“W H Q’s on,” announced Hal presently, pushing over the horn switch, whereupon the clear tones of a quartet from the Rochester station was thrown with amplified resonance out upon the reamplifying atmosphere of a land-and-water wilderness.

They “sat through” the program with a degree of enjoyment never before experienced by them under a radio spell.  They could almost imagine themselves on an enchanted isle with a band of fairy songsters teasing harmonious echoes out of their surroundings.

“My!  I didn’t suppose such weird beauty of sound could be produced under any possible conditions,” exclaimed Mr. Perry at the close of the last number on the program.

“Now the air will be free for all for a short time,” said Hal, putting on the phones and throwing back the horn switch, while the other boys also donned their phones.  “I’m going to see if I can get any of those fellows we talked with on the way up here.”

“Get that amateur with the radio compass who proved Mr. Perry’s mathematical theory,” suggested Bud.

“All right I remember his call and wave length; so here goes.”

Hal tuned for several moments and sent the call of the Canadian amateur in question.  Then suddenly he gave a little gasp of surprise.  Only Mr. Perry felt a curiosity as to what it meant, for the other two boys knew as soon did the boy at the transmitting key.  Someone was calling them and the call he gave as his own was the Canadian V A X. Then came the following message: 

“Have you not given it up yet, boys?  I did not mean to carry the joke so far.  Better go back home.”

Mr. Perry was waiting patiently for an explanation of the tense interest manifest in the attitudes of the three boys.  Presently Cub gave it to him, thus: 

“We’re on the trail again, dad.  This fellow we’ve got is posing as Hal’s cousin and he’s advising us to go back home.”

CHAPTER XVI

Running Down a Radio Fake

“You say you are V A X?” dot-and-dashed Hal to the amateur who had thus represented himself.

“Yes,” was the reply.

“What is your name?”

“Alvin Baker.”

“Where do you live?”

“At Port Hope.”

“Where are you now?”

“On the river with some friends.”

“Have you any relatives in the United States?”

“Yes.”

“Where do they live?”

“In New York.”

“New York City?”

“No—­State.”

“What city?”

“I have forgotten.”

“Is it Rochester?”

“I do not know.”

“Is it Oswego?”

“I am not certain.”

“Have you a cousin named Hal?”

“Yes.”

“What is his last name?”

“Baker.”

“Have you any relatives named Stone?”

“I think so.”

“Is the name Hal Stone familiar to you?”