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26. We crept slowly forward among legs and arms. A dozen men
were snoring around us, and one fellow turned over, muttering
something in his sleep, as my boot brushed against his shoulder. The
ladder was gained. We climbed up the side of the great machine
without a sound, and took our places within, as best we could in the
darkness. Again Torry's mouth was at my ear.
"I must wait a minute," he said, "until my eyes become
accustomed to the light. As soon as I can see the outlines a little
better we are off!"
The silence was only broken by the breathing of the sleeping
men around us. I was in an agony of suspense fearing there would
be some hitch at the last—something wrong about the machine
which might prevent its rising. The time seemed eternal. But the
great open end of the barn was growing in clearness of outline. The
fog was friendly; but the dawn was approaching. Again my brother's
hand was upon my shoulder.
"Now brace yourself!" he said; "we are going!"
The air ship trembled. It was a sensation never experienced
before. The vibrations seemed to pass through the innermost fibers
of my being. I felt that we were being lifted in the air, and then that
we were slowly floating out at the open end of the barn.
There was a shout and a curse and a call to arms. Noiseless as
our movements had been, the men were aroused, and in an instant
a score of voices were calling and yelling in every direction:
"Stop thief! Surround the barn! Where are they?"
A hideous medley of curses, groans, and sounds of fighting rose
through the darkness from every quarter of the field; but the air ship
27. was far above, and hidden from eight in the dense gloom of the
morning fog.
"Let them fight it out among themselves," said Torrence,
drawing a long sigh of relief; "we shall never see them again!"
We rose steadily and slowly for several minutes, Torrence saying
it would be necessary to be well above the houses, as we were
going to pass directly over London and must take no risk of a
collision in the darkness. Presently I could feel that we were
sweeping ahead. The movement was perfect, and as we sped rapidly
forward through the dense atmosphere, catching an occasional glint
of a street lamp below, all sense of fear departed. The trembling had
ceased; and I felt as though we were floating rapidly away on the
breast of a cloud, or upon, the back of some monstrous bird; only
here there was no effort. It was the only element comprehended. I
could imagine nothing more sublime, more exhilarating. It was the
absolutely finished poetry of flight. Beyond this, there was a feeling
of safety far surpassing that of earthly locomotion, possibly due to
the knowledge that we were lifted clear above all obstacles; that no
uncertain switch, or ill-timed train could affect us. On we swept, in
an ecstasy of rapture, realizing neither our speed nor place,
engrossed only with the novelty of our situation, and watching the
coming dawn.
Suddenly a great, dazzling object not twenty yards away flashed
past us.
"Great God!" exclaimed Torrence, rising, "I thought I was too
high for that."
"What was it?" I asked in amazement.
"The cross on top of St. Paul's!"
28. We had narrowly missed it, and caught sight of it, just as it
reflected the first rays of the rising sun, in a rift of the fog, and just
as I was congratulating myself upon being above every earthly
object. But it was a clear miss and no harm done.
Presently the fog cleared and we looked down upon the great
city of London speeding away below.
"And where are we going, old man?" I inquired at last, hardly
able to contain myself with the strange delight of this new sensation
of flying.
"To the North Pole!" said Torrence, holding fast to his levers,
screws, and steering apparatus.
IX.
With the rising of the sun the fog cleared, and the great city of
London was spread out away beneath us. It was a sight I can never
forget, and a sensation unequalled by any previous experience.
Patches of smoke blocked out large areas of the metropolis, but
there was promise of a day of rare, Spring-like beauty. As we floated
aloft, above the smoke and grime, through an atmosphere of
translucent purity, we watched with interest the shifting masses
beneath, and drank in with delight the marvelous scene. On and on
we flew, at one moment unscreened from the streets and houses of
the city, at, the next catching only occasional glimpses of a tower or
steeple piercing an earthward cloud, like the finger of a submarine
monster pointing heavenward. But far to the north the smoke had
29. vanished, and the green fields of Spring would soon be under us. It
was a dream of bliss, transcending the power of words to picture, or
the imagination of man to conceive.
