firmly the various portions of Hal's sending and receiving set, in order
that these might not be thrown down and damaged if the lake should become
rough. As the apparatus was supplied with two steps of amplification, Hal
had brought also a loud-tone horn to facilitate occasional parlor
entertainment should they have leisure to listen-in to programs from
various broadcasting stations within their receiving range in the course
of their cruise.

Hal's outfit was by no means as elaborate or as expensive as was Cub's,
but it was sufficient to receive radiophone programs, under favorable
conditions, from the strongest stations 300 or 400 miles distant, while
the strong spark of his code transmitter had earned for him a wide
acquaintance in amateur circles.

Before they started, Cub had another dot-and-dash tete-a-tete with "Mr.
Crusoe", acquainting the latter with the latest developments of their
plan and requesting him to call the Catwhisker regularly at half-hour
intervals if the more limited set they would take with them proved
insufficient to reach him from the start.

"When we reach the Thousand Islands, we will get busy with our loop
aerial and find you by radio compass," he promised.

The mysterious intermeddler who professed to have a sporting wager with
the "island prisoner," was on hand with a machine-gun stream derisive
waves, but Cub refused to pay any attention to him, not that he regarded
that fellow's version of the affair as utterly unworthy of consideration,
but, for the time being, at least, he did not wish to believe it. He was
eager for the adventure, which might be spoiled if his father became
convinced that "Mr. Crusoe's" SOS was a gambling hoax.