So every one argued, from the highest to the lowest, and the government was petitioned to prevent such an inevitable catastrophe, but the government replied that they had no control whatever over the vessel, and though the owners should be requested to abandon the scheme, pressure could not be brought to bear on them, and again were the conditions of the original deed printed and made public, and all could see that even if the owners arranged to go elsewhere, they could still go to the sun and no one could hinder them. As a matter of fact, the government was afraid of doing anything to stop them; history had recorded what the _Regina_ had accomplished in the past, and the grant of perpetual protection was too serious lightly to be set aside. The people then clamoured for Dennis and his companions to be imprisoned for destroying the pirate airship and causing the death of its owner, but again those in authority refused to move, merely pointing out that the grant gave unlimited power to protect the vessel in the best way possible, and so long as they used that power within due limits, the law would and must uphold them. The man who was killed had only himself to blame, and the owners, in reporting the occurrence, which was proved to be a pure accident, had done all the law required. Foiled at every turn, the populace became furious until the first flush of excitement had passed, when they began to consider the matter more calmly, and what had been anger gave place to an intense curiosity, for they felt that some mysterious secret was withheld from them and that the contemplated voyage must be possible. This excitement grew as the days passed till folk spoke of very little else, each greeting the other with the question whether any news had been received, for all wanted to be the first to know and carry the information with respect to the means by which the heat was to be overcome, but these particulars were not to be divulged till the day of starting, though in view of the great curiosity the owners sent a ‘wave’: “In four days we sail to the sun covered with a heat-resisting net. _Regina_ in net will be on view before starting.”