CHAPTER XXV--A FORLORN HOPE

"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.