it up, Ned!"

"That's right! I always forget about that! I'll have it going in a
second!"

"Less than a second," called Tom, as he saw how near to the mighty,
rushing avalanche they were coming.

Ned worked rapidly, and in a very short time the downward course of the
airship was checked. It floated easily above the rushing flood of ice
and earth, and Tom, seeing that his craft, and those on it, were safe,
hurried back to his camera. Meanwhile the machine had automatically
been taking pictures, but now with the young inventor to manage it,
better results would be obtained.

Tom aimed it here and there, at the most spectacular parts of the
avalanche. The others gathered around him, after Ned had made an
inspection, and found that a broken electrical wire had caused the
propellers to stop. This was soon repaired and then, as they were
hanging in the air like a balloon, Tom took picture after picture of
the wonderful sight below them. Forest after forest was demolished.

"This will be a great film!" Tom shouted to Ned, as the latter informed
him that the machinery was all right again. "Send me up a little. I
want to get a view from the top, looking down."

His chum made the necessary adjustments to the mechanism and then,
there being nothing more to slide down the mountainside the avalanche
was ended. But what a mass of wreck and ruin there was! It was as if a
mighty earthquake had torn the mountain asunder.

"It's a good thing it wasn't on a side of the mountain where people
lived," commented Ned, as the airship rose high toward the clouds. "If
it had been, there'd be nothing left of 'em. What hair-raising stunt
are you going to try next, Tom?"

"I don't know. I expect to hear from Mr. Period soon.

"Hear from Mr. Period?" exclaimed Mr. Nestor. "How are you going to do
that, Tom?"

"He said he would telegraph me at Berne, Switzerland, at a certain
date, as he knew I was coming to the Alps to try for some avalanche
pictures. It's two or three days yet, before I can expect the telegram,
which of course will have to come part way by cable. In the meanwhile,
I think we'll take a little rest, and a vacation. I want to give the
airship an overhauling, and look to my camera. There's no telling what
Mr. Period may want next."

"Then he didn't make out your programme completely before you started?"
asked Mr. Nestor.

"No, he said he'd communicate with me from time to time. He is in touch
with what is going on in t