Bob, however, told his companions he had decided not to interview Stone for the time being, and explained his reason, as well as what he hoped to gain from conversation with the prisoner.
"I believe," he declared, "that Stone is a warm-hearted, adventurous young fellow with no particular love for the Mexican rebels, but merely serving under their banner for the excitement. And I believe if we approach him right we can win his help in rescuing Mr. Hampton. He must know a good deal about this Calomares ranch and if we can get him to give us some pointers it will be worth while.
"That was what I had in mind last night. But mounting guard here this morning I had time to think it over, and I decided we had better go slow and, if possible, get the advice of my father on the matter."
"But how could you do that?" asked Frank. "Go back to Hampton ranch again?"
Jack interrupted excitedly.
"No, Frank, don"t you see!" he said. "Bob is thinking of the radio here in the cave. Aren"t you, Bob? I"m a simpleton not to have thought of it before."
"Well," said Bob, "we"ve all been so excited, that"s not to be wondered at. But while I mounted guard here during your breakfast, I had a chance to calm down and do some thinking."
Bob was eager to use the radio telephone at once, but Jack persuaded him to eat breakfast first. The big fellow literally bolted his bacon, bread and coffee, and then accompanied by Jack, while Frank mounted guard, he retired to the inner room where the radio outfit was located.
"Let"s have a look around here before we try to telephone," said Jack.
"It will take us only a few minutes. And we ought to know what we have captured. What say?"
"Fair enough," Bob agreed.
A cursory inspection quickly convinced Jack that the station was not of recent installation, but had been put in about the year 1918. Much of the equipment, while of the best at the time it was put in, had been antiquated since by improved parts.
It was a complete two-way installation, however, comprising a generator of practically sustained waves, a good control system to modulate the output, and a ground system for radiating a portion of the modulated energy as well as a receiver and a good amplifier.
"Here is this chimney in the rock about which Tom spoke," Jack pointed out. "They have hooked up through this. And the antenna, I suppose, is on top of the rock above us.
"This arc," he continued, advancing to the coils, "looks pretty strong and seems to have a rather elaborate water-cooling system. I think it is of foreign design, probably German. The Germans were early in the field with radio telephony development, you know."
"All right," said Bob, who was beginning to grow impatient, "I"ll take your word for it. But what I want to know is, can we telephone my father at your ranch?"
"Say, Bob, I"m sorry," Jack said quickly. "You know how crazy Dad and I are over this radio telephone. But, of course, you are anxious to get your father. Come on, let"s try. I"ll throw on the generator."
Suiting action to words, Jack shortly had the generator at work, while Bob began calling through the air for his father.
"Be careful to use our code," Jack warned him. "You know Rollins said these fellows had a powerful radio station at the Calomares ranch, and if they were to pick up your call and listen in there"d be trouble."
"Right," said Bob. "But if Dave answers the signal, I"ll have to ask for father, because Dave doesn"t understand the code."
It was Dave Morningstar who answered, the other ex-cowboy employed as mechanic and guard at Mr. Hampton"s radio plant in New Mexico. And when he had tuned to the proper pitch to hear distinctly and Bob"s voice greeted him he was so surprised he stuttered and was incapable for a moment of coherent speech. Then he began to pour a flood of questions at Bob, wanting to know where he was, how he happened to be able to radio, what had happened to the boys, why Tom Bodine, his partner, had failed to return, and so on. But Bob cut him short.
"Stop it, Dave," he said. "We may be overheard. Call father to the telephone, so I can speak in code. Then I"ll explain."
Fortunately, although it was past noon, Mr. Temple was at hand. So anxious was he about the boys that he had been unable to sleep during the night. All morning, despite the belief that it was folly to expect to hear from the lads so early, he had stayed at the radio plant. Now, when he heard his son"s voice, there was heartfelt thanksgiving in his reply.
"Is it really you, Bob?" he asked, speaking in code. "I must have been insane to let you three lads go off on such a foolish venture. I have been tortured with anxiety every minute since you left. Tell me where you are and what has happened. And how in the world is it possible for you to radio? Are you all right?"
"Yes, we"re all right, Dad," answered Bob, and there was a good deal of emotion in his voice, too. The big fellow and his father were real pals. "Don"t you worry, Dad," he added. "We"re doing well, thank you."
