The Radio Detectives Under the Sea

  CHAPTER IV

  RADIO MAGIC

  "It appears to me there's one point you've overlooked," remarked Mr.Pauling as he glanced about. "I thought your main idea in using thissubmarine was that if sighted by any of those we are after they wouldrecognize it and their suspicions would not be aroused. With thisdisguise they would never know the boat."

  Rawlins laughed. "Oh, I've kept that in mind," he responded. "This isjust a camouflaged camouflage."

  Then, before Mr. Pauling could ask for an explanation, he turned tothe members of his crew, gave an order and, to the amazement of Mr.Pauling and his party, the men commenced to strip a layer of paintedcanvas from the submarine.

  "By Jove!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson, "that's cleverly done. I neverrealized it was not painted upon the vessel herself. You're someartist, Rawlins."

  As soon as the canvas disguise had been removed, preparations weremade to get under way and all entered the hatch in the superstructure.

  "How about the destroyer?" inquired Mr. Pauling. "Did you arrange withDisbrow to be near in case of need?"

  "Yes," replied Rawlins. "We simply have to give him our position andhe'll be within an hour's run."

  "Didn't I understand you had a surprise in store for us?" asked Mr.Henderson. "What was it, that canvas camouflage?"

  "Not a bit of it!" declared Rawlins. "It's down below. Come along andhave a look at it."

  Descending into the submarine, Rawlins led the way through the narrowpassage past the engine room and stopped before a small iron door. "Beprepared for a jolt!" he warned them and as he spoke threw the dooropen.

  As the two men glanced within they fairly jumped and both utteredinvoluntary cries of utter amazement. Seated upon a bunk in the smallsteel walled room was a man and no second glance was needed torecognize him. It was Smernoff!

  But what a changed Smernoff! No longer did the small piglike eyesglare defiance and hatred at the Americans. His head was bowed uponhis chest, his mouth, once so hard and cruel, drooped at the corners,his face was lined and seamed and his eyes held a far-away, wistfullook.

  "Where did he come from?" exclaimed Mr. Henderson, when he recoveredfrom his surprise at this totally unexpected and almost miraculousreappearance of the Russian.

  "And what on earth's happened to him?" added Mr. Pauling. "Why, thefellow looks absolutely tamed and cowed--in fact broken. What_have_ you done to him?"

  "He's tame all right," replied Rawlins. "But we haven't done a thingto him--except keep him locked up until we had orders from you. He'sno longer either an enemy or a 'red,' Mr. Pauling."

  "Well, you're a most surprising man--I don't wonder your darkycaretakers believe you are in league with the devil--and you speak inriddles. Come, what's the story? Why is this fellow so changed andwhat on earth do you mean when you say he's no longer a 'red' or anenemy?"

  But before Rawlins could reply a deep voice came from the room andwith a start Mr. Pauling whirled about to find that Smernoff wasspeaking; and in English.

  "Excuse, please," he said in slow hesitating words. "Me, I no mektrouble, no. Me, I theenk maybe can help. Me, I want keel allBolshevik fellow. Ah! heem, I dreenk he blood!"

  "By Jove, he speaks English!" cried Mr. Henderson.

  "I'll say he does!" agreed Rawlins with a grin. "Always has, just beenbluffing all along, but he's through with that now. I'll tell you thestory in a few words. Two days out we sighted a disabled powerboat andrunning alongside found Smernoff just about all in lying in thebottom. You can just bet I was about knocked clean over when I sawhim. Last I'd seen of him he was under lock and key in jail and herehe was bobbing up in a little power boat in the middle of theAtlantic. Of course none of the men knew him so I said nothing--toldthem he was a bit looney and we'd have to keep him locked up.

  "The next day he spoke to me in English and nearly bowled me overagain by doing so. Then he told me he'd escaped and all about it. Saidhe'd got away by the aid of some 'red' sympathizers in the prison andhad hidden with friends on the East Side somewhere down in AllenStreet. While he was lying low he got word from Russia that his wholefamily--kids and all--had been murdered by the Bolshevists and he wentclean off his head at that. It was one thing to be a 'red' and killothers and a different matter to have the 'reds' killing your folks.

  "Well, the upshot of it was that he swung clean around and only hadone thought and that was to get even. He started in by doing up allthe 'reds' he knew around his hang-out and then hit it for the dockswith the idea of clearing out--stowing away--in some ship that wouldget him to Europe. But he couldn't make it. Too many cops about and sohe grabbed a powerboat, paddled away from the docks at night andstarted for the open sea.

