As Tom had been speaking he had turned half around and his resonance coil was swung towards the southeast. The next moment, Frank’s excited voice called up from below where he had been seated at the receivers.
“Jehoshaphat!” he yelled. “They’re talking! Those Russians! I hear them plainly!”
CHAPTER V—A NARROW ESCAPE
At Frank’s words Mr. Pauling and Mr. Henderson leaped to their feet and Tom almost dropped the coil in his surprise. “By glory!” exclaimed Rawlins, who had just appeared.
“Are you sure?” demanded Mr. Pauling. “Of course I’m sure,” replied Frank. “I heard them just as plain as in New York.”
Scrambling down the ladder all gathered about the instruments, but despite every effort no sounds came to their ears.
“Well, it did before,” insisted Frank. “I hadn’t been hearing anything and then, suddenly, I heard the voices.”
Tom sprang up and rushed towards the ladder. “Keep listening,” he yelled. “I’ll bet I know how ’twas.”
Hurrying up the ladder, he gained the deck and seizing the resonance coil moved it slowly about as if pointing with a stick. Then, just as it pointed to the southeast he heard Rawlins’ voice.
“They’ve got it again,” he shouted up the ladder. “Come down and hear it.”