Part 16 (1/2)
”I was just recalling a portion of Hal's cousin's diary,” his father replied ”According to that, it seeh characters visit this place sometimes”
”Oh, we're not afraid,” Hal protested ”Besides, you could make the trip there and back in a few hours”
”Well, we'll think it over and decide in thee'll do,” said Mr Perry
”Meanwhile, I tell you e ought to do,” Bud proposed ”It's an hour before dark and we'd have ti Hal's wireless outfit up here and hook it up before the sun sets”
”That's a peach of an idea,” declared Cub, juot two hundred and fifty feet of extra wire and some insulators on the boat and we can put up an aerial here without taking down the one on the Catwhisker Then we can shi+ft the radio outfit back and forth to the island and to the boat as we please”
”Good!” exclaiet busy and not waste a ht”
They worked rapidly, and as they ell supplied with ress made by them measured up to expectations They fashi+oned a tire antenna with the spreaders left on the island by Hal's cousin; connected a lead-in to this, and then Cub and Bud climbed the two trees and, with the aid of ropes tied around their waists and the guiding assistance of their companions below, drew the ”ether-wave feeler” up to a lofty elevation and fastened it as nearly taut as they could stretch and hold it In this work they took due consideration of the professional objection to tree entanglements in aerials so that the insulators ell beyond the reach of the longest li the outfit ashore and hook it up with the aerial,” said Hal ”Let's do it”
Enthused by the novelty of their enterprise, they continued the work, even though dusk was rapidly gathering Several electric-battery flash-lights were produced, so that the twilight did not seriously hinder theems in the sky, the hook-up had been co set on a table that had been transported from the yacht to a convenient position directly under the aerial and near the opening of the tent
”Now, let's see what's going on in the air,” said Cub ”Hal, you take the first whirl through the atmosphere”
Hal sat down by the table and put a pair of phones to his ears Then he began to tune First there came to hi an admixture of ”ham impudence”
”W H Q's on,” announced Hal presently, pushi+ng over the horn switch, whereupon the clear tones of a quartet from the Rochester station was throith a atmosphere of a land-and-water wilderness
They ”sat through” the prograree of enjoyment never before experienced by theine thesters teasing hars
”My! I didn't suppose such weird beauty of sound could be produced under any possible conditions,” exclairam
”Now the air will be free for all for a short ti back the horn switch, while the other boys also donned their phones ”I'et any of those felloe talked with on the way up here”
”Get that amateur with the radio coested Bud
”All right I reoes”
Hal tuned for several moments and sent the call of the Canadian aasp of surprise Only Mr
Perry felt a curiosity as to what it meant, for the other two boys knew as soon did the boy at the transave as his oas the Canadian V A X Then caiven it up yet, boys? I did not o back ho patiently for an explanation of the tense interest ave it to hiain, dad This felloe've got is posing as Hal's cousin and he's advising us to go back ho Down a Radio Fake
”You say you are V A X?” dot-and-dashed Hal to the amateur who had thus represented himself
”Yes,” was the reply
”What is your name?”
”Alvin Baker”