"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."
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 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 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 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.