gine room.

"What are you going to do? Don't you want Koku to shift the deflecting
rudder? Here he is," Ned added, as the giant came forward, in response
to a signal bell that Tom's chum had rung.

"It's too late to try the deflecting rudder!" tried Tom. "I must see
what is the matter with our balancer." As he spoke the ship gave a
terrific plunge, and the occupants were thrown sideways. The next
moment it was on a level keel again, scudding along with the gale, but
there was no telling when the craft would again nearly capsize.

Tom looked at the mechanism controlling the equalizing and equilibrium
rudder. It was out of order, and he guessed that the terrific wind was
responsible for it.

"What can we do?" cried Ned, as the airship nearly rolled over. "Can't
we do anything, Tom?"

"Yes. I'm going to try. Keep calm now. We may come out all right. This
is the worst blow we've been in since we were in Russia. Start the gas
machine full blast. I want all the vapor I can get."

As I have explained the Flyer was a combined dirigible balloon and
aeroplane. It could be used as either, or both, in combination. At
present the gas bag was not fully inflated, and Tom had been sending
his craft along as an aeroplane.

"What are you going to do?" cried Ned, as he pulled over the lever that
set the gas generating machine in operation.

"I'm going up as high as I can go!" cried Tom. "If we can't go down we
must go up. I'll get above the hurricane instead of below it. Give me
all the gas you can, Ned!"

The vapor hissed as it rushed into the big bag overhead. Tom carried
aboard his craft the chemicals needed to generate the powerful lifting
gas, of which he alone had the secret. It was more powerful than
hydrogen, and simple to make. The balloon of the Flyer was now being
distended.

Meanwhile Tom, with Koku, Mr. Damon and Mr. Nestor to help him, worked
over the deflecting rudder, and also on the equilibrium mechanism. But
they could not get either to operate.

Ned stood by the gas machine, and worked it to the limit. But even with
all that energy, so powerful was the wind, that the Flyer rose slowly,
the gale actually holding her down as a water-logged craft is held
below the waves. Ordinarily, with the gas machine set at its limit the
craft would have shot up rapidly.

At times the airship would skim along on the level, and again it would
be pitched and tossed about, until it was all the occupants could do to
keep th