The Radio Boys on the Mexican Border | Page 4

landing fields and flying conditions
generally throughout the territory they would have to cover.
Much of this study for the proposed flight was carried on at the
radiophone station on the Hampton estate. Mr. Hampton was an
enthusiast about the development of radio telephony and it was through
him the boys first had become interested in the subject. A year earlier
he had built a powerful station for the purpose of making experiments
in talking across the ocean. On that account the United States
Government had granted him a special permit to use an 1,800 metre
wave length.
Before leaving for the Southwest, Jack told the boys his father intended
to build in Texas or New Mexico another radiophone station of similar
wave length. This would enable Mr. Hampton to communicate with his
New York confreres through his Long Island station. The big thing to

the boys, however, was that they would be able to talk to each other
across 2,000 miles of territory. Delays in construction in the Southwest
had occurred, however, and communication between the two stations
had not yet been established when our story opens.
As the boys re-entered the station after their inspection of the weather,
Bob threw himself sprawlingly into a deep wicker chair and, picking up
a book, began idly to turn the pages. Frank went to the table where the
control apparatus was located and put on a headpiece. For a few
moments there was silence, which Frank presently shattered with a
loud cry of: "Bob. Bob. Come here."
Bob dropped his book and, leaping to his feet, strode to his chum's side.
"What is it?"
"Put on a headpiece, Bob," said Frank in a voice of great excitement. "I
believe Jack is trying to get us."
Excited as his chum, Bob clamped a receiver on his head, while Frank
manipulated the "amplifier" and "detector" knobs on the control
apparatus.
A variety of sounds greeted the boys at first, whistles, calls, and
chattering coming to their ears. Then as their tuner searched out the
higher regions of the air, they shut out the sounds of the low-range air
traffic. There was a thin, shrieking sound. Then, that also disappeared.
And then quite suddenly the listening, expectant boys heard Jack's
voice speaking to them just as plainly as if he stood in the room.
"Frank. Bob. Bob. Frank," Jack was saying. "Can you hear me? Can
you hear me?"
"Hurray, Jack, sure we can hear you," cried Frank, bending forward to
speak into the transmitter on the stand before him.
Then as Jack's voice continued calling without paying him any
attention, he straightened up and laughed.

"Gee. I forgot," he laughed. Laying down his headpiece, he ran across
the room; opened a door into the power house adjoining where the
mechanic was dozing over his pipe and called to him to throw on the
generator.
Galloping back, as the man obeyed, Frank again snatched up his
headpiece. Bob already was bending over a transmitter, calling to Jack
in faraway New Mexico. Both boys listened with straining ears for the
response. Presently Jack answered: "I can hear you, but only very
faintly. Put that band piece on the talking machine. You know the one I
like so much. I can't think of its name. I'll tune to it."
Frank hastily shuffled through a pile of talking machine records.
Finding the one he sought, he put it on the machine which stood
directly in front of a big condensing horn strapped to the back of a chair
to give it the proper height. A moment or two later, Jack's voice in the
receivers declared:
"All right. Shut her off now. I'm fixed fine."
"Say, Jack, think of talking 2,000 miles like this," said Bob.
"Oh, we've been working some days out here," answered Jack. "But we
couldn't get you."
"No," cut in Frank. "The static interfered, I guess. But it lifted today."
"How are things going, Jack?" Bob inquired next.
Jack's voice became excited. "Going?" he answered. "Fellows, I never
knew what excitement was until this last week."
"What do you mean?" demanded both boys together.
"Oh, I couldn't tell you now," laughed Jack. "It would take all day and
then some to tell you all that's happening around here. But, let me tell
you, between Dad's business opponents and a gang of Mexican bandits
that appeared on the scene lately, things are getting pretty lively. Say,

when are you coming? Now's the time if ever----"
Suddenly, Jack's voice ceased abruptly, to be succeeded a moment later
by his agonized cry for "Help." Then there was a crash that rang in the
eardrums of the alarmed boys listening in. Then, silence.
"Jack. Jack," they called. "What's the matter?"
There was no answer.
CHAPTER II
THE ENEMY NEAR
Frank Merrick