“We traveled over the Vierwaldstaetter See, and crossed to Knessnacht, to Zug Lake, and up northward to Zug itself. Then came the most difficult task which Professor Hergesell had assigned to the air ship. The craft was to carry us straight across to Lake Zurich, through a narrow pass where it would be caught in a veritable cyclone. The motors groaned and rattled. The propellers howled a deep groaning song. The air ship did all that it could. The wind was dead against us, traveling with a velocity of nearly thirty-one miles an hour. The Count could easily have arisen and escaped the fury of the blast, but it was his purpose not to avoid obstacles, but to court them. Whenever the great air ship showed signs of swerving, it was brought back to its course. Far below us in the valley the sharply marked shadow of the air ship, crawling slowly from tree to tree, showed us how hard it was struggling. There were minutes when it seemed as if we stood stock still, despite the infernal music of the propellers. Gradually the nose of the craft was thrust forward; once more the air ship mastered the winds. We had forced our way through the pass, and were dashing on at full speed. The vast shadow below us traveled with the velocity of a bird over the mountain, valleys, cliffs and rocky points, over railway embankments and road, over water and land.” Two attempts were made in July, 1908, to complete the government test; but they proved abortive, and in the second one the hull was damaged by the wind pushing it sidewise against the shed, as it was being towed out by motor boat. This accident caused a delay of two weeks, much to the disappointment of the expectant populace. As a consequence Zeppelin resolved to begin the next attempt unheralded. He had the repairs made quickly and all was ready early in August.