"It makes me shudder," said Torrence, "to think of what a
narrow escape we had just now. A few feet more to the left and we
would have banged into St. Paul's cross!"
I admitted that it would have been an ugly collision.
"The truth is," he continued, "I miscalculated our height; and in
the fog and darkness, we may have had some other close shaves,
for all I know."
"Hardly," I answered; "the houses in London are not high, as a
rule."
"There are the Queen Anne flats at Victoria station," observed
Torrence.
"True; but surely we did not go as far to the west as that?"
"Indeed we did. I ran considerably out of our course
intentionally. You see I wanted to take in London by daylight; and
wouldn't have missed the sight for a barrel of money. I ran slow, as
well as indirectly, or we would have been well out of Middlesex by
now. But I really thought we were higher, and should have consulted
the barometer; but in getting away from those hounds I never
thought of it. But thank God we're all right now. How do you like the
air ship?"
"It's the grandest thing on the earth or off of it!" I answered;
"but you haven't told me why those fellows wanted us; and why we
had to sneak out of the hotel like thieves."
"There's lots of time for that," he answered; "but let us not miss
this sight while we have it."
30. And I did not want to miss it myself, but before we had quite
passed the suburbs Torrence explained as follows:
"You remember Hart?" he began.
"Perfectly; you mean Wetherbee's partner; the fellow we had
our first interview with."
"Yes. Well, do you know that when the scoundrel discovered
that we were building the machine without his aid, and that we were
becoming the talk of London for our wealth, and manner of living,
he was consumed with envy, and fearing that he had lost a good
thing, got out an injunction against our moving the vessel, on the
ground of being Wetherbee's partner? Of course he totally
misrepresented the facts, and——"
"Then you did violate the law after all!" I exclaimed, feeling that
I had been deceived.
"Not in the least!" he answered; "the paper was never served; I
took care that it shouldn't be. But there were men in waiting at the
entrance to the Mustapha, who confidently expected to catch me as
I passed in or out, and if I had not come by a private entrance and
left as we did, we should be down there now, and perhaps for a year
to come, waiting the settlement of a legal investigation. Now, I knew
if I stopped to explain matters to you, we might not get off. You
would naturally argue the point, and the precious time be lost. I was
warned of this pending injunction by one of the gentlemen I
introduced you to in the billiard room, who certainly did me a very
decent turn in return for my favors in the money line. The fellow
found it out quite accidentally, but he didn't forget me."
I was amazed, and greatly relieved to find so simple an
explanation of what, but a few hours before had a painfully criminal
31. aspect. If Torrence could explain the mystery of his sudden wealth
as satisfactorily I should be more than gratified; and this I suggested
to him.
"My dear boy," he answered, "every penny I have spent will be
as satisfactorily accounted for as being my own legitimate money as
what I have just told you. I have never committed an illegal or
dishonorable act in its acquirement, and when the time comes to
explain, I will do it; but not yet."
He touched a button on his left, and I was conscious of slightly
increased speed.
The green fields were now beneath us, and the few clouds that
hovered above only kept the sun from being too warm. The motion
of the most perfect boat, gliding before an imperceptible breeze,
would be barbarous compared with ours.
Our vessel was loaded with every luxury, including such clothing
as we should need in the latitudes we proposed to visit. And not only
were there suits for cold weather but for warm as well, we having
left our trunks at the Mustapha. Furs and eider-downs were here
galore, beside every contrivance for Arctic comfort. Beyond these,
we had abundance of fire-arms, and ammunition. Our sleeping
apartments were luxurious. They were situated forward, with a
comfortable bed in each, and separated by a curtain with rings
which slid upon a brass rod, running parallel with the length. Our
cooking arrangements were astern, and immediately before them
our dining room or saloon—a cosy little apartment with sliding
windows, which could be opened to admit the purest air in the
world. Indeed the ventilation had been admirably planned, and
nowhere, or in any kind of weather need we suffer from a fetid
32. atmosphere. In the center, but below the main deck, was the motive
power, controlled from a small table above, where Torrence
manipulated screws, levers, and springs, utterly beyond my
comprehension. The machinery was entirely out of the way, and the
space utilized to admirable advantage. Cushioned seats surrounded
the wall of the saloon, and above was an open deck which ran the
entire length of the boat. This was surrounded by an aluminum rail,
filled in with a fine net of the same material. It required more nerve
than I possessed at first to mount the ladder and look out over the
taffrail, although the sense of security below was perfect, so that I
could inspect the country from the saloon windows with as much
indifference as though I were on the deck of an ocean steamer. It
was not long, however, before I could go above and lean over the
bulwarks with equal intrepidity. Through the hatch the sky was
always visible, even in the saloon, which was never closed except in
cold or stormy weather.
