"In plain, unvarnished words of one cylinder, what is that ... that that?"
"Oh, you mean the transmission tube?"
"How do you do?" said Arden to the big tube. "Funny looking thing, not like any transmitting tube I've ever seen before."
"Not a transmitting tube," explained Channing. "It is one of those power transmission tubes that Baler and Carroll found on the Martian Desert."
"I presume that is why the etch says: 'Made by Terran Electric, Chicago'?"
Channing laughed. "Not the one found—there was only one found. This is a carbon copy. They are going to revolutionize the transmission of power with them."
"Funny-looking gadget."
"Not so funny. Just alien."
"Know anything about it?"
"Not too much. But I've got Barney Carroll coming out here and a couple of guys from Terran Electric. I'm going to strain myself to keep from tinkering with the thing until they get here."