Early one afternoon Chap Webster might have been seen rowing a little boat, near the water’s edge, in front of the Hyson Hall estate. In the stern of the boat was a box with a piece of canvas thrown over it, and in the bow were several large packages. These things had been brought home by Chap, in a wagon, that morning from Boontown, where they had been sent to him from the city.
When Chap reached a spot nearly over the sunken vessel—and he found the place very easily, for it was marked by a little floating buoy which he had put there after many previous soundings and surveys—he anchored his boat with a long rope, and began to carry out the great scheme on which his mind had so long been set.
A large package securely tied up in India-rubber cloth, with the ends of a long, double wire inserted into it, was lowered to the bottom of the river, where it rested as near as possible to the side of the sunken ship. The upper ends of the double wire were then attached to the ends of two long, covered wires, which lay in separate coils in the boat. This being done, Chap pulled up his anchor and slowly paddled his boat to shore, carefully letting out his wires with one hand as he paddled with the other.
This was quite a difficult thing to do, and it would have been much better if he had had one of the other boys to help him. But he had come to the conclusion that there must be no faint hearts in this matter, and he had said nothing to them about it.
When he reached the shore, he fastened the boat to a stake, and taking one coil of wire in his arms, he carried it up to the fence, which stood at a little distance from the water’s edge, carefully uncoiling it as he proceeded.
Then he laid it along the bottom of the fence, until he came to a little brook which ran to the river through a pasture-field, and which was bordered by thick bushes. He laid the wire along the edge of this brook until it was all uncoiled. Then he went to his boat and brought the other coil of wire, laying it by the side of the first.
Having thus carried these wires up the brook as far as they would reach, he went to the boat and brought his box, which contained an electric battery, to the spot where the farthest ends of his wires lay.
It was evident that all the distances had been measured and the localities carefully surveyed. Having placed the box under some overhanging bushes, where it could not readily be seen, Chap walked along the line of his wires, carefully concealing them with leaves and weeds wherever he thought it was necessary.
There were no cattle in the fields that afternoon, and as people seldom passed that way, it was likely that his wires would be unnoticed and undisturbed for an hour or so at least. Having settled these matters to his satisfaction, Chap got into his boat and rowed away.
The first thing Chap did on reaching home was to go to Helen and tell her all about this great affair.