In order to make the construction of our air ship perfectly clear,
let the reader imagine a gigantic cartridge or cigar, tapering at each
end. Now flatten the top of your cigar, and put a railing around it
and it would represent our upper deck. Now, divide your cigar
longitudinally halfway between the upper deck and the bottom, and
from end to end; and you have our main deck; in the center of
which is the saloon or dining room, or general living room, to the
rear of which is the kitchen, and forward, our beds. Beneath this
deck is the machinery, entirely out of sight, and operated from either
the saloon or the upper deck.
Our larder was more than ample; comprising an endless variety
of tinned goods, as well as quantities of such vegetables as would
33. keep in the open. We had large supplies of both fresh and salt
meats, and all arranged to handle conveniently. In short, it was a
camping outfit upon an extended scale, including wines, fruits,
medicines and implements which might become necessary during
the voyage. Having to do our own work, the equipment had been
planned upon the most judicious and labor saving lines, so that it
was astonishing how little effort was required to prepare a meal; and
having no back yard to keep tidy, it was only necessary to throw the
scraps and refuse overboard.
At times when we hovered nearer the surface of the earth it
was amusing to see what excitement we caused the populace. In
passing over a village the entire population would turn out into the
streets, and shout themselves hoarse before leaving them out of
sight, and being unlike the ordinary balloon, we were naturally
looked upon with greater astonishment. Torrence having set his
controlling apparatus, it no longer required attention, until some
change in speed, elevation, or direction was desired; so that he was
as free to move about the vessel as I was. The landscape was
passing beneath us, with a steady flowing motion, giving the
impression that a considerable distance would be covered during the
day, although the rate of speed was deceptive. It was interesting to
trace our course over the charts, with which we were amply
provided. Maps of each of the counties were spread out upon the
table, and we were singularly well situated to test their accuracy.
I was wondering how fast we were going and inquired.
"About twenty-five miles an hour," said Torrence; "she is capable
of much greater speed; but there's no hurry, and I don't want to
strain her on her maiden trip."
34. "And how high are we?"
"About five hundred feet."
I was reflecting that it was no very great height, or
extraordinary speed, when I heard the sharp swinging sound of a
bullet, and looked down. I saw a man passing through a field with a
gun in his hand and looking up. Evidently he had fired at us, not
knowing what we were; possibly with the intention of finding out.
"He's going to shoot again!" I called to Torrence; but at that
minute my brother pressed a button and we were swung aloft with
great velocity, as if seized by some gigantic hand.
"I shan't give him a chance," he answered, as we plunged into a
cloud, and then darted forward with increased speed. Again we were
enveloped in a dense wet blanket, but as there was no fear of a
collision, did not slacken our rate, but swept on like a hurricane
unable to see a thing in any direction beyond the vessel.
"Now," said Torrence, looking at a small instrument on the
governing board, "we are whirling along at the rate of fifty miles an
hour. Risky business on land in a cloud like this, but here—thank
Heaven—there is nothing on the track! When we lower ourselves out
of the fog, and come in view of the earth again, our sporting friend
will be lost to sight."
In about ten minutes we dropped to our former level, and
reduced our speed. Of course there was no reason why we should
not remain above, except that it was more interesting to have the
earth for a companion.
"Suppose he had hit us?" I observed.
