The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1941-12-25


'What do they want up there
now?" Dick asked YEARLY.
Nothing, Mr.. Dick, that I know. "
Wong was nervous; there was f1ut-
ter in his long-boned hands as he
produced twisted slip of paper. 81
came to you of my own thought. Up
at our receiving station they keep
hearing some ship calling the Holo-
kai-they can't tell what ship. Its
call letters aren't listed-no one ever
heard them before. We think it
may be some outlaw station. At
any rate, the call comes in very per-
sistently; and we didn't hear you
answer, so I came to tell you."
what were the call letters?"
81 have them written here"
Tonga Dick took the paper Wong
offered him and unfolded it. Even
before he made out its typewriter
characters in the failing light, he
knew what ship it would be.
'They were still calling when you
left the house?"
eyes, SIR"
"Come here, Wong
Tonga Dick ran back along the
deck and dived into the little ken
mel, abaft the galley, which served
as radio shack, and Charles Wong
came pattering after him. He
clamped on his earphones and care
fully with micrometer delicacy, be-
gan to turn the big dial of the short
wave receiver; but for minutes there
was no result.
"He must have shut down." Dick
said at last. eff you catch it again
at the Alakoa station, you'd better
answer and take the"
Just then the hunted signal came
in, so powerfully that the effect was
blasting. Somewhere, Unexpectedly
close at hand, Garrett Waterson was
calling Dick Wayne from the sea.
Dick quieted the blocked and clat-
tering receiver. Good Lord. He's
right on top of us! Yes, he's calling
us, all right"
Dicks earphones were beginning
to zing with the measured letters OF
a message that was something more
than news.
"SAR WIT wATERSON ABOARD
QTP ALAKOA 2 HRS"
Dick Wayne could not believe his
own ears. Angrily he worked his
key, sending out protest
"RPT ALL-RPT-"
The message from the sea hesitat-
ed and started over again. Abruptly
it changed its pace, breaking into a
racing chatter.
"WHT IN HE'LL IS MFR U CANT
U UNDERSTAND ENGLISH QTP
10 PM STAND OUTSIDE CORAL
TO PILOT THRU SHOALS-G WA.
TERSON QSL?"
Tonga Dick Wayne acknowledged
with a curt "QSL," and shut off his
generator.
Garrett Waterson's power yacht
Sarah will be in in two hours" he
told Wong, "and-Waterson himself
is on board"
Charles Wong, stumbling after
him out of the radio shack, looked
as if he had seen ghost; obviously
he had been able to hear, and to
understand, the international code.
"Do-do you want your brothers
to know"
at doesn't make particle Of diff.
ference, either way"
Charles Wong waited a moment,
oh 20, ~ H., n
more; but changed his mind, and
lowered himself over the side into
the waiting boat.
The launch chartered its way back
to the dock, and presently, after its
voice had died, there came across
the water the sound of a racing
automobile engine as Charles Wong,
handling his car badly, raced
through the village toward the hills
Dick stood for some minutes with
his hands on the rail, staring at the
darkening sea. Roughly checking
known distance against the relative
speeds of the Sarah and the Holo.
kai, he estimated that Garrett Wa.
terson must have pointed the Sarah
north no more than few hours after
Dick had set sail with the Holokai.
Hurriedly Dick Wayne's eyes
swept the bay. An outrigger canoe,
sailed silently in the light air by q
single Hawaiian spearman, was
coming in across the still water from
days fishing beyond the reefs.
Dick sent low whistle across the
water, and the outrigger sheered in
close to the side of the Holokai.