"Such a lot of chatter," returned Walt, "don't mean a thing. While you've been gabbing about your prowess with a busted slide rule I've been setting my glass. You can cook with glass now." "Brother," groaned Channing, "if I had one of those death rays that the boys were crowing about back in the days before space hopping became anything but a bit of fiction, I'd scorch your ears--or burn 'em off--or blow holes in you--or disintegrate you--depending on what stories you read. I haven't heard such a lousy pun in seventeen years--Hey, Freddy, you're a little close. Run out a couple of miles, huh?--and, Walt, I've heard some doozies." There was a click in the phones and a cheerful voice chimed in with: "Good morning, fellows? What's with the Great Quest?" Channing answered, "Hi, Babe. Been snoozing?" "Sure, as any sensible person would. Have you been up all the time?" "Yeah. We're still up against the main trouble with telephones--the big trouble, same as back in 1877--our friends have no telephone! You'd be surprised how elusive a spaceship can be in the deep. Sort of a nonexistent, microscopic speck, floating in absolutely nothing. We have a good idea of where they should be, and possibly why and what--but we're really playing with blindfolds, handcuffs, car plugs, mufflers, nose clamps, and tongue-ties. I am reminded--Hey, Freddie, lift her north about three hundred yards--of the two blind men." "Never mind the blind men," came back the pilot. "How'm I doing?" "Fine. Slide out another hundred yards and hold her there." "Who--me? Listen, Dr. Channing, you're the bird on the tapeline. You have no idea just how insignificant you look from seven hundred and sixteen miles away. Put a red-hot on the 'finder and have 'im tell me where the ship sits!" "O.K., Freddy, you're on the beam and I'll put a guy on here to give you the dope. Right?" "Right!" "Right," echoed Arden. "And I'm going to bring you a slug of coffee and a roll. Or did you remember to eat recently?" "We didn't," chimed in Walt. "You get your own girl," snorted Channing. "And besides, you are needed up here. We've got work to do." * * * * * Once again the signal lashed out. The invisible waves drove out and began their swift run across the void. Time, as it always did during the waiting periods, hung like a Sword of Damocles. The half-hour finally ticked away, and Freddy called in: "No dice. She's as silent as the grave." Minutes added together into an hour. The concentric wave left the reflector and just dropped out of sight. "Too bad you can't widen her out," suggested Don. "I'd like to tighten it down," objected Walt. "I think we're losing power and we can't increase the power--but we could tighten the beam." "Too bad you can't wave it back and forth like a fireman squirting water on a lawn," said Arden. "Firemen don't water lawns--" began Walt Franks, but he was interrupted by a wild yell from Channing.