"I kinder--er-reckons as haow we've done shot past the dividin' line 'tween Alabam 'nd Georgia, boss," he presently announced, with a grand air of superior knowledge; "case I jest seen a town squatted on a river, an' painted on the roof o' a house was a name, fo' the benefit o' fliers like weuns--Tallapoosa she read, which tells me that must a been the river Tallapoosa--all bein' 'cross the line in Harlson County, Georgia, ('cordin' to my map here.) If that's correct we right naow ain't more'n fifty miles from aour goal--less'n half an hour yet to fly." "You are hot on the trail, comrade," Jack assured him. "Keep your eyes skinned to pick up another smoke cloud dead ahead, which will be the first sign of our nearing Atlanta, the New York City of the South." Perk continued to watch and wait, until finally he gave a half suppressed whoop, to add exultantly: "It's a _big_ smoke smudge, all right, buddy; so we're rushing daown on aour goal like a river afire; which pleases a feller called Wally okay, yeou bet!" ----- Footnote 1: See "Trackers of the Fog Pack." CHAPTER II THE CIPHER LETTER Jack did not seem to be at all surprised when his best pal made this abrupt announcement; but then he always kept himself prepared for coming events. "I was expecting to hear you say that, buddy;" he told his mate; "for the past fifty miles on, our string up to date had about run through. I reckon we'll be on foot before many more minutes. Get the airport yet--Wally?" "Sure do, and right naow I kin glimpse a big--looks like our Fokker, agoin' to drop daown." "Yes, possibly belongs to either of the latest lines using Candler Field for a base--Eastern Air Transport, for passengers and mail; and Southern Air Fast Express--covering the route between Los Angeles and Atlanta--both now-a-days carrying capacity loads, the papers have been saying." "Shucks! takes yeou to git things daown pat, Big Boss," Perk went on to comment. "Where do we go from here, Mister?" "After we've made arrangements for housing our crate," explained Jack, good-naturedly--although he had told his chum the same thing at least twice before the present occasion--Perk could be so forgetful, he remembered--"we'll make straight for the Henry Grady Hotel, where we'll find a letter in code awaiting us, unless there's been a nasty hitch in the arrangements." "But--yeou said we had to meet up with some gent here, partner?"