"How now, Felipe," said he, "you show all this enthusiasm over hearing operatic music or the dance of the Pampas guachero within monastic walls?"

Father Felipe smiled.

"Ninny," said he. "Why not? It was good music. Yes," he added, energetically, "and tomorrow night, if our good young friend will arrange it, we shall have all the brethren a.s.semble in the Great Hall and hear this concert."

"I am rebuked, Felipe," said the other. "You are, indeed, a father to your brethren. How they will enjoy this."

CHAPTER VI--A SENDING STATION BUILT

And enjoy it, the monks did, the following night. But to make it possible for all in the Great Hall to hear, Jack and Bob and Frank worked hard the next day. A number of ram's horns were obtained, the ends cut off so that an aperture an inch and a half in diameter was left, and the interior bored out. These were then placed in various parts of the Great Hall and connected by wires to the magnavox. The result was that the nightly concert broadcasted in distant Buenos Ayres could be heard in the remotest part of the Great Hall as clearly as if singer and orchestra were in the room itself.

"What marvellous music," Frank exclaimed, later that night, as, the concert ended, they sat once more before their fire.

Mr. Hampton nodded.

"Better than any broadcasting programme in our country by far," he said.

"And with reason. Buenos Ayres is one of the great artistic centers of the world. It possesses the finest opera house in the world. The Colon Opera House surpa.s.ses the best in Europe. Its auditorium is larger than any in London, Paris or Berlin, and its equipment and appointments are of the most luxurious and artistic.

"Yet this great opera house is not the only musical outlet of the Argentine capital. In the winter season there are always at least three grand opera houses in full swing, with world-famous artists at each. In addition, there are minor operatic performances all the time. In fact, Buenos Ayres is one of the leading operatic centers of the world, and many a famous opera singer has graduated from its conservatories. These latter are more than a hundred in number, conducted by teachers of note.

So you see _La Presna_ has a wealth of the best artists and musicians to draw upon for its radio concerts."

"But, Mr. Hampton," said Frank, astonished, "this newspaper must be awfully powerful and important to obtain the services of these fine artists. And rich, too."

"Yes, Frank, _La Prensa_ is, indeed, powerful, important and rich," said Mr. Hampton. "It occupies a position far different from newspapers in New York or in any other North American city. Like the best of South American newspapers, it is less provincial and less sensational than our own newspapers, and more cosmopolitan and educative. It occupies what is by all odds the handsomest newspaper building in the world,--a building as magnificent as the finest palaces of Europe. Among other of its many features, it has in that building a private theatre where visiting singers, actors and lecturers give private performances. _La Presna_ will give no publicity whatsoever to any such public characters unless it considers them worthy. Doubtless, these radio concerts are given in that private theatre."

"Well," said Jack, "at all events, these concerts certainly break the monotony of the long nights here in the monastery. It is wonderful that Father Felipe permits us to give them. Yes, even urged us to do so.

Isn't that acting in a pretty broad manner for the head of a monastery?"

"These missionary monks, Jack," his father explained, "are not of the ascetic type. They are very human persons, indeed; in fact, they resemble the parish priests of the United States in that respect. You remember that Father Collins of the parish near us at home built a Community Hall where he gives motion picture shows and radio concerts?"

"Yes, I know," Jack said. "But monks! It is hard for me to reconcile this jolly, wholesome houseful of men with my preconceived ideas of a monastery."

"Just because a man does good for mankind, you should not expect him to be a perpetual cloud of gloom, Jack," said his father. "Another thing which you must remember is that these men, Father Felipe, Brother Gregorio, and the others, are South Americans. That is, they come of a race in which the love of music is ingrained. No people on earth are so fond of music as these. Nowhere is music so universally accepted as here.

"Moreover, these men are Chilians and Argentinians. That means a good deal, for Chile and the Argentine are the two South American countries in which the proportion of white blood is highest. Spanish, Italian, French and German are the predominant strains, and all represent music-loving races."

It is to be feared, however, that the boys, while paying polite attention, in reality were thinking of other matters. Bob had a hand up to shade his eyes and was dozing. Jack was gazing into the leaping flames in the fireplace, and there was a faraway look in his eyes as his thoughts traveled back to those days when he rescued his father from the palace of Don Fernandez y Calomares in the Sonora mountains of Old Mexico, and met the charming Senorita Rafaela during the course of his mission. As to Frank, it was not difficult to gather from his next words of what he had been thinking.