Then he retailed their adventures from the time of crossing the border into Old Mexico and leaving Tom Bodine at the boundary. There were many interruptions from his father.
"Thank heaven," said the latter, when learning that Tom Bodine had followed the boys and joined them. "He"s a trustworthy chap, and to know that he is with you makes me breathe more easily."
When he came to relate the fight in the cave, Bob diplomatically made little of it. He felt there was nothing to be gained by unnecessarily harrowing the feelings of his father. The latter"s anxiety, however, was great and he pumped rapid questions at his son which Bob could not avoid answering. The result was that Mr. Temple gained a fairly accurate idea of the peril in which the boys had been involved.
"But, Dad," Bob interrupted his parent"s horrified exclamations, "it"s all over now. None of us is injured, and we have got back our airplane."
"I know, Bob, I know," answered the older man. "But you can"t understand a father"s feelings. And it isn"t all over yet by any means, for you haven"t rescued Mr. Hampton. And you don"t know what difficulties you will encounter in doing so, and what dangers you will run."
"Oh, I believe the worst is over, Dad," answered Bob. "We have captured Morales and Von Arnheim, and they were our two worst dangers.
If we had encountered them at rebel headquarters and they had recognized me, our goose would have been cooked. We would have been taken prisoners, too. But now there will be n.o.body to recognize us.
The rebels will take us for what we pretend to be, young Americans seeking adventure and riding in to enlist."
"Perhaps, Bob," said his father, only half convinced. "But let me think this over. There ought to be some other way to rescue Mr.
Hampton now that you have the airplane again. Also you have these prisoners. It may be that you can gain some valuable information from them. Have you questioned them yet?"
"That"s just what I was coming to, Dad," said Bob.
Thereupon he proceeded to tell his father of Roy Stone, the young American in charge of the radio plant in the cave, whom they had made prisoner. A lengthy conversation ensued. Mr. Temple was reluctant at first to have the boys reveal their ident.i.ties inasmuch as so far they had escaped detection. But he saw that if an ally could be made of Stone it would be of the highest importance to the boys. He finally authorized Bob to promise Stone a suitable reward, if he thought that would appeal to him. Then, enjoining Bob to take no further steps without first consulting him by radio, Mr. Temple concluded the conversation.
To Jack and Frank, speaking in low tones at the entrance to the cave where Frank kept guard, Bob explained the gist of his conversation with his father. Tom Bodine still slumbered heavily. Stone lay napping on his bed. Morales and Von Arnheim sat with drooping heads in the heavy chairs where, while Bob telephoned, Jack had thought it best to bind them.
"Well, let"s talk with Stone and see what he has to say," Jack said.
"Frank and I have been talking the situation over, too, and we"ve got all sorts of ideas. For one thing, we thought there was a chance the rebels could be persuaded to exchange father for Von Arnheim and Morales. Stone might know how important those two worthies are considered by the rebels."
"Can"t I listen in on this confab?" Frank asked, plaintively. "Or must I continue to mount guard here? Besides, I want to go down and look at our airplane, and pat it even if I can"t get in and fly. I can see it from here, and it looks tempting."
"You"ll have to wait awhile to do that, I expect," said Jack with a smile. "We must decide what to do next before we spend any time playing."
At that moment, Tom Bodine yawned prodigiously and sat up on his make-shift couch.
"At least I can have a voice in the conference," said Frank. "If Tom"s awake he can mount guard."
"All right, fine," said Jack. "We"ll leave him out here with Morales and Von Arnheim, as soon as he has had something to eat. Then the three of us can take Stone into the other room and have a talk with him."
So it was arranged.
CHAPTER XXI
GAINING AN ALLY
Before mounting guard, however, Tom thought of their horses, a detail which the boys had forgotten in the quick march of events. He and Bob descended the slope, brought the animals into the valley where there was gra.s.s along the bed of a little stream trickling from a spring, and a few trees that provided shade. The horses were hobbled to prevent wandering too far, and then left to do as they pleased. They pleased, every one, to lie down at once and roll.
Upon their return to the cave, after Bob first had inspected the airplane and found it in tiptop condition and stocked with gas and oil, Tom mounted guard while the boys carried out their intention of taking Stone into the inner room for a conference.