that there
were men to be met, and we saw to it that each of us had a good stock of
cartridges.

"They may be scarce, and they may be hidden away somewhere--some kind of
a matriarchate, as Jeff tells us; for that matter, they may live up
in the mountains yonder and keep the women in this part of the
country--sort of a national harem! But there are men somewhere--didn't
you see the babies?"

We had all seen babies, children big and little, everywhere that we had
come near enough to distinguish the people. And though by dress we could
not be sure of all the grown persons, still there had not been one man
that we were certain of.

"I always liked that Arab saying, 'First tie your camel and then trust
in the Lord,'" Jeff murmured; so we all had our weapons in hand, and
stole cautiously through the forest. Terry studied it as we progressed.

"Talk of civilization," he cried softly in restrained enthusiasm. "I
never saw a forest so petted, even in Germany. Look, there's not a dead
bough--the vines are trained--actually! And see here"--he stopped and
looked about him, calling Jeff's attention to the kinds of trees.

They left me for a landmark and made a limited excursion on either side.

"Food-bearing, practically all of them," they announced returning. "The
rest, splendid hardwood. Call this a forest? It's a truck farm!"

"Good thing to have a botanist on hand," I agreed. "Sure there are no
medicinal ones? Or any for pure ornament?"

As a matter of fact they were quite right. These towering trees were
under as careful cultivation as so many cabbages. In other conditions
we should have found those woods full of fair foresters and fruit
gatherers; but an airship is a conspicuous object, and by no means
quiet--and women are cautious.

All we found moving in those woods, as we started through them, were
birds, some gorgeous, some musical, all so tame that it seemed almost
to contradict our theory of cultivation--at least until we came upon
occasional little glades, where carved stone seats and tables stood in
the shade beside clear fountains, with shallow bird baths always added.

"They don't kill birds, and apparently they do kill cats," Terry
declared. "MUST be men here. Hark!"

We had heard something: something not in the least like a birdsong, and
very much like a suppressed whisper of laughter--a little happy sound,
instantly smothered. We stood like so many pointers, and then used our
glasses, swiftly, carefu