All their efforts to call
him met with no response. The day before, moreover, a telegram had
been sent Mr. Hampton by Bob Temple's father, informing him in code of
recent mysterious occurrences, including the theft of the airplane,
telling him the boys had tried to call Jack by radiophone, but without
response from his powerful New Mexico station, and asking whether all
was well with him. No answer had yet been received.
"Mister Robert," said Mary, the maid, entering the breakfast room, as
the two boys sat in moody silence, "your father wants you and Mister
Frank in the library."
The boys hurried to the library at once, where they found Mr. Temple,
very grave of face, bent above a lengthy telegram which he had just
finished decoding.
"It's from Jack," he said, "And the poor fellow is in a lot of
trouble. Listen."
He read:
"Dear Friends, Father has been kidnapped. Two men in airplane carried
him away into Old Mexico. Since getting your telegram few minutes ago
realize it may have been your airplane. Wasn't there and didn't see
it but description of machine given by cowboy on the range who saw it
all tallies with description of your machine."
Mr. Temple paused for breath, and Frank, who had been computing
mentally, interrupted.
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