100 TRIPHIBIAN ATOMICAR
Later that morning Arv, Hank, and Slim arrived from Shirabad in the Sky Queen.
“Our radio conked out last night,” Arv explained, after hearing about Tom’s vain attempt to contact them. “Turned out to be a blown condenser, but we had so much trouble tracing it down we let the repair job go until this morning. Sorry, skip.”
“No harm done,” Tom said with a chuckle, “but our nerves got a slight workout.”
Hank reported that he had engaged an interpreter with whose aid he had rounded up a number of workmen, ready to start as soon as needed.
“Good work, Hank,” Tom said. “Let’s hope they’ll catch on to what we want done.”
After mapping the camp site carefully and making another brief survey flight, Tom set the Sky Queen on course back to Shopton. Stars studded the night sky as they winged homeward across the Atlantic.
“Let’s see. That there’s the Big Dipper, ain’t it?” said Chow, peering off to starboard. “And that star right above it is the North Star.”
“Go to the head of the class, pardner,” said Tom, smiling.
“I guess sailors an’ awy-ators don’t have to steer by the North Star any more-like folks used to in the ole days-do they, Tom?”
“That’s right.” Tom grinned. “Still nice to
MAGNETIC HOMING PIGEON 101
have it up there, though. But we do have pretty reliable compasses these days.”
Chow scratched his bald dome. “Never can keep straight how them thingamabobs work.”
Tom explained that a magnetic compass needle kept pointing toward the poles through the lines of force exerted by the earth. In turn, the earth acts as a natural magnet. A gyrocompass, on the other hand, is like a spinning top which always stays lined up in one direction.