For a moment Frank felt that he was worsted. The villain certainly had the best of him.
Then an idea came to him.
There would be some risk to the move. But without some risk he could hope to gain no victory.
While he held his hand on the lever he managed with his other hand to connect a small wire with the dynamo connections and the steel framework of the pilot-house.
Dooley leaned against the door frame, which was also of steel. Frank’s hope was to suddenly send a current from the dynamos strong enough to traverse the steel frame and shock he villain into insensibility.
So he carefully worked with this end in view. Dooley did not suspect a thing.
He saw Frank arranging the wires, but imagined all the while that this was only some mechanism of the air-ship which it was necessary to regulate.
As long as he held the drop on Frank as he did he felt comparatively safe.
But right here was his mistake. Had he ordered the young inventor to stop twisting the wires under the keyboard the situation would have changed in his favor. He failed to do so.
Hence his defeat.