"There's not one chance in a hundred that he would hurt us if
he had. I prepared for such enterprising fools by protecting her
35. critical parts with asbestos and rubber; but it isn't pleasant to be
fired at, and when one can move out of range so easily it seems the
right thing to do."
Later in the day I went above and found it the pleasantest part
of the boat, and was surprised to find how all fear had left me. I
asked Torrence if he intended to land anywhere in England; to which
he gave a negative answer, saying that it might not be safe, from
the danger of having papers served upon him.
"There is no necessity to halt," he added; "our course is
probably watched, and the news of our landing will be telegraphed
to London, and they might make it difficult for us to get away again.
We are safe out of their reach now, and it would be better to lot well
enough alone. When I land it will be upon some uninhabited coast
where they can't find us."
"How long can you keep afloat?" I inquired.
Torrence laughed.
"Forever, if I want to. There's no limit to our capacity in that
line. When the chemicals are exhausted, or have formed new
combinations, I have only to supply the proper proportions of air and
water, and the original conditions are restored. So if for any reason it
should prove inconvenient to land, all we have to do is to drop a line
with a bucket over any river or sea, and pull up a pail of water, run
the compressor into the generator with the chemicals—and presto—
all the power is restored. It is perpetual motion, with the very
minimum of attention. Rather it is gravitation neutralized; and so
simple, it is a marvel men never thought of it before."
I had made no inquiry about the North Pole, supposing it was
only a jest; not doubting, however, that he really meant to make an
36. extended trip northward; but now, on alluding to the subject,
Torrence declared that it was his serious intention to penetrate into
the mysteries of the Polar regions, farther than any navigator had
ever gone.
"We may find it worth our while," he said, "and there is no
reason why we should not."
I told him that while I felt some doubt about the ice barriers, I
was ready to follow him anywhere; to which he answered with a
good deal of force that so long as the vessel depended only on the
atmosphere for her support, he could see no reason why we could
not ride over icebergs, frozen mountains and continents, to the ends
of the earth. All we had to do was to keep above all obstructions,
and to prevent ourselves from freezing, against which possibility we
were amply provided. He showed me how our saloon could be made
perfectly snug, and heated to any temperature desired; and that the
motive apparatus was entirely protected, and could likewise be kept
warm.
"Should our upper deck become loaded with snow," he added,
"we shall be obliged to put on our extra feathers and go above to
clean it off; not such a very difficult matter when you consider that
we are well provided with the appliances."
Indeed, it seemed to me that nothing had been overlooked, and
as Torrence had all his life had a hankering for Arctic exploration, I
was not greatly astonished at his decision. I reflected that the pole
could never be reached except by balloon, and that the difficulty of
ordinary ballooning was the impossibility of advancing against air
currents, and that since our ship had overcome that point, it did
really appear as if we might be in a fair way to accomplish
37. something more than other explorers. I became greatly interested,
and began to look for marvelous results.
At noon I went into the galley and prepared dinner, while
Torrence kept watch above on the upper deck, where there was also
a duplicate controlling board. We had eaten nothing since the
previous night; the excitement of getting off having kept the thought
of food from entering our heads, but now we were hungry. It was
undoubtedly the first time since the creation that a meal had been
cooked and eaten at that elevation over Northhampton, but it was
none the worse for that, and two hungrier men could not have
honored the occasion. From our seats in the saloon we had a good
outlook upon every side. Forward we looked directly ahead through
the cuddy ports—aft—through our stern lights in the galley, and
upon either side were great sliding windows. The watch was, of
course, only to guard against any unexpected elevation in the land,
such as a hill, otherwise—or even had we been a little higher—we
might have drawn the blinds and run on with impunity. After dinner
we threw the scraps overboard, and went on deck for a smoke, and
watched the country steadily slipping away beneath us. We were
fanned by a gentle breeze, which might have been stiffer, but such
wind as there was, was blowing dead aft.
"This," said Torrence, looking about him with pride, "is what I
call the climax of living. Above your enemies; above your friends;
and out of reach of all the petty annoyances of earth!"