  "He wasn't nutty enough to expect to cross in the craft, but he had anidea he could get well off the land and sight some outward bound shipand get picked up. Only trouble was he hadn't figured on a northwestgale which drove him off the steamships' courses and left him disabledand without grub or water. Drifted three days and nights before wehove in sight. He thinks it's a direct act of God and I don't know buthe's right. At any rate, he's keen on being with us and if he is inearnest--and I reckon he wouldn't have taken the chance he did if hewasn't--he'll be a help to us all right."

  "It's one of those miraculous coincidences that are far stranger thanfiction," commented Mr. Pauling. "But I am skeptical about his story.How do we know it is not a tissue of lies? He may have merely tried toescape the police in the launch and invented this yarn to hoodwink us.I guess we'd better keep him locked up."

  "Well he's got the letter telling about his folks being killed," saidRawlins.

  "H-m-m, and his face _is_ changed--I'm inclined to believe him,"declared Mr. Henderson. "You know, Pauling," he continued, "there areno more vindictive enemies of the 'reds' than one of their company whosuffers at their hands. You must remember that Ivan was as fanatical aSoviet as ever lived until his parents were butchered."

  "Yes, you're right, Henderson," admitted Mr. Pauling. "We'll have along talk with Smernoff and get at the truth. But for the presentwe'll leave him. Plenty of time after we're under way."

  Rawlins grinned, "We're under way now," he remarked. "Have been forthe past fifteen minutes. Didn't you hear the engines?"

  "Jove, you don't say so!" exclaimed Mr. Henderson.

  "Gosh, I can't believe it!" cried Tom.

  "Why, I thought that noise was just the dynamos!" put in Frank. "Say,are we under water?"

  "Surest thing you know!" replied Rawlins. "She's under her electricmotors now and runs smooth as a watch. Come on, boys, and have asquint through the periscope."

  "We'll stay behind a bit and talk to Smernoff," said Mr. Pauling. "Nouse in keeping him locked up if he's in earnest."

  Reaching the observation room Rawlins led the boys to the eye-piece ofthe periscope and as Tom squinted into it he gave a delighted cry.

  "Gosh, Frank, we _are_ under water! Say, I can see the islandback there pretty near two miles away. Isn't it great! Think of beingin a real submarine under the sea!"

  Frank was as delighted and interested as Tom when his turn came tohave a look. Then, a few minutes later, the louder rumble of theDiesel motors throbbed through the undersea craft and Rawlinsannounced that they were on the surface.

  "No use running submerged except when in sight of land or a vessel,"he said, "she doesn't make half her speed underwater and it's a strainon her and we might bump into a reef. I'm not any too familiar withthe channels that will accommodate her submerged."

  Hurrying up the steel ladder the boys and Rawlins reached the deck andgazed about, delighted at the speed the craft was making and the novelsensation of traveling on a submarine. But there was really little tobe seen and the vessel might have been an ordinary ship as far asappearances or sensations were concerned. Noticing the aerialoverhead, the boys' minds at once turned to radio.

  "Are our things all right?" Tom asked Rawlins. "I guess we might aswell get busy and set them up. We may need them at any time."

  "Su
re they're all right," replied the diver. "But say, I've beenwondering how you'll work this thing. Won't the steel hull interferewith the waves?"

  "I don't know," admitted Tom, "but we'll soon find out. At any rate ifthe others sent and received messages in this craft we can."

  "Well if they could and they did why did they need this gadgetoverhead?" asked Rawlins.

  "Maybe that was just for sending when on the surface," suggestedFrank. "You know those sets of ours would only send a short distanceunder water and we used mighty short wave lengths. If they wanted tosend and receive ordinary messages they'd need this aerial, I expect."

  "Hadn't thought of that," said Rawlins. "I never can get onto thisradio stuff. By the way, how about showing me how a fellow can hear afly jazzing and all that?"

  "Gosh!" exclaimed Tom, "I'd almost forgotten those crystals. Say, I'llbet that's how they received under water. Come on, let's try someexperiments."

  Descending the ladder, they made their way to the radio room andRawlins hauled out the cases in which the boys' undersea radio setswere packed. The naval operator who was in charge of the room lookedrather contemptuously at the "kids" as he considered them, but hisattitude underwent a tremendous change when he learned that the "kids"were in control of the radio aboard and that he was subject to theirorders.

