The Magic Island is underwater. 50 feet below the surface of the South Pacific Ocean lies the strange hidden isle of Euclidia. The battle fleet of one of the great nations is holding maneuvers in this section, and the Euclidean scientists have submerged their island rather than run the risk of detection. The Gregory Yacht has been drawn into a submarine lock with all on board, but now only Mrs. Gregory and Jerry remain with the crew, as Captain Tex Bradford and Joan have been taken to another part of the island by G-47. Jerry and Mrs. Gregory are talking excitedly about a radio message just received from Johnson's boat. The skipper is with them. That's fine, Jerry. Then as long as the broken aerial is tied to the anchor chain, you will be able to use the radio. I think so, Mrs. Gregory. You see, the anchor lies on the bottom of this steel lock, and with the aerial mixed up with the anchor chain, we've really got the whole island as an aerial. Was that all you had to tell the skipper? Aye. Did you see where G-47 took Joan and the captain? Nope. Just let the anchor stay down, won't you, skipper, and take another turn or two of aerial wire around that anchor chain to be sure it won't slip off. Will you please, sir? Aye. That's all, skipper. Thanks a lot. Aye. The skipper don't waste a whole lot of time talking, but he knows what he's doing all the time. J-12C to J-24Y, regular quarter hour report. If you are getting me, try relay to land station. No signal from you for 24 hours. Poor Johnson. He doesn't know we're getting him. Large fleet holding maneuvers near last position you gave me. You should be able to contact fleet if in same vicinity, making no attempt to move to your aid as per instructions. J-12C, standing by. J-12C. Gee, I'd like to try sending a message to him. I'm afraid it wouldn't be safe, Jerry. These men would be sure to intercept it on the island. I don't know, Mrs. Gregory. We've got plenty of aerial now, and Johnson's only about 300 miles from here. It might work. But if their radios are grounded on the same framework, no, no use. They'd pick it up, sure. The thing I'm afraid of, Jerry, is that Johnson may send one of the pigeons from his boat. With our yacht in this lock, the poor bird would be hopelessly lost. Yeah, Tex was worried about that too. But I don't know how to send a message to him that G-47 can't figure out. I know the code, Jerry, but it's too dangerous, and I think Tex would just want us to wait a few hours and see if our pigeon gets to Johnson's boat all right. Then we can take action. Okay, Mrs. Gregory. I guess you're right. But it's a funny feeling to have a radio and not to be able to use it. Jerry, did you feel that? Yeah, kind of like a little earthquake. It was sharper than that. There wasn't any sound, yet I distinctly felt the boat shudder just a little. Sure, that fleet's right over us. They must be starting target practice. There it is again. And again. And again. Yes, Jerry, that's target practice. Boy, I hope they don't use any torpedoes. Wouldn't the magnetic field around the island deflect the torpedoes away from us? Yeah, if they're using the magnetic field, but I don't think they are. Why not? Because that would call attention to the island. And I think what old G-47 wants most of all right now is to keep his island a secret. That's right, Jerry. And there may be a chance of a stray torpedo coming this way, though I think we're too deep for a direct hit. I'm getting kind of nervous about Jonah and the captain. I wish we knew what they were doing. So do I, but I think no harm will come to them. I'm not so sure about that. Let's go and look for them. Tex told us to stay here. He wouldn't want us to move around and leave the radio. Yeah, I suppose so. But there's no danger of Johnson calling again right away. He said he'd call every quarter hour. I'll stay here, Jerry, if you want to go look for them. I'll be quite all right here. No, ma'am. We go together or not at all. Tex left me to take care of you and I'm going to do it. I got it. We can leave the skipper in here with the radio. Then we could go and know that someone was here to take any message that came in. We'll do that, Jerry. Go and bring the skipper, will you? Okay. J-12C to J-24Y. J-12C calling J-24Y. Message just received. You must be in danger. Your position has given me impossible. No island at such position. Just received message from battleship engaged in long-range fire on that position. Reports no island. Ship has been getting me clear. Why no message from you? J-12C to J-24Y. We'll ask fleet to look for you. Standing by, Johnson. That's a funny one, isn't it? What's funny about it, Jerry? Johnson has been talking with one of those ships overhead, trying to check on our position. And they've naturally reported to him that there is no island here. There isn't as far as the fleet navigators know. But that's what's funny about it. How did Johnson get that message without me getting it here? Why, Jerry, you're right. Our radio should have picked up the ship's message. And if we can hear Johnson 300 miles away, why couldn't we hear the ship sending within a few miles of us? Possibly right over our heads. For almighty good reason. The ship didn't send any message. You mean... I mean it's a gag, a bluff. Johnson's trying to put over a message to us, telling us that he's near enough to know all about the fleet being right on our position and... J-24E to J-24Y. Johnson to Bradford on J-24Y. Flash from fleet in maneuvers. Small cruiser or yacht reported burning at sea near your last position. I am going to disregard your orders and sail at once. The boson threatened to go without me, says it's an easy course, and he can navigate it alone. So I have decided to go. If your radio is dead on the transmission side, but you can receive this, use manual signals to one of the fleet. I will contact them and pick you up. Sailing at once. Expect average 40 knots. J-12C to J-24Y. We'll call from harbor at Pedro. Johnson. No, it's getting more