specially installed for her polar voyage. The aerials stretched from
her main to mizzen mast and a small room, formerly a storeroom, below
the raised poop containing the cabins had been fitted up for a
wireless room. In this the boys had spent a good deal of time during
their convalescence from sea-sickness and had managed to "pick-up"
many vessels within their radius,--which was fifteen hundred miles
under favorable conditions.

Frank was the first to clap on the head-receiver this morning and he
sat silently for a while absently clicking out calls, to none of which
he obtained an answer. Suddenly, however, his face grew excited.

"Hullo," he cried, "here's something."

"What?" demanded Harry.

"I don't know yet," he held up his hand to demand silence.

"That's queer," he exclaimed, after a pause, in which the receiver had
buzzed and purred its message into his ear.

The others looked their questions.

"There's something funny about this message," he went on. "I cannot
understand it. Whoever is calling has a very weak sending current. I
can hardly hear it. One thing is certain though, it's someone in
distress."

The others leaned forward eagerly, but their curiosity was not
satisfied immediately by Frank. Instead his face became set in