Page:Arthur Stringer - Gun Runner.djvu/236

 his hands slowly down in his pockets, and then turned on his heel and went below.

"What're you gettin'?" Captain Yandel demanded of the man chapleted with the shining band of steel ending in two small black knobs.

"They don't answer!" cried McKinnon, with a gasp of exasperation.

"Don't answer?" demanded the captain.

"No, I've lost them!" was the bitter cry of the man bent over his coherer.

The ship's master's blasphemy was both prolonged and voluble.

"And you ain't goin to get 'em?"

"I've lost them," was the repeated and almost hopeless answer. The morose-eyed officer peered at the operator's drawn and sweat-stained face.

"You're makin' a devil of a nice mess o' this business, between you!" he declared, with another oath of disgust.

The wireless-operator only stared at his instruments, silently, challengingly, combatively.