"Perhaps not," spoke Tom Swift, quietly. He had come up silently, and had heard the conversation.
"What's that you said?" cried Mr. Nestor, springing to his feet, and crossing the sandy beach toward the lad.
"I said perhaps we weren't altogether cut off from the rest of the world," repeated Tom.
"Why not," demanded Captain Mentor. "You don't mean to say that you have been building a boat up there in your little shack, do you?"
"Not a boat," replied Tom, "but I think I have a means of sending out a call for help!"
"Oh, Tom--Mr. Swift--how?" exclaimed Mrs. Nestor. "Do you mean we can send a message to my Mary?"
"Well, not exactly to her," answered the young inventor, though he wished that such a thing were possible. "But I think I can summon help."
"How?" demanded Mr. Hosbrook. "Have you managed to discover some cable line running past the island, and have you tapped it?"
"Not exactly." was Tom's calm answer, "but I have succeeded, with the help of Mr. Damon and Mr. Fenwick, in building an apparatus that will send out wireless messages!"
"Wireless messages!" gasped the millionaire. "Are you sure?"