  "Let's try those crystals first," suggested Frank. "I'm crazy to seeif they'll really do all that article said they would."

  As the boys got out the big crystals the regular operator's eyesgleamed. "By Jupiter!" he exclaimed, "That's the first time I've seenthose since the war. We used 'em in submarine detectors youknow--could hear a sub's screw whirring three miles off."

  "Hurrah, then you know about them!" cried Tom. "I'm awfully glad youdo. We only read about them and Mr. Rawlins wouldn't believe thethings we told him, so we're going to show him."

  "Well, I don't know such an all-fired lot either," admitted the navalman. "But I know they worked wonders as we used 'em."

  "Let's see," said Tom as he examined the crystal in its metal support."We have to connect it with our amplifier. There, that may not beright, but it's the way I understand it. Then we connect anothercrystal to the amplifier. Now let's see. They say that if this is doneright and the first crystal is scratched or rubbed on something, thesecond one will reproduce the noise, only thousands of times louder."

  As he spoke, he gingerly touched the crystal, but nothing happened.With a puzzled look he rubbed his finger across it and still noresult. Then, opening his pocket knife he scratched the crystaldeeply, but still nothing occurred.

  Rawlins began to laugh. "Nothing doing!" he exclaimed. "I'll betthey're only good for medicine."

  "I expect we haven't got it connected properly," said Frank. "Let'stry a different combination."

  While he spoke the two boys were busy disconnecting and rearrangingthe wires while Rawlins chuckled and kidded them good-naturedly.

  Finally the boys had the wires connected and as Tom turned on thefilament to the amplifier tubes in preparation for another trialRawlins, who had been casually examining a bit of crystal tossed itonto the table. Instantly there was a shivering crash.

  "Struck a reef!" cried Rawlins, and with frightened eyes all stoodmotionless, silently staring at one another and expecting each momentto feel the craft reeling or to hear excited shouts from the engineroom. Was she injured? Was their cruise to end so soon? Was thesubmarine sinking? Such thoughts sped through the boys' minds and eachwondered how long they would stand there waiting for the order todesert their craft. But the steady throb of the engines continued. Nosounds of excitement came from the engine crew. No signal from thenavigator.

  "Well I'll be jiggered!" ejaculated Rawlins. "Must have just scrapedbottom. Close shave though. Well, I guess you're satisfied those saltrocks aren't all they're cracked up to be."

  As he ended Rawlins contemptuously flipped his finger nail against acrystal and almost bumped his head against the low ceiling as heleaped aside, for at the touch of his finger nail a high-pitchedshriek seemed to issue from the crystals.

  "Hurrah!" shouted Tom. "Hurrah! Now do you say they don't work!"

  "Oh, oh!" cried Frank between peals of laughter. "Oh, oh! That_is_ one on you, Mr. Rawlins. That 'struck a reef!' Say, thatwasn't a reef, that was just the crystal you tossed on the table!"

  Rawlins stood staring with gaping mouth and incredulous eyes.

  "Sure it was!" repeated Frank. "See here!" Picking up the fragment ofcrystal he dropped it on the table top and again the rattling crashresounded through the room.

  "Well!" cried Rawlins. "That beats anything I ever saw or heard bytwenty miles."

  Half fearfully he reached forward and moved the crystal and a dullgrating noise resulted. He tapped gently on the table and the blowsresounded through the room like strokes of a sledge hammer.

  "Beats the Dutch, don't it!" exclaimed the operator. Then, taking outhis watch he placed it on the table near the crystals and instantlysteady beats like a hammer ringing on an anvil came from the crystals.

  "Oh, here you are!" exclaimed Mr. Pauling who now entered the room."What are you up to? Oh, I see--trying to show our Missouri friend!Well, how does it work?"

  "I'll say I'm shown!" declared Rawlins. "Darndest thing I ever saw!Just look here, Mr. Pauling. Drop something on the table there."

  Rather curiously, Tom's father drew a coin from his pocket and droppedit on the table as suggested and at the resounding bang that followedhe uttered an exclamation of amazement and involuntarily jumped back.

  "You don't mean to say that was the sound of a dime dropping?" hecried. "Why, it's simply marvelous--absolutely uncanny."

  "Now don't you believe you could hear a fly walk?" demanded Tom ofRawlins.

