“Good heavens, you’re—yes, you’re Oliphant. Whew! won’t the old man be in a tantrum. How in the world did you disguise yourself?” “Sammy Byles’ clothes, a little lampblack, and my native brogue do make a difference, don’t they! I’m afraid Mr. Greatorex _will_ be a trifle fizzy; but that won’t matter, afterwards.” “I’m not sure I oughtn’t to go back and drop you.” “Nonsense. I’m in for it now, and when you come to think of it you couldn’t have a better man. Bar Timothy, nobody knows so much about the machine as I do; and I warrant I’m a better hand in a scrimmage, whether with fists or revolvers. I’ve brought my Colt.” It was some time before Tom recovered from his surprise; but for the moment his attention was occupied by the airship. At last he said— “Well, Oliphant, I’m glad enough to have you with me. I hope we shall come through all right.” While speaking, he had stopped the ascensional screws and set the horizontal going. A small aneroid hung just above his head, lit by a carefully screened electric lamp. The reading indicated that the airship had risen to a height of five hundred metres. Maintaining the ascent solely by the inclination of the planes, Tom brought the whole force of the engines to bear on the horizontal screws, and the machine glided onwards at a speed of some twenty miles an hour, gradually rising as she went. Then, at the altitude of a thousand metres, when Tom judged that he was high enough to clear the tops of the hills that fringed the coast, Oliphant reduced the angle of the planes so that it was just sufficient to maintain a constant height at the increased speed of twenty-five miles. “By Jove, this _is_ ripping!” cried Oliphant again. It was a bright starlit night, without a breath of wind. At this altitude the air was crisp and keen, producing a sense of exhilaration in the occupants of the car. Even Abdul, who had quaked inwardly and clutched the rail when the machine rose to such a giddy height, had now lost his tremors, and looked around him with wonderment and delight. The ship was soaring over the land, which lay outstretched like a vast black floor three-quarters of a mile beneath. Behind, the lights of the yacht could be faintly distinguished; before, there was not a glimmer over the whole country. The airship crossed a peak or two, then sailed over a rolling plain; by and by more hills loomed black in front. The aneroid, an extremely delicate instrument, now indicated that the machine was slowly sinking. Oliphant again adjusted the planes; the airship passed clear of the hills, and Tom steered as directly as he could guess for the spot he had marked on his map.