“Great Scott!” Tom ejaculated, in consternation. But in a moment his face cleared. “We’ll manage that,” he said cheerfully. But then he received another shock. He saw that the four or five men who had held their watch on the plateau were still there: they had not followed the rest. Their horses could be seen tethered in the grove beneath, and the men were gathered in a knot, watching the rapid approach of the machine, which probably they had expected to see no more. “There’s only one thing for it,” said Tom. “We must go slap at them, and trust to luck. If they shoot, they may do so before we are within range, and at this speed they may easily miss us. They are sure to be a bit nervous, too.” Tom had already begun the descent, obliquely upon the hill. When the airship was, as nearly as he could calculate, on a level with the summit, he again put the engines to their utmost speed, and dashed straight at the little group. There were three or four reports almost simultaneously, and above the whirr of the screws Tom thought he heard a sound of rending, as if one of the planes had been struck by a bullet. The vessel, indeed, dipped slightly, and for a moment he feared that it would be dashed against the face of the hill. But he jerked up the lever controlling the planes, the airship rose the few feet necessary to clear the summit, and once more sped on its course. By this time, however, the group on the hilltop had taken fright. They could not know that if the airship dashed into them, they would be as formidable to it as it could be to them. Even if they had known this, they would probably not have been willing to sell their lives, even though in doing so they should break up the machine and hurl its occupants to destruction. With one consent they broke and fled. Tom instantly reversed the engines, and the airship glided slowly to rest on the plateau. But the path by which the fugitives were attempting to make good their flight was only wide enough to accommodate one man at a time, and that with difficulty. Only three of the men had begun to descend when Tom sprang out of the car. The other two, fearing to be attacked from behind, turned instinctively to meet the supposed danger. Then, seeing that they had only two men to deal with, and feeling no doubt that they would be completely at the mercy of these men when once they had begun the descent, they hesitated for a second at the brink.