ion appeared inevitable--a wild cry burst
from his lungs, as a broken bit of native wood came away in his left
hand, leaving the lever free as of old!

And then, with a dizzying swoop and rapid recovery, the gallant air-ship
came back to an even keel, sailing along with old-time grace and ease,
barely in time to avoid worse mishap as the crest of a tall tree was
brushed in their passage.

"Saved,--saved, my lads!" screamed the professor, as his heart-pet
soared upward once more until well past the danger-line. "Safe and sound
through all,--praises be unto the Lord, our Father!"

Neither brother spoke just then, for they lay there in half stupor,
barely able to realise the wondrous truth: that their lives had surely
been spared them, even as by a miracle!

That swooping turn now brought their faces towards the tornado, which
was at least a couple of miles distant, rapidly making that distance
greater even while continuing its work of destruction.

"And we--were in it!" huskily muttered Bruno, his lids closing with a
shiver, as he averted his face, unwilling to see more.

"Heap sight worse than being in the soup, too, if anybody asks you,"
declared Waldo, beginning to rally both in strength and in spirit.
"But--what's the matter with the old ship, uncle Phaeton?"

For the aerostat was indulging itself in sundry distressing gyrations,
pretty much as a boy's kite swoops from side to side, when lacking in
tail-ballast, while the professor seemed unable to keep the machine
under complete control.

"Nothing serious, only--hold fast, all! I believe 'twould be as well to
make our descent, for fear something--steady!"

Just ahead there appeared a more than usually open space in the forest,
and, quite as much by good luck as through actual skill, Professor
Featherwit succeeded in making a landing with no more serious mishap
than sundry bruises and a little extra teeth-jarring.

As quickly as possible, both Bruno and Waldo pitched themselves out of
the partially disabled aeromotor, the elder brother grasping the grapnel
and taking a couple of turns of the strong rope around a convenient
tree-trunk, lest the ship escape them altogether.

"No need, my gallant boy!" assured the professor, an instant later. "All
is well,--all IS well, thanks to an over-ruling Providence!"

In spite of this expressed confidence, he hurriedly looked over his pet
machine, taking note of such injuries as had been received during that
remarkab