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"Wow. Now that we're down, I don't see how we made it with this."
Bob put down his end of the box containing the portable radio
transmission set, and Jack followed suit.
"Must weigh all of two hundred pounds," said Bob.
"Well, the batteries are heavy," said Jack. "The light poles weigh
little, and the coil contains not much more than a pound of wire. But
there are eight 'B' batteries of twenty-two and one-half volts each, and
they weigh about five pounds apiece."
"Don't see what use the darned contraption will be, anyhow," grumbled
Bob. "Where can we use it?"
"Oh, I don't know. But I have a hunch it will come in handy. Come on."
Bob took up his end of the case, and the march was resumed. They had
reached the base of the hill and were at the rear of the warehouse.
Skirting this, they were halted by a sharp challenge as they reached the
front and stepped into the glare of the searchlight from the Sub Chaser.
"All right, Doniphan," said Jack. "We've got a prisoner."
The young sailor doing sentry duty in front of the building housing the
Chinese coolies regarded them curiously, as they made their way out the
pier toward the boat. Robbins, the petty officer left in charge with a
half-dozen men felt his responsibility and was on watch on deck. He
hailed them, then leaped to the pier. The boys paused, Jack and Bob put
down their burden, and briefly Jack related their experiences.
"So you were signallin', hey?" said Robbins sharply, turning to the
young Chinaman whom the boys had taken prisoner.
"He had a powerful electric light bulb hung in the window of the radio
station," explained Jack. "It could be seen a long distance up the
canyon."
"No un'stan'," said the Chinaman, a look of stolid stupidity coming over
his face.
Jack recalled the good English employed when the youth had been called
on to surrender.
"Oh, come, now," he said. "We know better than that. You're an educated
man."
The Chinaman shrugged. Stupidity gave way to defiance.
"Have it your own way," he said. "But I won't tell you a thing."
Robbins was exasperated. He made a threatening gesture, but Jack laid a
hand on his arm.
"All right," said Robbins, grinning. "I wouldn't strike him, anyhow.
Against regulations. Wait a minute, you fellows, till I turn him over to
somebody aboard."
Taking the prisoner by an arm, he marched him to the rail of the Sub
Chaser, where a sailor who had been an interested observer to what went
forward, was leaning. Returning, Robbins, not much older in appearance
than Bob but of slighter build, said:
"What's to be done?"
He respected the boys for their quick thinking and courage in
emergencies, and deferred to them. All four looked at each other in
silence. It was a ticklish situation for young heads.
"Ensign Warwick told you not to leave the boat, didn't he?" asked Jack.
Robbins nodded.
"It probably would be foolish for all of us to go chasing off up the
canyon without knowing any more than we do, anyhow," said Jack.
"Look here, you fellows," said Frank. "What's the matter with our going
scouting up the trail, the three of us? We know there is danger ahead
and have a pretty good idea of what it is, and so we ought to be able to
guard against it. Three men would make a likely reinforcement in case we
find our friends hard pressed."
"Yes, but nine men would be better," said Robbins. "If there was only
some way you could send back word, in case you find our men bottled up,
I could bring up my outfit."
"Well, I can run back," said Jack.
"He's some jackrabbit, too," Frank assured the young sailor. "You ought
to see him in our school field meets."
"Yes, but suppose you get five or six miles inland," objected Robbins.
"You couldn't be back here in under an hour, and it would be more than
double that time before we could get there with help."
Big Bob looked thoughtful. Then he kicked against the side of the
portable radio outfit at their feet.
"If only this weren't so doggone heavy," he said, "we might carry it
with us, and give you a call when we discover anything."
"I have it," cried Jack delightedly. "The very thing."
"What?" asked Robbins.
"Why, we can take that portable radio without any trouble at all. This
creek runs back a considerable distance into the mountains through the
canyon. We can set up the radio in a boat and go up stream that way. The
trail is bound to parallel the stream. Moreover, we stand a better
chance to proceed unobserved, for they will be watching the trail and
not the stream."
"Why not?" said Frank. "Looks like a good idea to me."
"All right," said Robbins, "if you fellows want to try it. Here's a boat
right here, tied to the pier. Let's rig her up."
Everybody worked enthusiastically, and the portable radio apparatus was
quickly in place, except for the aerial.
"There's not sufficient stretch for the aerial," said Jack. "But if we
do get a chance to use the radio to call you, we can string the antennae
to some trees in no time at all, make our connections, and be all fixed.
I should say this would send about eight or ten miles."
Frank steering, and Bob and Jack at the oars, the boat shot away
upstream and almost immediately disappeared from sight, so dark was the
night. Robbins listened intently, but the beat of the oars soon died
down.
"Expert oarsmen," he commented to himself. "Wonder who those fellows
are, anyhow? They certainly act in a hurry."
Then he went aboard to caution one of his men to remain at the radio,
ready to catch the boys' message should they call.
Meantime with oars so skilfully handled as to make scarcely any sound,
the boys forged upstream. Minute after minute flew by, without a shot,
or any human sound, breaking the stillness. Bend after bend was
cautiously rounded, but nothing lay ahead. Several times Frank looked at
his watch. An hour had passed.
"We must have come three or four miles," he whispered. "Let's take a
breather. I'll spell Jack when we go on. Pull in under this left bank.
The trail is on the right side, and we'll keep away from it."
Bob and Jack pulled slowly over as Frank swung the tiller, and the boat
came to rest beneath the drooping branches of a pepper tree that grew on
the very edge of the stream.
"I'm afraid we can't go much further in the boat," Jack said anxiously,
his voice barely audible. "Stream's getting very shallow."
"Suppose one of us pushes ahead to reconnoiter while the others stay in
the boat," suggested Frank.
"I expect that's what we better do," said Jack. "It's getting quite
shallow."
After some further whispered conversation it was decided that while one
of the trio to be chosen by lot should push ahead on foot, the others
should busy themselves stringing the aerial.
"If I find out anything to tell Robbins," said Frank, who had been the
one selected to spy out the land, "the radio will be working when I come
back."
Scarcely had he stepped ashore on the left bank than the sound of
revolver fire, ahead and seemingly close at hand, was heard. Frank
jumped back into the boat.
"Put me ashore on the other side," he said. "I'll go up the trail. That
shooting can't be far away."
"Be careful," warned Jack, anxiously, as his young chum again leaped
ashore.
A quarter of an hour passed, during which Jack and Bob busied themselves
stringing the aerial between two trees on opposite sides of the stream.
They stopped work frequently to listen. One more burst of firing was
heard, and a faint sound of shouting. Then Frank's voice hailed them,
and he scrambled aboard.
"Nobody along the trail," he explained as soon as he could recover
breath, for he had been running. "But around the bend ahead the canyon
broadens out into a rather wide valley, and up above it on a hilltop on
the right is a stockade. Our men are in there, and the smugglers are
besieging them. The way I could tell the smugglers are outside was by
blundering almost on top of a clump of Chinamen directed by 'Black
George.'"
"Guess we better radio Robbins to come up with his men," said Jack. "Bob
and I just completed stringing the aerial. Now to see if the outfit will
transmit."
He began adjusting the tuner and detector knobs and sending out his
signal.