“We could do that all right,” Tony agreed. He was becoming more excited at the prospect of placing his radio over German headquarters.
“Then you could pull up the radio equipment with a rope,” Dick said. “And one of us could climb up to help you. After all, you’ve got to have some one with you when you broadcast, to crank the generator handles and give you enough power.”
“How do we know the tower is strong enough?” Tony asked.
“It is strong enough,” the old man said. “It has stood all these years. A bolt of lightning did no more than knock a few rocks off the top.”
“Won’t we make a good deal of noise getting up there?” Dick asked.
“That is a chance we must take,” Tomaso said. “But there are no Germans below the servants’ wing. Then, too, the roof is very thick. I think they will not hear. We set our ladder up against the rear wall of the tower, so we cannot be seen from the front. We work after midnight when almost all are asleep, except the sleepy sentries and guards. They do not watch the villa closely—no, it is the railroad yards, the bridges, and the dam which they guard well.”
Dick decided to go ahead with the old man’s plan. They made arrangements to meet him the following night, shortly after midnight, behind the wing of the villa.
“There will be two more men with us then, Uncle Tomaso,” Dick said. “So don’t be startled when you see four figures on the hill here.”
The man gave them his blessing, and the two Americans left, circling around the way they had come. It was close to midnight when they reached the cave in the hills where they found Vince Salamone and Max Burckhardt covering them with sub-machine guns as they approached. Slade was inside with Lieutenant Scotti.
“He’s come to,” Max said to Dick, “but he doesn’t do much more than mumble yet. It first happened about half an hour ago.”