“That means about six days going up,” commented Mr. Thorne. “There are some pretty bad falls to haul over.”
Suddenly Tom was seized with an idea and, whispering to Frank, rose and began rummaging in a chest.
“What are you boys up to?” asked Mr. Pauling.
“Going to set up our radio receivers,” replied Tom. “Perhaps we may hear something. We ought to be listening whenever we can.”
“Good idea,” commented his father. “After this, we’d better keep one set ready in the boat all the time.”
As the two boys busied themselves connecting the instruments, the Indians and Colcord watched them closely, the red men seemingly fascinated by the mysterious-looking cabinets and their bright, nickel-plated binding posts and glowing bulbs. Little by little they edged nearer and nearer until a circle of naked bronze bodies and keen black eyes was formed about the boys and their instruments.
“I’ll say they think that’s ‘peai,’” chuckled Rawlins. “I wonder what they’d do if a signal did come in.”
“Be scared half to death,” declared Mr. Thorne. “Those are fine instruments you have, boys.”
“We made them all ourselves,” replied Tom. “That is, all except the resonance coil. We got that from the sub.”
As Tom spoke, he adjusted the receivers, while; Frank moved the coil slowly about. To the Indians this evidently savored of some mysterious religious ceremony or incantation, and the boys could not help grinning as they saw the eager eyes of their Buck friends following every motion of the coil.