Passing between the belts nearest the equator, the _Regina_ became involved in the conflicting forces of the revolving atmosphere and the belts and for the space of a few seconds spun round at awful speed, but all danger—if there really was any—passed as she became enveloped in the atmosphere in which she, of course, ceased to spin as she travelled along with it and the planet, seeming stationary but for the slow descent. She was placed in equilibrium some thirty feet from the ground, well out of reach of an assembled and excited throng and before attempting to leave the ship the inmates decided to speak to the people from the outer deck, lest they should not be friendly. They therefore stepped outside, one at a time, in turn, but though their weight had been adjusted, the air was extremely oppressive and it was with much difficulty their voices penetrated the heavy atmosphere. In a few minutes they had severe headaches and were obliged to retire into the artificial air of the ship, in which they quickly revived. Finding it impossible to hold converse with the Jovians either by word of mouth or telepathy, Godfrey sketched a few grubs of various forms on a piece of paper and dropped it amongst them, and they seemed to understand by motioning that they would send something up. “I told you you could not do without me!” he cried, simply delighted, and lowering a thin line. “You see, my friendly triad, you’ll never regret bringing me with you. I can manage these people splendidly—Oh, Great Bona!” he ejaculated, aghast, in a tone that brought the rest to the curved window, through which they looked below; “if they’re not bringing a hippopotamus, or something like it! this is a species of vertebrata with which I am unacquainted, and if it is a specimen of their bugs, I shall, at any rate, be able to show my Earth-friends a new and wonderful variety of Hemiptera, or Rhynchota, as we style them now. Great Bona! here, triad! don’t stand staring at it—do something! that line is no good; get out a steel rope, or else float it up; the bug weighs two ton if he weighs a grain! If we’ve to bring a colony of those things aboard, we shall have to sit outside. There’ll only be room for three of them in all this blessed ship, if it’s emptied to the shell;” and he energetically hauled up the thin cord while the others, laughing heartily, lowered a steel line and hooked the end to the winch. In the meantime the folk below had dragged the weird ‘grub’ to the rope, which they wrapped round its body, but they were either unaccustomed to the work or careless, for when the creature had been hauled about half-way up, the rope slid to one end and he hung head downwards wriggling. “Just look at the silly folk!” exclaimed Godfrey, in disgust, busily directing operations. “They can’t tie a wisp of rope round a thing like that; it will wriggle out soon and break its neck—what are they running away for?”