kicked me, mildly, for a croaker.

"If you can't boost, don't knock," he protested. "I never said 'twould
be a picnic. But I'd run away in the Antarctic ice fields rather than be
a prisoner."

We soon dozed off again.

The long rest and penetrating dry heat were good for us, and that night
we covered a considerable distance, keeping always in the rough forested
belt of land which we knew bordered the whole country. Sometimes we were
near the outer edge, and caught sudden glimpses of the tremendous depths
beyond.

"This piece of geography stands up like a basalt column," Jeff said.
"Nice time we'll have getting down if they have confiscated our
machine!" For which suggestion he received summary chastisement.

What we could see inland was peaceable enough, but only moonlit
glimpses; by daylight we lay very close. As Terry said, we did not wish
to kill the old ladies--even if we could; and short of that they
were perfectly competent to pick us up bodily and carry us back, if
discovered. There was nothing for it but to lie low, and sneak out
unseen if we could do it.

There wasn't much talking done. At night we had our marathon-obstacle
race; we "stayed not for brake and we stopped not for stone," and swam
whatever water was too deep to wade and could not be got around; but
that was only necessary twice. By day, sleep, sound and sweet. Mighty
lucky it was that we could live off the country as we did. Even that
margin of forest seemed rich in foodstuffs.

But Jeff thoughtfully suggested that that very thing showed how careful
we should have to be, as we might run into some stalwart group of
gardeners or foresters or nut-gatherers at any minute. Careful we were,
feeling pretty sure that if we did not make good this time we were not
likely to have another opportunity; and at last we reached a point from
which we could see, far below, the broad stretch of that still lake from
which we had made our ascent.

"That looks pretty good to me!" said Terry, gazing down at it. "Now, if
we can't find the 'plane, we know where to aim if we have to drop over
this wall some other way."

The wall at that point was singularly uninviting. It rose so straight
that we had to put our heads over to see the base, and the country below
seemed to be a far-off marshy tangle of rank vegetation. We did not have
to risk our necks to that extent, however, for at last, stealing along
among the rocks and trees like so many creeping savages, we c