  "You bet, and a mosquito sneeze!" replied the diver. "I'll wager youcould hear a man write his own name."

  Drawing a pencil from his pocket he wrote his name upon the papercovering the table, and all gasped in wonder as each stroke of thepencil came to their ears in grating, reverberating howls.

  "Ah ha!" ejaculated Mr. Henderson who had approached unseen. "Soyou've found the magic in the crystals! But I'd wager you haven'tfound all the wonders they contain yet. I suppose you haven't aphonograph on board?"

  "One of the men has," replied the naval operator. "Shall I fetch it,sir?"

  "Yes, if you will," said Mr. Henderson. "I'll show you a singingcrystal in a moment, and there's another thing. These crystals possessanother remarkable property--they generate electricity."

  "Generate electricity!" cried Tom in puzzled tones. "How can they dothat?"

  "I'll try to show you when we have tried the phonograph test," repliedMr. Henderson. "Ah, here's the machine."

  Shutting off the current to the tubes, Mr. Henderson removed the soundbox from the phonograph, fastened a needle to the crystal with a bitof thread and sealing wax, fastened the whole to the arm of themachine and adjusting the needle so it rested on a record set thephonograph in motion.

  "Now turn on your filament rheostats," he said, and as Tom did so, thesecond crystal suddenly burst into a rollicking song.

  "Absolutely amazing!" declared Mr. Pauling as the record stopped.

  "Here's another!" laughed Mr. Henderson, as he again started therecord moving. Then, lifting the second crystal, he placed it in hispocket with the result that he seemed to be singing himself.

  The boys roared with merriment.

  "Why," cried Tom. "With one of those any one could be a ventriloquist.All you'd have to do would be to have wires leading out of sight andkeep the crystal in your pocket. Wouldn't it be rich!"

  Mr. Henderson now took the singing crystal from his pocket and placedit on a bare spot of wood and to every one's amazement it jumped andleaped about as if endowed with life.

  "Dances while it sings," remarked Mr. Henderson. "That shows howstrong the vibrations are. Now let's try the test for electricity Imentioned."

  Selecting a large crystal Mr. Henderson placed it in one of
the metalframes whose use the boys could not fathom and after fastening wiresto it asked if they had a voltmeter.

  The operator brought one and attaching the wires from the crystal tothe instrument Mr. Henderson told them to watch the needle. Then,turning the knob on the frame and thus twisting it slightly, hebrought a strain upon the crystal and instantly the needle of thevoltmeter soared upward to 500.

  "Jehoshaphat!" cried Frank. "That beats all yet!"

  "I'll say it does!" agreed Rawlins.

  "But, why have you never told us about them before?" asked Tom.

  "Simply forgot them," replied Mr. Henderson. "I never made use of themand had merely seen their wonders demonstrated out at the Belllaboratories when I was inspector there. Thought them remarkable butof no practical value at the time, although I knew later they wereused as submarine detectors and for deep-seas sounding. I can see now,however, how useful they will prove. What are you boys intending to dowith them?"

  "Well, we hadn't exactly decided yet," replied Tom, "but we thoughtthe fellows that had this sub probably used them in receiving undersearadio and we were going to rig up something of the same sort."

  "I expect they did use them," agreed Mr. Henderson, "and you should beable to arrange a set with them. Does Bancroft here know how thosesubmarine detectors were arranged?"

  "Well, not exactly, Sir," replied the operator, "but I think I canmanage after a bit of experimenting, Sir. That is, with the younggentlemen's help."

  "Very well, go to it," replied Mr. Henderson, "but you'll find they'redoing it with your help if you don't watch out. I'll wager they canteach you a lot about radio."

  But both Bancroft and the boys found it a far more difficult matter torig up a detector than they had imagined.

  "The trouble is we can't tell when it's right," said Tom, "and wedon't know yet whether or not we can hear even without the crystals. Ivote we get Rawlins to stop the submarine and go down and test thething out."

  This seemed a good plan, but they were now well away from land andboth Rawlins and Mr. Pauling told the impatient boys that they wouldhave to wait until the next day when Rawlins said they would be nearone of the cays and could run into shoal water and test theinstruments.

  In the meantime Smernoff had been put through a severe grilling and atlast, Mr. Pauling and Mr. Henderson being convinced that the Russianwas cured of Bolshevism forever and really wanted to do anything inhis power to aid in stamping out the gang of which he had been amember, he was freed, but cautioned to remain within certain boundsand was turned over to the chief engineer.

