eir feet. Mr. Damon was continually blessing everything he could
remember.

"Now she's going!" suddenly cried Ned, as he looked at the dials
registering the pressure of the gas, and showing the height of the
airship above the earth.

"Going how?" gasped Tom, as he looked over from where he was working at
the equilibrium apparatus. "Going down?"

"Going up!" shouted Ned. "I guess we'll be all right soon!"

It was true. Now that the bag was filled with the powerful lifting gas,
under pressure, the Flyer was beginning to get out of the dangerous
predicament into which the gale had blown her, Up and up she went, and
every foot she climbed the power of the wind became less.

"Maybe it all happened for the best," said Tom, as he noted the height
gage. "If we had gone down, the wind might have been worse nearer the
earth."

Later they learned that this was so. The most destructive wind storm
ever known swept across the southern part of Europe, over which they
were flying that night, and, had the airship gone down, she would
probably have been destroyed. But, going up, she got above the
wind-strata. Up and up she climbed, until, when three miles above the
earth, she was in a calm zone. It was rather hard to breathe at this
height, and Tom set the oxygen apparatus at work.

This created in the interior of the craft an atmosphere almost like
that on the earth, and the travelers were made more at their ease.
Getting out of the terrible wind pressure made it possible to work the
deflecting rudder, though Tom had no idea of going down, as long as the
blow lasted.

"We'll just sail along at this height until morning," he said, "and by
then the gale may be over, or we may be beyond the zone of it. Start
the propellers, Ned. I think I can manage to repair the equilibrium
rudder now."

The propellers, which gave the forward motion to the airship, had been
stopped when it was found that the wind was carrying her along, but
they were now put in motion again, sending the Flyer forward. In a
short time Tom had the equilibrium machine in order, and matters were
now normal again.

"But that was a strenuous time while it lasted," remarked the young
inventor, as he sat down.

"It sure was," agreed Ned.

"Bless my pen wiper!" cried Mr. Damon. "That was one of the few times
when I wish I'd never come with you, Tom Swift," and everyone laughed
at that.

The Flyer was now out of danger, going along high in the air through
the nig