I was as jubilant as he, and found it quite as difficult to conceal
my emotions, which were altogether natural; for has not flight been
always regarded as a prerogative of angels? and has not man
aspired to it as the most perfect form of migration? The exhilaration
38. was beyond description; and as we swept on through that long
summer day, there was a sense of power and freedom which no
other form of locomotion could impart.
"I could never be content to live down there again!" I said,
flipping the ashes from my cigar overboard.
"Nor I," said Torrence; "not after this experience. The sky is
good enough for me!"
Toward evening we could hear the tinkling of bells and lowing of
herds, and catch an occasional shout of surprise from a frightened
farmer, as we dipped a little nearer earthward, and then skurried
aloft and away, before he had time to recover his equanimity. At a
small village in the southern part of Lincolnshire we pounced
suddenly upon a traveling circus, and stampeded the entire crowd,
not one of which will ever forget us. It was the grandest game
imaginable; to come swooping down to within fifty or seventy-five
feet of the ground, over an unsuspecting congregation of
countrymen, and then dart onward and upward amid their shouts of
consternation. However, we did not indulge in this sort of thing
often, not wishing to incur the risk of being fired at. It showed,
nevertheless, the absolute control we had over the machine, and
was interesting from a scientific, as well as a humorous point of
view.
Toward sundown I smelled salt air, and knew we were
approaching the sea. Then we ran into a bank of mist, and the earth
was lost to view. I asked Torrence where we were heading for, and
he said:
"I am going to run around the city of Hull; leaving it a few miles
upon our right, so as not to attract attention, and then cross over to
39. Norway."
"You surely don't intend to try the North Sea to-night!" I
exclaimed in surprise.
"Why not? There is no danger," he answered.
I did not argue the matter, feeling safe in his hands. The fog
bank continued for some minutes, and when we suddenly ran out of
it, imagine my astonishment to find ourselves hovering directly over
a large city, with the sea beyond.
X.
Torrence jumped up in consternation, and looking overboard,
exclaimed with an oath that he thought we were at least five miles
to the southwest of that town.
"And what difference does it make?" I inquired.
"Look for yourself!" he cried; "they are expecting us. I feared
our course would be telegraphed to all sea ports; but they shan't
track me out of the country," he added, looking aloft significantly,
"that is, not if I can help it."
"I should say we had decidedly the whip handle of them!" I
replied.
"So we have. Of course they can't stop us, but I think it will be
just as well to give them a false scent for their trouble. It may be
interesting to use a little strategy with these people, Gurt, although
we are undoubtedly masters of the situation."
40. Looking down I saw that the streets were crowded with people
gazing up at us; and around the Wilberforce monument, on both
sides of the bridge, it looked as if a mob had gathered to intercept
our progress. In the open square, probably not less than a hundred
soldiers had been assembled under arms, and had a very
threatening aspect.
"Surely they won't fire on us!" I exclaimed.
"Not a bit of danger, they wouldn't dare; and if they did, they
couldn't hurt us. No, the red coats are only for show; but if they got
ugly, we could clean out the crowd by simply dropping a lot of
cartridges overboard, without taking our guns out of the racks."
He pressed a button, turned a lever, and we slowed down.
"They want to speak to us, and perhaps it will be just as well to
give them a chance."
A man was waving a white flag, evidently intended to attract
our attention. He appeared to be some high functionary of the town,
judging from his dress and general deportment. He held a paper in
his other hand, which he indicated was for us. Torrence waved his
handkerchief in reply, and pulled the air ship down to a dead halt,
about two hundred and fifty feet above the level of the street.
"It may be the injunction!" I suggested.
"Too late for that now," said Torrence; "they can't enjoin me
after I've left. But I don't want them to know my course, and shall
therefore humbug them a little."
He looked earnestly above at a great white cloud that had crept
up from the southwest, and which had now nearly covered the sky.
He then took a pencil, and with a writing pad resting on the rail,
wrote:
41. "If you have any communication to make I will let down a line."
This he threw overboard. It was picked up immediately, and
handed to the official who was standing quite separate from the
others. Shouts of "lower your line!" were now heard distinctly, and in
another minute we had dropped a cord overboard, with a screw tied
to the end for a weight. It did not take long to draw up the line
again, at the end of which was an official looking document.
