Part 29 (1/2)
So they had developed a coht and camera, that would, when set, take pictures of the ani-place The beasts the a thread, set the ht powder--I wonder if we can get enough of that?”
spoke Joe ”It'll take quite a lot”
”We et it--somehow,” declared the captain ”I fancy we have some on hand, and perhaps you can make more There is quite a cheot to hustle The atteht”
”Hustle it is!” cried Blake ”Come on, Joe”
CHAPTER XXIV
THE TICK-TICK
”Put one caht, Blake And where will you have the other?”
”Take that with you Easy now Don't make a noise, and don't speak above a whisper!” cautioned Blake Stewart ”You'll work one machine, and I'll attend to the other We'll put the autoets sooes off”
The two boys, with Captain Wiltsey, had reat Gatun Dah off to the ere distant flashes of lightning now and then, telling of an approaching stor their caive the best results
They had had to work quickly to get ht Fortunately they were not delayed by lack ofbeen found in one of the laboratories This was quickly es, to be exploded at once, or in a series, bypicture cameras had been put in place, Blake to work one and Joe the other, while the autoer-string was broken, also setting off the continuous flashlight, was set between the two boys, to coood view of the dam, and of whoever should approach to blow it up
It now lacked an hour of ht when, so the rumors said, the attempt was to be made Of the nature of these rumors, and of how uess They did not ask too ht be Government secrets it would not be wise for them to know
But that certain level-headed men did ”take stock” in those rumors was evident, for elaborate preparations had been made to protect the dam The preparations were conducted with as ht not become aware of them
”We don't want to scare them off,” explained Captain Wiltsey
”Thatto say,” he went on, ”but it is the truth Of course we don't want the daed, but it will be better to let them make the attempt, and catch them red-handed, than just to scare them off before they ain, later, e're not ready for them But if we let them see we are prepared and can catch some of theht!” agreed Blake ”Well, we'll do all we can to help make the capture We'll capture their likenesses on the films, anyhow, and you'll knoho they are”
”Which will be so,” the captain said ”We haven't been able as yet to discover the identity of any of them They have kept very secret, and worked veryCaptain Wiltsey and his helpers, that they were to give a certain signal when they discovered the dynahts and begin to work their hand cameras The automatic one, of course, would need no attention, provided the s to break one and so set the mechanism in motion But that was problematical, and, as Joe said, they would have to ”trust to luck”
And so the preparations for receiving the ht callers went on Joe and Blake worked in silence, h they could neither see nor hear them, were Uncle Sam's men--soldiers, some of them--stationed near where, so rumor said, the attempt was to be ht to have another helper,” said Blake, thoughtfully ”There is one place we can't get in focus no matter hoe try, with the three machines we have If we had another autoht, but we have only the one Another hand caet soet Mr Alcando, but you don't seee of one”
”It is better to have no foreigners,” replied the captain ”Not that Mr Alcando ht, for he seems a nice chap
But he is a Spaniard, or, rather a South American, and some of the South Americans haven't any too much love for us; especially since the Canal was built”
”Why?” asked Blake
”Oh, for various reasons Some of them have lost trade because it shortens routes But there, I o and see if all the men are in place” Captain Wiltsey left hiil All about him was silence and darkness As well as he could he looked to see that his caht direction, and that it set firround