Part 6 (1/2)
”Why?” asked Bud
”Answer the question yourself; it's easy,”
”I don't see e should give up just because we've run up against an obstacle a little worse than any we've ed ”Let's see what you propose to do”
”Well,” Hal responded slowly; ”we could go on till we found--”
He stopped and looked foolish
”Found what?” asked Cub ”The island? Hoould you do that without souide your radio compass?”
”That's so”; Hal admitted, with another foolish look
”It's too bad,” Bud broke in, with tone well suited to his words
”I suppose the next thing for us to do is to look for a tie-up for the night” said Hal indicating his sense of defeat by his change of subject
”I think father is doing that now,” replied Cub ”Guess I'll go and see what his idea is on that subject”
By this time the Catwhisker was several h a labyrinthine group to the north of Grandview The scenery here was so enchanting that Cub and his father speedily agreed that the first convenient, unclaiht to be adopted as theirs for the night
The season ell opened, and there were many boats on the river, so ent person could be marooned on one of those islands, however vast their nu able to call attention to his distress However, there were hways in this, as in any other, semi-wilderness, and doubtless so and in the nature of things, less frequently visited
This coh the Lake of the Thousand Islands before, and hence were not at a loss at any time how to find their way The spectacle, therefore, of a hit-and-reen, bare islands, many of them decked with a wealth of firs, pines, tamaracks, oaks, maples, bushes and flowers, was not new to the after their decision to look for aplace when they found an ideal cove and tied the Catwhisker to an overhanging bent, gnarled, contorted pine tree
No camp wasat this place longer than until the next break of day All hands were pretty tired after supper, but Hal decided heto bed So he donned a pair of phones and began to tune for an evening program, when a call, clear and distinct, addressed to him, suddenly held his attention
It was from the now mysterious ”V A X”, the ”Island Crusoe” Hal answered it and then received the following ood intentions, but I didn't need any help
Sorry to have troubled you I did have a wager with that other fellow, but not the kind he described It was the first big contest in the history of radio I gave odds of four to one and aether and each put up an independent receiving and sending set My part of the contest was to induce someone to come to the rescue of me as an island prisoner; his part was to head off any such rescue He admitted I won after it was certain you were headed for us, and then we both lost our nerve and ducked Good-bye”
Bud and Cub took the hint, fro unusual was coh the ether and donned phones in tie This was sufficient to give theood-bye” finish, Hal made a desperate effort to hold the ”Island operator” for further conversation, but could get no reply At last he gave it up and they turned their attention to discussion of the situation
”Well, I wonder if that's the last well hear from him,” said Bud as he removed the phones from his ears, while the other two boys did likewise
”More of a puzzle than ever, isn't it?” Cub reraphed to us?” Hal inquired
”I do not,” the tall youth replied positively
”Why not?” Hal persisted ”Doesn't it satisfy your lordshi+p?”
”Cut it out, Tee-hee,” the alleged ”lordshi+p” ordered ”You make me sore”