I saw the force of this kind of reasoning and determined to act accordingly, and the more I thought of it, the more determined I became to be frank, honest and kind, but strong, independent and inflexible in the assertion of my natural right to think and act for myself without having my integrity and purity of character called in question, because I preferred truth to falsehood. At first I dreaded the denouement; but the more I reflected upon it, the more necessary it appeared, and the better I was prepared for the ordeal. The hour of my departure was near. It had been arranged that the Silver King with the delegations from the other Grand Divisions should meet the Altrurian delegation at the ruins of Kroy, and I had agreed to give Pat and Mike a ride on the Eolus, from the Ice King on Lake Byblis, and land them on the Silver King while enroute for the northern extremity of the continent. I started to the Lake early on the morning of May 15th and within an hour from my departure I was on the deck of the Ice King. I found Lief and Eric, as well as Pat and Mike, ready for the journey. As soon as I had secured some scientific instruments I wanted from the equipment of the Ice King and some personal belongings which I regarded as important, I invited the sailors ON BOARD THE EOLUS, and in a moment more we were mounting into the air. We sailed around the lake and gave the people an opportunity of seeing the airship that was destined for the outer world. The Eolus was not built with a view to securing greater speed but for holding its course regardless of contrary winds. In speed, however, it was capable of making considerable progress against a head wind of two hundred miles an hour. I put the ship through the various movements that it was capable of making, such as stopping suddenly, moving backward, moving sidewise and suddenly rising and falling, for the benefit of the sailors and of the numerous spectators. Mike was quick to see the advantage that the Eolus had over other airships and he remarked with enthusiasm: "Well Jack, it will take a lively hurricane to drive you much from your course, but how in the world will you keep from freezing?" "Nothing easier," I said, as I touched a button and lighted the electric burners that were placed between the inner and outer walls. In a minute the walls were hot to the touch and the air inside became sultry. "Gracious!" exclaimed Mike. "You can never stand this. It will roast you." "Then we will cool it," I said, as I shut off part of the burners, "or if this is not enough, I will shut them all off." "But," said Mike, "you have it so hot now that it will take an hour to cool off."