_New York_; does
not answer call. Captain Pancoast."

The officer hadn't had time to get the message ready for the bridge,
when the instrument again began to rattle madly:

"Take care of Kxj31mpTwB8d--951SR7--J," warned the strip in its mute
language; then nothing further; complete silence reigned. "What does
this mean?" said the officer, "this can't be all."

He knocked on the coherer, then put in a new one: not a sign. He took a
third, a fourth, he knocked and shook the instrument, but it remained
dumb. With his Morse-key he asked back:

"Magdalen Bay, repeat message!"

No answer.

Then he asked: "Did you understand question?"

No answer.

The signalman was standing beside him, and he handed him the message
with the order to take it at once to the bridge; then he went to the
telephone and took off the receiver. "This is Sergeant Medlow. I've just
received from Magdalen Bay the message now on the way to the bridge:
'Take care of--' then the connection was cut off.... All right, sir."

Two minutes later an excited lieutenant rushed in crying: "What's the
matter with the apparatus?"

"It won't work, sir; it stopped in the middle of a sentence."

"Take a new coherer!"

"I've tried four."

They both tapped the coherer, but nothing happened. All questions
remained unanswered, and they seemed to be telegraphing into space.

"Probably a breakdown," said the lieutenant naively.

"Yes, sir, probably a breakdown," repeated Medlow; and then he was alone
once more.

* * * * *

The officer on duty on the bridge of the _Connecticut_ had informed
Captain Farlow, commander of the ship, of the latest messages from
Magdalen Bay, and when he now appeared on the bridge in company with
Admiral Perry, the officer held out the two bulletins. The admiral
studied them thoughtfully and murmured: "_New York_, it's true she
belongs to the yellow fleet, but what brings her to Magdalen Bay?
Admiral Crane cannot possibly be so far to the southeast with his
squadron, for the latest news from our outposts led us to believe that
he intended to attack us from the west."

"But he may be going to surprise Magdalen Bay, Admiral," said Captain
Farlow.

"Perhaps," replied the Admiral, rather sharply, "but will you tell me
what for? There are only two torpedo-boats at Magdalen Bay, and to
destroy a wireless station from which there are no messages to be sent
would be a rather silly thing for an over