e could have
left the German Taubes far behind, but the extra weight of the passenger
was a terrible burden for so light and delicate a machine. Yet he was
glad John was with him. Already Lannes had a deep liking for the young
American whose nature was so unlike his own.

That questing gaze lingered longest on the southern heavens. One who
flees on the land must pick his way and so must one who flees through
the skies. Now, the mind of the flying man was keyed to the finest
pitch. He thought of the currents of air, the mists, the vapors, and,
above all, of those deadly pockets which could send them in an instant
crashing to the earth far below. No engineer with his hand at the
throttle of a locomotive was ever more watchful and cautious.

John, too, was looking into the south, where he saw a loom of cloud and
haze. It appeared that the heavens had drawn a barrier across their way,
and he saw that Lannes was turning the _Arrow_ again toward the west, as
if he were seeking a way around that barrier.

Then he looked back. The Taubes, beyond a doubt, were nearer, and were
flying in a swift true line.

"Are they gaining?" asked Lannes, who kept his eyes on the "country"
ahead, seeking to choose a way.

"Considerably. They have been flying close together, but now they're
separating somewhat; at least it seems so, although my eyes are tricky
in an element so new to me."

"They're probably right in this instance. It's their obvious course.
It's impossible for us to fly perfectly straight, and whenever we curve
one or the other of their machines will gain on us. I've heard that a
troop of lions will adopt this method in pursuing an antelope, and that
it's infallible."

"Which means that we can't escape?"

"There's a difference. The antelope can't fight back, but we can. Don't
forget the automatic I gave you."

"I haven't. Not for a second."

"But it won't come to that yet, and may not at all. See, how those
clouds and vapors are stretching. They hem us in on the south, and now
they're curving around in our front on the west, too. We can't lose the
Taubes, John, here on this lower level, as we're not more than two
thousand, perhaps not more than fifteen hundred feet above the earth,
but we may be able to do it higher up. Steady, now! We're going to rise
fast!"

The machine tilted up at an angle that made John gasp, but he quickly
recovered himself and resisted a desperate inclination to grasp anything
he could reac