm certain." "Kinder guessed we'd run across one or two o' the scrappers knocked out an' left behind in the getaway rush," commented Perk who had drawn his automatic before starting to explore the lower regions of the rum-runner, not knowing what they were apt to meet there. He continued to advance, and presently they were bending over a dismal looking object, undoubtedly a man who might be a member of the [[72]] back contents forward