"Look here, Jack," said he, as Mr. Hampton finished his little lecture, "what's to prevent our utilizing the water power and the power plant of the monastery, and setting up a radio sending station? It would be lots of fun, and would help pa.s.s the time until the expedition is ready to start."

Jack's eyes lighted up with enthusiasm, as his thoughts came back from faraway Mexico. Bob's head snapped up with a jerk.

"Good idea," approved Jack.

It was Mr. Hampton, however, who added the crowning touch.

"Your suggestion is fine, Frank," said he. "And with such a station at our base, and a field radio equipment to keep us in touch with each other, we should be safeguarded against almost any accident. If we become lost, injured in attack from savages or in accidents due to wilderness travel, or if we suffer any big misfortune necessitating help, we can communicate the facts of our predicament to the base here.

Father Felipe is a resourceful man, and undoubtedly would find some way to come to our aid."

For some time longer, plans for the construction of the proposed station were discussed. The biggest item to be supplied would be wire, but this Mr. Hampton considered they probably could find at the monastery, as the inst.i.tution, because of its isolation and the difficulty of bringing in stores from the outside, would have a considerable stock on hand at the power plant.

Such, indeed, proved to be the case, and early the next day work on the proposed sending station was begun. Several of the monks who were clever artisans, were a.s.signed by Father Felipe to the work. At the monastery, all inmates had trades in which they were proficient, and all the work of farming, building, electric wiring, etc., was done by monks.

Day by day the work progressed, halted only at times when storms swept down from the mountains and buried the monastery in a blanket of snow.

To the boys it was interesting and enjoyable, of course, but to the monks it was far more. As they worked under the boys' directions, it seemed to them they were helping effect a miracle.

Moreover, the nightly concerts continued, and of these Brother Gregorio said to the boys:

"When our plant is completed, we must send a message to _La Presna_, telling of our grat.i.tude. Perhaps, too," he suggested timidly, "you will let me speak to the editor of this invention of yours whereby we were enabled to utilize our monastery wiring instead of running up what you call it--an aerial?"

Jack shook his head, smiling.

"Other men have been working on that same device," he said, "at least on that same idea. Presently some firm will perfect one and put it on the market in the United States. Then it will be farewell to the aerial with its poles and lead-ins, arresters and ground switches. Outside aerials and clumsy indoor loops will be things of the past."

"Why didn't you market this device yourself, Jack?" asked Frank. "You worked it out toward the end of the year at Yale. If you had patented it, and put it on the market, you could have made a fortune."

"Perhaps I could have made a fortune, as you say, Frank. But the truth of the matter is that when Dad mentioned the possibility of his expedition, every other thought fled out of my mind. And it was just as well, for to have put this on the market would have meant repeated conferences with manufacturers, trips to Washington, and one thing and another. I would have had to give up making this expedition, and I couldn't bring myself to do that."

Frank nodded.

"Imagine doing that," he said. "I'd sooner kiss the fortune goodbye.

Besides, what a chance here to make a fortune, if we find the Enchanted City! And that will be a lot more romantic way of making it than by a business move."

Mr. Hampton, who had approached in time to hear the conclusion of this conversation, shook his head, but smiled, nevertheless.

"Won't you fellows ever grow up?" he asked.

Jack grinned.

"You're a fine one to talk to us like that, Dad," he said. "Look at your own case. Here you are, an engineer of international reputation, exacting princely fees for your services. Yet you go and sacrifice what probably will amount to a whole year of your time, in order to make this expedition."

Mr. Hampton returned Jack's broad grin with interest.

"I am properly rebuked, Jack," he said. "Well, what's more fun than doing what you like to do, once in a while? When I was a boy I had to work pretty hard, for my people were poor. I worked my own way through college. All the time, I dreamed of adventurous and romantic expeditions, but I had no chance to make them. My nose must always be between the covers of a textbook at night. My thoughts must be on business during the day.

"As a matter of fact, my recollection of my own youth actuated me in giving you this chance. I know what a boy wants. I was denied it myself, and I mean you shall have better luck."

Turning abruptly, he walked away. The boys were silent. When he was out of earshot, Frank said earnestly:

"Jack, your father is a prince."

"I never heard him talk quite so freely of his own youth before," said Jack, thoughtfully. "I want to know more about it."

Without further explanation, he, too, set off in his father's wake.