“There must be a leak somewhere in the house,” Ted said. “We’ve got to find out.”
The boys went upstairs, and Ted told his mother and sister that all of them should spread out and search the entire house for a leak. There were emergency sealers on hand to plug such a leak when it was found. The sealers were only temporary, but they would last until a full repair could be made by a repairman.
Each of them took a room and worked toward the middle of the house in their search, all lights having been turned on to give maximum illumination. The job was no easy one. Even the slightest crack anywhere would be sufficient to cause the loss of pressure; it was just like a tire tube with a tiny puncture. Ted was the first to finish his assigned area. He had found nothing. Presently Randy was through, then Mrs. Kenton, then Jill. No one had found a leak anywhere, and the entire house had been covered.
“We must have missed it somewhere!” Ted said. “We’ve wasted a whole hour!”
“The spare cartridges your father told us to have filled!” Randy suddenly exclaimed. “We didn’t do it!”
“We forgot to in all the excitement after he left!” Ted groaned.
“What’ll we do?” Mrs. Kenton asked, horrified. “In another hour or so, we’ll have used up the air in our suits!”
“Can’t we refill our suit cartridges from the air drum downstairs?” Jill asked.
Ted shook his head. “It’s not built that way.”