  "He's a machinist and engineer," Mr. Henderson explained, "but he'salso a desperate character, or at least was, and has escaped fromprison twice. For reasons which I need not mention we are inclined tothink he's reformed and may be of help. Let him work, but keep an eyeon him constantly and if you see anything suspicious or any attempt todisable the machinery or to do anything that savors of treachery havehim put in irons if you have to tap him over the head with a spannerto do it."

  The engineer squinted at Mr. Henderson with a quizzical expression.Then, wiping his big hairy hands on a piece of cotton waste he pushedback his greasy cap exposing a shock of flaming hair.

  "Verra weel, Sir," he replied. "I ken his breed an' ye can trust me tasee nowt happens as shouldna'. But I ne'er used spanner on lad yet,Sir, an ne'er expect to hae to. Naw, naw, Meester Henderson, Sir; 'tisa braw laddie I canna make see the light o' reason wi' me ain han's."

  Mr. Henderson chuckled. "Yes, I guess you're right there, McPherson,"he replied. "I remember the story about your holding the reverse whenthe lever broke on the _Baxter_. Personally, I think I'd preferthe spanner to your fists if I were the culprit."

  Early the next morning Long Island was sighted and, passing WhalePoint with the submarine submerged, Rawlins headed for Rum Cay. Here,under Sam's guidance, the sub-sea boat was brought safely into asheltered cove and preparations were made for tests of the radio.Rawlins donned his suit and slipped out through the air-lock, for thefirst test was to see if he could hear what was sent from thesubmarine. When, after the stipulated time, he returned, he reportedthat he had heard clearly, but not as loudly as in New York. Satisfiedthat their sending apparatus would work just as well from within thesubmarine as from shore Tom also donned a diving suit for the purposeof sending to Frank who was left in charge of the receiving set withBancroft to help him.

  Despite the fact that Tom had been down so often in the north it was atotally new and strange sensation to descend here in the Bahamas andfrom a submarine. He entered the air-lock with Rawlins, saw thewater-tight steel doors closed behind him, saw Rawlins moving a wheeland slowly the water rose about him. Then Rawlins stepped to a lever,a round steel door slowly opened in the floor and following RawlinsTom slipped through and half floated to the bottom of the sea. For amoment he could scarcely believe he was under water. He had expectedeverything to be indistinct, shadowy and green as it had been in thenorth. Instead, he seemed standing in air suffused with a soft bluelight. Before him, plain and distinct, was the bulk of the submarine,each seam and rivet clearly visible. Under his feet was a smooth,white, sandy floor. Here and there great purple sea-fans, swayingblack sea-rods and masses of gaudy coral broke the broad expanse ofsand while, over and about him, brilliant scarlet, purple, blue, goldand multicolored fishes swam lazily, paying not the least attention tothe intruders. Looking up, Tom could see only a marvelously blue voidlike a summer's sky and on every side he could see for what seemed aninterminable distance. It was all very wonderful and very beautifuland he would have liked to stop and admire it, but Rawlins held hisarm and was guiding him along the sea bottom away from the submarine.

  "Gosh, it's great!" exclaimed Tom, suddenly remembering that he couldconverse with his companion.

  "Didn't I tell you 'twas!" replied Rawlins, his voice coming to Tom sodistinctly that the boy started. "Not much like that dirty old river."

  "Hello, hello!" came Frank's voice plainly, but rather faintly. "Wereyou speaking, Tom?"

  "Yes, can you hear?" cried Tom.

  "What is it you say?" queried Frank's voice. "I can't make out a word.Just a sort of crackling like static."

  Tom spoke still louder and at last shouted, but still Frank keptasking what he was saying and declaring he could not make it out.

  "Well, something's wrong," Tom announced at last. "Might as well goback. They can't hear."

  Ascending through the open door to the air-lock Tom waited whileRawlins manipulated the machinery which forced the water from the tinychamber and let in the air and a moment later they were again in theradio room.

  "I knew you were talking," said Frank, "but I couldn't make out asingle word, just buzzes and clicks. What do you suppose is wrong?"

  "It's the way we have it connected up," declared Tom, "but it gets me.I can't understand why, if we get sounds through our suits with thoselittle grid antennae you shouldn't get them here with that biggerantenna. Did you try the regular aerial connection too?"

  "Yes I tried both--or rather Mr. Bancroft tried one and I tried theother--and he didn't get anything."