mixed up. It's all right, Jerry. That was in code. And Johnson used a long story to cover up the 10 or 12 words of value he put carelessly in the middle of it. Well, tell me about it then. I guess I missed it. I hope G-47 did, as it's certain they'd be listening to the message. Well, what's it all about? Johnson said the boson was going to take the boat out without orders if he wouldn't sail. The boson, Jerry. Gee, the boson. The homing pigeon. Boy, it's that slick. And I missed it. I wonder if we should try to find Tex or get word to him. I'm not so sure about that. We might get all excited and give the thing away. And if G-47 knows we're getting any message of value over that radio, it'd soon rip it out of here. On the other hand, Jerry, it's only by allowing us to keep the radio and intercepting our messages that G-47 has any chance to learn of our plans. No, I think we'll be allowed to keep the radio. Well, we could send the skipper after Tex and Joan. Yes, but I'm not sure, Jerry. Let's think on it a few minutes. How about my trying to send a message to Johnson? Maybe we could word it so G-47 wouldn't make anything out of it. Well, it might be all right, Jerry, and it would help a lot if Johnson could know that the boson was on his way to him. But it's too dangerous, I think. We'll just have to wait for Tex and see what he says. Hello, folks. Tex, where's Joan? She's in submarine lock six, right next to this one. And there's going to be something doing mighty quick. What's going on, sir? That last message of Johnson's. I was in the communication chamber getting a lesson on how hopeless our situation is here when that message came in to you. Yes, Tex, and did you understand it? Did you get what Johnson meant about the boson? Sure, I got it, but the trouble is that G-47 got it too. What? Golly, that's bad. You mean G-47 knows we sent that pigeon to Johnson and that Johnson's close enough to receive it right now? Worse than that, son. They've got directional graphs and range finders in that control room that make anything we've got look childish. And 30 seconds after Johnson's message came, they located him and their directional finders. And they know his position to the fraction of a second. But Tex, I know that's bad. And it will hurry Johnson into running away the moment he gets the message off the boson. But after all, G-47 can't do anything about it. He doesn't dare make a move with his battle fleet playing around right over our head. That's what I thought too, but I didn't realize how desperate these scientists are or how much that formula means to them. But gee, Captain Bradford, they're not going to try to stop that pigeon with all the battleships around here, are they? No, not the pigeon, for they're smart enough to realize they can't afford to fight with this fleet just at this time. But Jones said they could destroy battleships quickly and easily with their ray guns. So they can, but it would bring the rest of the world down on them. And they're not just ready for that. They've got to have my formula first, and then they will be able to attack the entire world or defend themselves against it. Gosh, what's it all about, Captain? They just simply can't do anything to that pigeon without the battle fleet seeing them do it. Jones said their large ray guns weren't accurate enough to pick that pigeon out of the air over 50 miles away. And he ought to be nearing that now. Of course, Tex. You're just worried by seeing their wonderful equipment. Jerry's right. They couldn't hit the pigeon with a ray. And Tex, more than that, we're submerged. They can't even use the air rays. And a submarine ray wouldn't hurt the pigeon any. No, a submarine ray wouldn't hurt the pigeon any. But a submarine would hurt Johnson. Golly, whiskers, Captain. Tex, not with this battle fleet right around here. Why, why they wouldn't dare. Maybe not, but they're going to just the same. You mean they're going to send a submarine out after Johnson's boat with all these surface ships and maybe a sub or two of their own out there? Just that, son. And I want you to go along with them. Huh? Me? Me? Go in the submarine? Why, Tex, you don't know what you're suggesting. It's not a suggestion. It's an order. You want to sign on the shot as a member of the crew, didn't you, Jerry? I did, sir. All right. Report to submarine lock six immediately for observation duty on the Euclidean submarine. Aye, aye, sir. But Tex, if anything should happen... That'll do, Pat. Jerry's going with that sub. You follow the ramp back into this lock. Turn left at the end of the lock. You'll find a guard there to take you to the sub. Come on, snap it up. You're holding them up now. Shut off. Aye, aye, sir. Any special orders? Keep your eyes open and your mouth shut. Use your own judgment. That's all. Tex Bradford, do you realize what you've done? You sent that boy out there into certain danger. I could almost hate you for that. Oh, I'm sorry, Pat, but I'm in command of this expedition and it's the only thing to do. I wanted to go along, but G-47 was too smart for that. He figured I might be able to warn Johnson some way when we got near him. Or beat them to the note I sent with the pigeon and destroy it. But Jerry will have to stand by and watch them sink our other boat with Johnson and the crew on board. No danger of that. They want the equipment on board too badly. All Jerry will have to do is to keep his eyes open and warn Johnson not to resist. He'll do that. The kid thinks fast and they were afraid to let me go. Oh, I understand. I'm sorry I was so... Tex, where's Joan? Joan? Why? Oh, she'll be all right. Jerry will take care of her. Jerry? Then Joan... Tex, Joan is going on that submarine? Yes, dear. G-47's orders. He knows we won't dare to make a move to contact this battle fleet or harm the submarine anyway with Joan and Jerry aboard. Joan? And Jerry? Steady, dear. I'm not going to pieces, Tex. I was just thinking how safe the future of the world is in the hands of young people like that.
