But they all felt increased anger at the enemy when they had talked with the survivors of the Susanne. Their experience was enough to stir the blood of any listener.
“That Sea Pigeon has got to be caught!” was the assurance of the boys and men of the Colodia’s crew.
The cruise, after this experience, was a much more serious matter to them all than it had been before. As far as the Seacove boys and Belding went, it had become pretty serious in any case. The prime reason for this lay in the message of mystery that the radio men continued, at times, to half catch out of the air.
George Belding confided to Sparks the name Phil Morgan had made out of the uncertain letters which the chief had written down after hearing them repeated in his ear while at the radio instrument. “Redbird”; that seemed plain enough.
“And the Redbird is the ship my folks and Whistler’s sisters are sailing on to Bahia,” explained Belding. “Why, she might be right out yonder, not so many miles away,” and he pointed into the west.
“You mean to say your sister can send Morse?”
“She used to be able to. She wasn’t quick or accurate, but she could get a message over.”
“There is something altogether wrong with this sending,” said the radio man thoughtfully.
“I know it, sir. She wouldn’t know any code. She would probably spell out every letter and word. We only get a part of what is sent. That is, if it is Lilian who is doing this.”
“It is mighty interesting, this ‘ghost talk’,” the chief said slowly. “I can see you are putting altogether too much faith in the possibility that the stuff is real. Why, we often get the most inexplicable sounds out of the air! It is a very long chance that this is a real message, or that it is from your sister, George.”