Torrence tore open the envelope hastily, and began reading. In a
minute he thrust it into his pocket and said:
"Rot!"
"What's the matter?" I asked him.
"That blackguard, Hart, wants to get me back to London.
Pretends I've committed a crime by moving the air ship without his
consent. Promises forgiveness—the lunatic—if I'll return; and—of all
the gall in creation—says he will pay down a handsome sum, as he
calls it, for a half interest in the air ship, if I'll come back and make it
over to him; and then to cap the climax, has the effrontery to
threaten me if I don't do it. The fellow must either be a dolt himself
or take me for one. But I'll make it interesting for him,
nevertheless!"
"They must take us for a brace of nincompoops," I replied; "but
is it in the form of a summons?"
"Seems to be a kind of capias for my arrest, but how on earth
can they execute their orders while I'm up here?" said Torrence.
"You surely don't intend to return," I said, looking over his
shoulder.
"Of course not; but I'm determined not to be tracked out of the
country. The man has done all he could to thwart me by foul means.
42. He has tried to entrap me in a pretended form of law. He
endeavored to prevent my sailing by procuring an injunction issued
upon false representations, and if he's fool enough to suppose that
I'd return to London—why let him suppose it, and wait, and sweat!"
He now headed the air ship toward London, and rising, sailed
away from the town.
"Let them think what they please!" he said. Torrence got up on
the top deck and waved his hat, and then every one shouted. I think
there was some doubt, however, as to whether we really intended to
return, until they saw us gradually head about, and point our prow
toward London; then there was an unmistakable yell of delight from
every throat.
We were soon running against the wind, due south. The cloud
bank which had been steadily pushing up out of the southwest now
nearly covered the sky at an elevation of many thousand feet. The
city of Hull was fading in the distance. It would soon be lost to sight.
I looked at the earth below, and saw that we were steadily
ascending upon an inclined plane.
"When we are wrapt in the bosom of the clouds," said Torrence,
"I intend to put about, and run directly over their heads, out of
sight, and be far to seaward before the sun sets."
The clouds were still at a great altitude above us; and to
prevent our real intentions being discovered we made the ascent
very gradually, still steering south, but on an ascending plane, so
that upon entering the cloud bank it would be apparent to all that
we were still headed for London. The elevation might be easily
accounted for on the hypothesis of air currents, so that no suspicion
of insincerity would be aroused on the part of those watching us.
43. "Now," said Torrence, "as we are going up to a great height, we
might find it more comfortable to slip on warmer clothing; or at all
events to get out some top coats."
This we did, and then seating ourselves on deck, watched the
great feathery mass into whose bosom we were gradually
ascending. All at once the earth, the sky, and the greater part of the
air ship vanished. We had plunged into the cloud, and I could not
even see Torry, who was sitting only a few feet away. Luckily we had
on tarpaulins, or we should have been wet to the skin. It was like
unaided flight, not even our support being visible. Torrence's voice
came out of the invisible, producing a weird sensation, and I could
feel that we were still being borne rapidly upward.
"Still ascending?" I inquired, feeling as if I were addressing
chaos.
"Still ascending!" came the answer.
"How much higher do we go?"
"Clear above this bank. It will be pleasanter."
The words had a strange unnatural sound, as if coming from
under the water. My body was the only objective reality in all
creation, and even the more distant parts of that showed a tendency
to evade me. Still onward and upward, with nothing to prove our
motion save the feeling which the vessel imparted. Suddenly a flood
of sunlight enveloped us, and we rose like a duck out of the water
into another element. A milk-white sea was spread beneath; a
dazzling sky above. Again Torrence was at his screws and levers. We
halted, and trembled for a moment in midair, preparatory to
changing our course; and then, with the rush of a sudden gale, went
44. swirling ahead in the opposite direction. A minute later he looked at
the register and said:
"Altitude, eight thousand two hundred. Speed, a mile a minute.
