It was a long one. At last he reported
his answer.
"He sends 'O K Q ten,'" he said.
Eldridge turned to the reporters.
"That means that the substitution of the smaller Leyden jar for one of the
larger reduced the sending power of this instrument just ten miles," said
he. "My crew has quite simply moved slowly forward until it caught our
sending here."
"Next," he instructed Simmons, "see if you can communicate with Monsieur
X."
The operator speedily reported his success at that. Eldridge removed his
glasses and polished their lenses.
"Thus, gentlemen," said he, "from our circle of two-hundred-mile radius we
have eliminated a strip ten miles wide. Naturally if this weakened sending
reaches only one hundred and ninety miles, and our antagonist receives our
messages, he must be nearer than one hundred and ninety miles. We will now
further reduce the strength of our sending and try again."
The younger men present broke into a shout,
"Good work!" somebody cried. They crowded about, keenly interested in this
new method of man-hunting. Only Darrow, tipped back in his chair against
the wall, seemed unexcited.
To Jack's whispered question he shook his head.
"It's ingenious," he acknowledged, "but he's on the wrong track." That was
as far as he would explain, and soon dropped into a slight doze.
Throughout the greater part of the night the experiment continued. Battery
by battery the sending power of the instrument was weakened.
Pages:
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110