"Listen. I will give you the choice of drinking this deadly poison, or of being dropped ten thousand feet from my aeroplane. Which will you take?" The prince shuddered slightly, and glanced up into the cloudless blue, as though anticipating what such a death might mean, then looked at the small phial which the brigand held forth in his hand. "Yes, ten thousand feet!" continued the German, as he noted the anxious look which overcast the Hindoo’s face for an instant, as he gazed up into the sky. "Then I will loop the machine, and, with your hands pinioned, you will be thrown out and drop, drop---- Which will you choose?" "I will drink the poison," replied the prince, who had now regained his usual composure. "Very well. Let him be securely tied to that tree to await our pleasure," and the maharajah was instantly seized by three or four powerful Arabs, and secured to a tree some twenty paces away. "What about his valuables, sir?" asked Carl. "Have you examined them?" "Yes, sir." "And what do they consist of?" asked the king. "His jewels, his gold and silver plate, studded with rare gems of priceless value. They are worth five times the value of the specie," whispered Carl. "And what else? You said there were ten boxes." "Part of his regalia and numerous ceremonial robes." "They are all confiscated!" announced the monarch. "The sun will set in another two hours, and at sunset the Indian must die." "There is nothing else, sir, of much value. All the gold and this personal property has been secured. Here is the list of passengers, for there are scarcely any passports held by the strangers," and here Carl, who had paid a visit to the aerial, whispered something to his chief. "Good! Then, in your opinion, chancellor, sufficient tribute has now been obtained from these strangers who have crossed our territory without permission," said the bandit aloud for all to hear. "Yes, sir." "Then let them board the airship at once. She will be cast adrift in ten minutes." At this there was a scramble for the gondolas, and very quickly all, save the captain and the navigating officer, were aboard. The judge and the colonel, however, prevailed upon by the maharajah’s men, descended again to intercede for the life of the Indian. "You have taken the man’s jewels," said the colonel. "At least you might spare his life." "You may have his body," remarked the airman, "but he must first drink the phial," and a stern look appeared once more in the robber-bandit’s eyes. On this point he was unbending, and remained like adamant. "The airship is ready now, sir," said the captain, making a final appeal for the life of the maharajah. "I should like to report, at any rate, when I do complete my journey, that all my passengers are safe, though I expect to be two days late with only two engines and this beam wind. Once more, will you release the Indian?"