Course, northeast by north!"
And now the Hullites could amuse themselves speculating how
long it would take us to reach London, while we swept on to the
North Sea.
Our present altitude was unpleasantly cold, and the atmosphere
perceptibly rarefied, but it was not the intention to remain at such
an elevation longer than necessary, and when well beyond the
English coast we would descend to our former level. It was here that
a strange sight attracted our attention.
As the sun worn down, our milky ocean became transfused with
color. At first the change was slight, merely a rosy flush caught
against the higher points; but quickly the entire surface was
emblazoned; flooded with a million dyes of liquid fire, of a depth and
splendor that was dazzling. Such purples, greens, and violets—vivid,
intense, pale, and shadowy. It was as if we had suddenly discovered
the polychromatic sea of an unknown planet, but a sea whose
waters were strangely lacking in specific gravity and from whose
surface a myriad eddies of violet and other colored smokes arose like
incense, curling, twisting, and falling, and constantly changing tone,
shape, and density over the entire mass.
We were bewildered—dazed. While looking down upon this
marvelous panorama we were suddenly startled by a sight I shall
never forget. Far down to the east another air ship was following at
tremendous speed. Black and forbidding it plunged along through
the fiery waves, as if bent on running us down. It was the
45. counterpart of our own vessel. We seized each other's hands in
amazement, overcome with horror. So brilliant was the scene below
that it was an instant before we realized that the awful object was
our own phantom, or shadow, cast upon the clouds beneath; but
during that instant it was a terrifying sight.
When the sun disappeared we were left in the dull gray of
twilight, and as the cold was increasing began at once descending to
a lower level. Again the cloud drift was about us, darker and denser
than ever; but we quickly passed through it, and I was surprised on
emerging, to find the North Sea beneath, and the bluffs of
Scarborough fading in the distance.
"There is no danger of our being sighted from land now!" said
Torrence, checking our descent, and fixing the altitude at about five
hundred feet above the sea, He also reduced our speed to its former
rate, twenty-five miles an hour, which he said was fast enough. The
temperature here was warm and pleasant, with light breeze from the
southwest, which, by the by, we did not catch, as we were moving
faster, in the opposite direction, making our own wind. The sea was
deserted, and the land barely visible. It would still be some time
before dark, and we took places on deck to watch out for vessels.
We had purposely taken a course away from the track of the Wilson
steamers, which ply between Drontheim and Hull; not that it was a
matter of any vital importance, but Torrence wanted to keep our
movements from the public if possible. This was easily done, both by
reason of an extended horizon and the enormous speed we could
develop if necessary.
As darkness came on we went below, closing the shutters to all
lookouts, so as not to reveal our position, and then lighted a
46. swinging lamp, deriving all necessary ventilation from above,
whence no light was visible. Having thus shut ourselves in from the
observation of the world, we set about getting supper. Nothing could
be more cosy; suspended in midair, and surrounded with every
luxury, while partaking of our evening meal. The consciousness of
absolute independence of the world; the sense of power, which our
command of the situation imparted, was, to say the least, extremely
gratifying. The feudal lord in his castle might be harried and
captured by an enemy; but our enemies could be laughed at with
impunity. After supper we amused ourselves with an experiment at
dish washing, which proved very satisfactory. The plates were simply
piled into a net and lowered to the sea by a cord. After swishing
about for a while, they were drawn up clean. Of course we dropped
our level to within forty or fifty feet of the water, and greatly
slackened speed during the performance, but it saved a lot of
trouble. On completing these housekeeping arrangements we
climbed up on deck, for a chat and smoke before retiring.
The night was dark, there being no moon, and the sky overcast,
beside which the air was misty. We kept our position well above all
mast-heads, should there be any, and took extra precaution to
prevent a certain nimbus-like reflection against the mist by putting
out the lights as soon as supper was over.
Torrence touched his controller, and we rose to our former
altitude, remarking that our course only insured us against collision
with steamers; and that sailing ships were liable to be found
wherever there was water enough to float them.
"And there is no danger of dropping to a lower level unawares?"
I asked.
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