It bowled the first man over so neatly that he fell squarely beneath one of his fellows, who was descending loaded with dishes. It rolled one of its wheels across the toes of the next antagonist, and drew from him a shriek which sent people in the dining-room to their feet. After that _coup_, the Gasowashine had things all its own way on the incline. The French cook still maintained his hold. Hawkins pranced alongside and fumbled feverishly, first with that knob, then with this little wheel. Several of them he managed to move, but to no good end. Whether excitement had confused Hawkins' mind on the details of his invention I cannot say; but certainly, far from controlling the Gasowashine, he made matters worse. The machine puffed harder, the wheels revolved more rapidly, and the whole affair climbed steadily toward the dining-room, dragging the tenacious cook along the incline in a sitting posture. Thus was made the first public appearance of the Gasowashine, to the utter amazement of some hundred diners. Bursting through the doors, it snorted for a moment, and seemed to be considering the long rows of tables before it. Several waiters, gasping with astonishment at the uncouth apparition, ran to check its progress. That seemed to stir the Gasowashine anew. It emitted a sharp puff of rage and plunged headlong forward. Hawkins pranced along by its side, half turning as he ran to cry: “Now, just--just make way, ladies and gentlemen, please. It's not at all dangerous. Just make way.” They made way, without losing any undue amount of time. One or two women fainted unostentatiously. Most of them, men and women, scrambled away from the main aisle, which seemed to have been selected by the Gasowashine for its further performances. “Hawkins,” I panted when I had managed to regain breath, “why don't you knock the cursed thing over?” “There, there, there, Griggs,” sizzled Hawkins, dashing the perspiration from his eyes. “I've almost control of it now. I'll just shut off this----” He gave a powerful twist at one of the handles. “That'll----” he began. “Pouff!” roared the Gasowashine, rearing up and lunging wildly from side to side for a moment. Then it started down the aisle in earnest. Bang! Bang! Bang! echoed from the crockery inside. Puff! Puff! Puff! said the motor, driving its hardest. [Illustration: “_I shall let go? Yes?_”] “_Ciel!_” wailed the cook “I shall let it go? Yes?” “No!” shouted Hawkins, running beside the unhappy man. “In just a second it'll----” It did, although not perhaps what Hawkins expected. I saw a little door in the side of the infernal machine flip open. I perceived a shower of finely subdivided crockery hanging over the cook for a moment. Then the bits of china and some two or three gallons of greasy water descended upon the Frenchman and the door flipped to once more. The Gasowashine had dislodged the cook and was free to pursue its wanderings unhindered.