was brilliantly lighted by
an electric lamp inclosed in a lantern of abnormally thick glass.

"Arrived here," continued the professor, "we are all ready to sally
forth upon our submarine explorations; all we have to do therefore is,
first to fill the chamber with water by means of this valve, then open
the trap-door and step forth upon the bottom of the sea."

As the professor said this he released the fastenings of the door, and
it fell down, forming a sort of inclined plane, over which they passed,
to find themselves once more on the solid earth, under the ship's
bottom, with the starboard bilge-keel rising like a wall of silver
before them. They passed along the lane formed by this keel and the
cylindrical bottom of the ship, and then stepped back with one accord to
take another glance aloft at the huge bulk of the ship as she towered
high above them. They now became conscious of the sounds of vigorous
hammering and of men's voices in the direction of the river gable of the
building shed, and on looking in that direction they saw that the
contractor, whom the professor had engaged for the purpose, was already
at work with his men removing the boarding which had hitherto concealed
the _Flying Fish_ from passers-by on the river, thus making a way for
the exit of the ship a little later on.

The little party had re-entered the hull by way of the trap-door, and
the professor had just made the fastenings once more secure, when, far
away aloft from somewhere within the recesses of the ship, they heard
the loud, sonorous, sustained note of a gong.

"Ah, that is good!" exclaimed Herr von Schalckenberg, rubbing his hands;
"that is the dinner gong; and I am hungry. Come, my friends, to the
dining saloon, and let us partake of the first of, I hope, many pleasant
meals on board the _Flying Fish_."

CHAPTER FOUR.

THE NOVEL BEGINNING OF A SINGULAR VOYAGE.

On reaching the head of the spiral staircase the professor paused for a
moment to direct the attention of his companions to a long passage which
extended apparently along the middle of the ship to the fore-end of the
superstructure. The passage was about five feet wide, and the ceiling
was of ground glass, through which a flood of light streamed brilliantly
down.

"In that direction," said the professor, "are to be found, first, the
kitchen, pantry, larder, and store-room; then next to them come my
laboratory and workshop, with the armoury and magazine on the o