"Sure, but I'd like to see Del and ask him if dad has tried to shoot anything into Phœnix by wireless. We can lose a little time here, I guess, without spoilin' the big end of our game."
An exclamation from Matt drew Chub's instant attention.
"Great Scott, Chub, look there!"
Matt was pointing toward the table which supported the Bluebell end of the wireless apparatus. Sending and receiving-instruments had been completely wrecked, and parts of them were scattered over the floor.
"Well, what d'you think of that!" muttered Chub. "Hawley was bound dad wouldn't get any message through to me by way of the Hertzian waves. Wonder if Dace Perry did this, too?"
"Not much, Chub. These instruments, like those at your house, must have been broken some time to-day—you see, Del hasn't even had time to pick up the scrap. If Perry smashed the apparatus at the Phœnix end of the line, he'd have to be chain-lightning to get here and wreck these instruments, too. No, it wasn't Perry."
"Think it was Jacks?"
"One guess is as good as another. I'd like to hear what Del has to say about this. Maybe he's down in the mine?"
"We'll take a look," said Chub, starting for the door.
The ore-dump and derrick were only a little way from the house, and the boys were soon climbing the dump to the platform at the mouth of the shaft. Kneeling down at the opening in the platform, they leaned over and shouted Delray's name into the pitchy darkness below. No answer was returned.