  "Well, if the fellow who had this sub before used those crystals thenthey had 'em hooked up differently or something. I wonder if theirsets in their suits would work better."

  Acting on this idea Rawlins donned one of the suits they had takenfrom their captives in New York and again went down, but the resultswere no better. As Frank had said, there were sounds--buzzing noiseswhich were intermittent and indicated that Rawlins was speaking, butnothing that in the least resembled human voice or words.

  "We'll have to think this out," declared Tom. "We get the noises, butnot the words so it must be we pick up the waves and it's a questionof modulation. Let's see. Those crystals magnify sounds when they'retouched or vibrated or when there's a vibration or jar to the thingthey're resting on. Gosh! I believe I know our trouble."

  "Well, what is it?" demanded Frank.

  "Why, we've got this rigged up for
a detector--the way they did forsubmarines--and we _do_ get the noises which was what they wantedwhen locating a sub, but we don't get the words. The trouble is we'vegot the cart before the horse. We've hooked this up so the crystalscome before the phones. What we need is to transfer the sound waves inthe phones to the crystals and let 'em amplify them. As 'tis now we'reamplifying electric waves not sound waves."

  "I guess you're right," agreed Frank. "Let's try it the other way."

  It took some time to rearrange the set, but with Mr. Henderson toadvise and Bancroft to help, it was done at last and once more Rawlinsentered the air-lock.

  Hardly had he had time to reach bottom the boys thought when, to theirinexpressable delight, his voice came to their ears clearly.

  "Hello!" he said. "Do you get me?"

  "Hurrah it works!" cried Tom and instantly Rawlins's voice responded:

  "Bully for you!"

  "Walk farther off and see if we can get you," suggested Tom over thephone.

  "All right," responded Rawlins.

  Five minutes passed and then, rather faint, but still easilyunderstandable, Rawlins' voice again came to them.

  "All right," cried Tom. "How far away are you?"

  "About five hundred yards," replied the diver. "I can just hear you."

  "Well that's about the limit, I guess," remarked Tom, as Rawlins toldhim he was returning to the submarine. "Say, isn't it just immense?"

  "Wonderful!" agreed his father. "But let me ask a question. Suppose weoverhear some one talking. How will you know where they are or whetherthey are under water or on land. It seems to me that's a veryimportant matter."

  "Golly, that's so!" exclaimed Tom. "I hadn't thought of that. Our loopaerials won't work in here, I suppose."

  "Might," commented Frank, and then, "What about that resonance coil?That might do."

  "Let's try!" agreed Tom, and calling to Rawlins to wait where he wasthey hurriedly disconnected their instruments and connected the oddresonance coil in position.

  "Now, say something, Mr. Rawlins," called Tom.

  Anxiously the boys waited but no response came although the boys couldhear a very faint buzzing sound.

  "Well, that evidently is a failure," said Tom, "but just the samethese fellows wouldn't have had it aboard unless there was some usefor it."

  "I'll tell you what I think," said Bancroft. "My idea is they usedthat in the air, when they were running on the surface or just awash.You might get the words from under water then, or perhaps it wasn'tused for undersea work."

  "We'll have to try that--when Mr. Rawlins gets here," replied Tom.

  Presently Rawlins appeared and the boys told him of their new plans.In a few minutes the submarine had risen to the surface and the boysprepared to test the resonance coil.

  "First we'll try it in the air," announced Tom. "Walk over on theisland there, Mr. Rawlins, and see if we can get you."

  Accordingly, the diver slipped into the sea and a few moments laterhis head appeared near shore and for the first time the boysexperienced the strange sensation of seeing a man walk ashore frombeneath the water. That they could receive messages with the resonancecoil through the air was soon proved to their satisfaction, andtelling Rawlins to go under water and walk about in differentdirections the two boys and their companions, who were fully as muchinterested, prepared for the final test. But this was a dismal failureand chagrined and disappointed the boys gave up at last.

  "If we hear any one under water we'll have to find them some otherway," Tom announced. "We just get that funny buzz we used to hear inNew York. And I'll bet anything that was the men talking under water.But if we hear anyone talking in the air we can locate them allright."

  As Tom had been speaking he had turned half around and his resonancecoil was swung towards the southeast. The next moment, Frank's excitedvoice called up from below where he had been seated at the receivers.

  "Jehoshaphat!" he yelled. "They're talking! Those Russians! I hearthem plainly!"