“My idea was this,” began Masters. “We have ten engines on board, of which we use only one at a time; the others are reserve stock, as it were, or would be useful if we came up against very nasty weather and needed a stronger power to use against the elements. At the time I worked out my theory, Sir John had no interest in life. You two young gentlemen we believed were dead, and I have neither kith nor kin. It struck us, that one day we might try and reach the outside of the earth’s atmosphere for experimental purposes. I needn’t go into exact figures now, it would not interest Mrs. Forsyth, but you all know after a certain distance up life becomes impossible. Should we ever reach that height, we should have recourse to these levers,” and as he spoke he pulled them down one after the other. “Now we will put the electric light on, and I would be glad if you would step out on to the upper deck.” Mavis gave a cry of amazement. Gone was the view of the sky; gone the heavens above and the earth beneath. The entire ship was covered in with an awning of metal. “Do explain,” said Alan. “This covering works almost on the principle of a Venetian blind,” went on Masters. “There are really two coverings, with a space of thirty inches between. The levers release the metal and it unfolds and clips into position by means of strong clasps. By means of another lever we fill the cavity between with a mixture of gases—ether is the chief component, and this makes our little home absolutely air proof and rain proof; and above all it makes the inner vessel impervious to atmospheric pressure or gravitation. We hope later on, by the aid of an electrical device we are still working upon, to generate an atmosphere of our own, outside the vessel, which will enable us to propel ourselves through infinite space, and thus we should be independent of the atmospheric peculiarities around us.” “But how can we breathe?” asked Mavis the practical. “Masters thought of that contingency also,” said Sir John. “In the little room we have just left are dynamos for generating our own electricity; there is also another dynamo for generating an inexhaustible supply of air.” “You have left nothing to chance,” said Alan. “Nothing, my boy. Remember this is the culmination of over thirty-five years of study and experiment, and the last five years have seen us progress by leaps and bounds.” “Our absence had its good side, after all,” said Alan. “Had we been allowed to remain, you might never have got this machine to such perfection.”