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{{frabfp141.png}} || eagles of the sky ||

Jack accelerated the pace of his ship accordingly--two
twin foam-crested waves rolled out from
the pontoons as they sped along until, testing
things, Jack found that his charge was impatient
to leave the water and leap upward into space.

Perk looked backward toward the scene of his
amazing afternoon battle--how many times in
the future would the picture rise in his memory
ocr>   to haunt him and bring that _quizzical_ grin to
fix>   to haunt him and bring that quizzical grin to
his face.

With the newly risen moon gilding the small
waves of the gulf below them, the picture looked
most peaceful. Perk, although not much inclined
to romance, could not but admire the
spectacle after his own rude fashion while Jack
fairly drank it in as he continued to pay attention
to his manifold duties.

Their course was almost due north, Jack
keeping out a score or more of miles from the
coast, having reasons of his own for so doing--perhaps
he found the wind more favorable out
there and this is always an important factor in
the calculations of a pilot of experience. Just as
in the earlier days of ocean steamers when they
were also equipped with masts and sails, the latter
were always hoisted when the wind favored,
since this helped them make progress and saved
ocr>   'coal at the same time.
fix>   coal at the same time.

They had been booming along for something

[[141]]

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