“You said it,” agreed Dick. “I never thought that Espato would love us for what we did to his gang.”
“They’d probably kill anybody they got hold of, whether he’d ever done anything to them or not,” observed Tom. “I guess with the help of the old Arrow we can do him more harm than he can us, anyway.”
When this conversation took place, the boys were gathered in Steve’s radio shack, whither they had repaired with the intention of trying to get in touch with Dr. Denby at Castleton.
“My set is no great shakes,” apologized Steve, “but under favorable conditions, I think we can reach your town, all right. It did once, you’ll remember.”
“I’ll have a try at it, anyway, if you don’t mind,” said Phil, and seated himself at the key.
B-z-z-z, whir-r went the motor-generator, as its first low hum mounted in tone to a strident whine, and the blue sparks crackled from the aerial. Time and again Phil called Dr. Denby’s signal, but it was not until he was almost ready to give up in despair that he at last got an answer in the earphones.
CHAPTER XIII
Gun Play
“Good!” exclaimed Phil, as he recognized Doctor Denby’s sending. For some time he and the Doctor exchanged news, and while Dick and Tom and Steve waited with what patience they could muster to learn what it was all about. At last Phil swung away from the key, took the head set from his ears, and mopped at a perspiring brow.
“Whew!” he exclaimed, as he switched off the generator, “that’s pretty hot work for a night like this. I wish I could jump into a nice cold bathtub right now.”
“If you’d talked there much longer, we’d have hunted one up an’ thrown you in,” said Dick. “What’s all the news from home, anyway?”