ly, affording a most interesting sight; and when they grew
tired of this they promenaded the spacious deck, or lounged about in
chairs, smoking their cigars or pipes, and discussing with much
animation their future prospects. And now, for the first time, a fact
in connection with the automatic balancing apparatus brought itself
under their notice. It was this. They found that, let them walk about
the ship where and as much as they chose, the balance of the ship always
remained perfect; but the little jets of air which, at their every
movement, were admitted into the hull to maintain its equilibrium, soon
had a perceptible influence on the vessel's buoyancy, causing her to
slowly but steadily descend toward the surface of the sea, thus
necessitating periodic visits to the pilot-house to renew the vacuum.
This set the professor's brain to work, and by nightfall he succeeded--
with the aid of a second barometer having a small piece of highly
magnetised steel floating on the top of the mercurial column, and a
couple of magnetised steel bars--in constructing a somewhat rude but
thoroughly efficient apparatus for automatically maintaining the ship at
any desired height, unaffected by the movements, be they few or many, of
those on board.

By the time that this apparatus had been fixed, and subjected to the
test of an hour's conscientious walking fore and aft the deck by the
entire party, the dinner-hour had arrived, and they retired below with
such appetites as only a day's exposure to the tonic effects of a sea-
breeze--minus all uncomfortable motion--could produce. The fullest
justice was consequently done to the meal, after which they made their
way once more to the deck, and there, under a brilliant star-lit sky,
gave themselves up to the soothing influence of _the weed_ and the
renewed enjoyment of their novel position. Midnight found them quite
ready for their state-rooms, and at that hour they accordingly retired;
the professor first of all, as a matter of precaution, increasing the
ship's altitude to four thousand feet above the sea-level, and then
paying a visit of inspection to the engine-room. Matters were found to
be all right there; the engines were working smoothly and noiselessly,
the bearings were quite cool, and the automatic feed was doing its work
to perfection. The ship, then, being at such a height as to be clear of
all danger, and steering herself in the required direction, with all the
machinery