"Bless my napkin!" exclaimed Mr. Damon the next morning, as
they sat down to a breakfast of fruit, ham and eggs and fragrant
coffee, "this is living as well as in a hotel, and yet we are--how
far are we above the earth, Tom?" he asked, turning to the
young inventor.
"About two miles now. I just sent her up, as I thought I
detected that storm Mr. Parker spoke of."
"I told you it would come," declared the scientist, and there
was a small hurricane below them that morning, but only the lower
edge of it caught the Red Cloud, and when Tom sent her up still
higher she found a comparatively quiet zone, where she slid along
at good speed.
That afternoon Tom busied himself about some wires and a number
of complicated pieces of apparatus which were in one corner of
the main cabin.
"What are you doing now?" asked Mr. Jenks, who had been talking
with Mr. Parker, and showing that scientist some of the
manufactured diamonds.
"Getting our wireless apparatus in shape," answered the lad. "I
should have done it before, but I had so much to do that I
couldn't get at it. I'm going to send off some messages. Dad will
want to know how we are doing."
As he worked away, he also made up his mind to send another
message, in care of his father, for there was a receiving station
in the Swift home.
Pages:
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86