Brookings says goes, around here, so it's you for the woods. And don't
take any chances, either--it is conceivable that something might
happen."

"Sure it might, but it won't. We'll set up that lab near a good trout
stream, and I'll have a large and juicy vacation. I'll work on the stuff
a little, too--enough to make a good report, at least. I'll analyze it,
find out what is in it, deposit it on some copper, shoot an electrolytic
current through it, and make a lot of wise motions generally, and have a
darn good time besides."

CHAPTER III

Seaton Solves the Problem of Power

"Well, Mart," said Seaton briskly, "now that the Seaton-Crane Company,
Engineers, is organized to your satisfaction, let's hop to it. I suppose
I'd better beat it downtown and hunt up a place to work?"

"Why not work here?"

"Your house? You don't want this kind of experimenting going on around
here, do you? Suppose a chunk of the stuff gets away from me and tears
the side out of the house?"

"This house is the logical place to work. I already have a complete
machine shop and testing laboratory out in the hangar, and we can easily
fit up a chemical laboratory for you up in the tower room. You can have
open windows on four sides there, and if you should accidentally take
out the wall there will be little damage done. We will be alone here,
with the few neighbors so thoroughly accustomed to my mechanical
experiments that they are no longer curious."

"Fine. There's another good thing, too. Your man Shiro. He's been with
you in so many tight pinches in all the unknown corners of the world on
your hunting trips and explorations that we can trust him, and he'll
probably come in handy."

"Yes, we can trust him implicitly. As you know, he is really my friend
instead of my man."

During the next few days, while workmen were installing a complete
chemical laboratory in the tower room, Seaton busied himself in
purchasing the equipment necessary for the peculiar problem before him.
His list was long and varied, ranging from a mighty transformer, capable
of delivering thousands of kilovolts down to a potentiometer, so
sensitive that it would register the difference of potential set up by
two men in shaking hands.

From daylight until dark Seaton worked in the laboratory, either alone
or superintending and assisting the men at work there. Every night when
Crane went to bed he saw Seaton in his room in a haze of smoke, poring
over bluepri