Solomon at once called upon the friends at the shed and introduced himself, demanding full particulars or forbidding the use of the vessel. At this Dennis laughed derisively, saying, “My dear Solomon Magson, as you put it that way we can only point out to you that not all the opposition in the world could prevent it, as I will prove to you. Will you kindly take hold of this bar?” and he handed a bar of steel to his visitor and asked Gilbert to de-atomise it; instantly the bar dropped like a melting candle and became a pool of liquid steel. The visitor was visibly astonished, but remarked, loftily, “Ah, yes! gentlemen, but that is a trick; it is, of course, steel specially prepared for the experiment; it is very pretty!” “No, it is the ordinary best steel, as you will find if you analyse it. Take a bottleful of it; you will notice it runs like quicksilver, but there is this difference, that neither by heat, cold, nor anything you can bring to bear on it will it alter and become solid again; till we give it the power of cohesion,” said Dennis, “it will remain fluid as water.” “You _say_ so, but it is obvious I cannot test it here,” and he gave a superior smile. “You are still unconvinced?” asked Ross. “I have seen no substantial proof as yet,” he replied; “gravity is not affected.” “Here is another bar,” said Dennis, “we will cut this in two and make one half light and the other heavy,” saying which the bar was broken and the roof being open, it was placed on end, instantly to shoot up like a rocket with a whizzing scream, to become white-hot and fall into dust; the other portion was placed on the same spot and the current reversed, when the bar sank into the earth like water and vanished. Again the supercilious official smiled and observed: “Very entertaining, very! I see you have plenty of pretty experiments for visitors.” “Not convinced yet?” asked Dennis, brusquely. “I fear not!” the visitor smiled. “Just stand here, please, opposite the vessel,” said Dennis, drawing him from the end of the shed, at the same time giving a nod to Ross, who passed up the ladder and inside. “You shall have full proof,” he continued, as he walked away. Instantly the visitor rose like a lark half-way up the shed, when several vessels passing in the air slowed up in curiosity, so Ross closed the roof and steel shutters and then sent the sceptical Magson up to the top, where he floated about gently, bobbing his head against the glass after the manner of a gas balloon. “How dare you take such a liberty!” he cried, angrily. “You asked for proof, and you’ve got it!” replied Ross, now on the outer deck, where Gilbert and Dennis joined him. “I will have your vessel destroyed!” Magson shouted, shaking his fist towards them in a fury, which exertion brought his back up to the roof and he narrowly escaped turning upside down. With a struggle, he got the right way up again, and the effort to keep so absorbed most of his attention.