If they could not get a wireless message to some station on land or ship, their situation looked as if it might speedily become serious. They did not dwell on this aspect of the case, however, but made a determined effort to be as cheerful as possible.
After dinner, if such the meal could be called. Professor Chadwick and Mr. Jesson set out to explore the island. The others, except Jack and Tom, lay down to sleep, being’ thoroughly exhausted by what they had gone through.
The two lads, however, felt too excited to sleep. Instead, they fell to figuring how it would be possible to send out a message telling of their plight, without having a tall pole or tree to which to string their aerials.
The problem was perplexing, and they threshed it over and over for an hour without arriving any nearer a plan for getting their wires into the air. It was Jack who finally hit upon what was literally an inspiration.
Close to them, while they had been talking, lay the pile of life jackets they had taken off when they landed.
“Is there any of that liquid rubber for repairing the tires in the Flying Road Racer?” he inquired of Tom, with seeming meaningless curiosity.
“Why, yes; there’s a gallon can of it. But why?”
“You’ll see directly. Will you get it?”
“Yes, of course,” rejoined Tom, rising from his seat on the sand. “Anything else?”
“That needle and stout thread in the gas bag tool kit and—well, I guess that will be all for now.”