Jack experienced an odd thrill as he prepared to send the first spoken word ever exchanged between an airship in motion and a station on land. He and Tom had sent plenty of wireless messages while soaring through the ether, but somehow, the dot and dash system had not half the fascination and mystery of the possibility of exchanging coherent speech between land and air.
He placed his lips close to the receiver, and with his hand on the tuning knob sent forth a loud, clear hail:
"Hullo, High Towers!"
There was no answer for a few seconds while he patiently adjusted the tuning knob. But then came a faint buzz like the humming of a drowsy bee. Suddenly, sharp and distinct, as if his father was at his elbow, came Mr. Chadwick's voice in reply:
"Hullo!"
"This is the Wondership. Three thousand feet in the air," cried Jack.
"Congratulations, my boy. It's a success so far."
"What shall we do now?" asked Jack.
"I want you to fly in the direction of Rayburn, and try to keep in communication all the way."