he noted
the hand on the gage. "We're up nearly nine thousand feet now, and--"

"Hold her there!" cried Mr. Vardon. "If we've gone up that far, and we
haven't gotten beyond the gale, there isn't much use trying any more.
We'll ride it out at that level."

Indeed the Abaris was very high, and some of the party had a little
difficulty in breathing. Grit, too, was affected this way, and it
added to his uneasiness.

"If we had some means of making the cabin air-tight we could make the
air pressure in here just what we wanted it, regardless of the rarefied
atmosphere outside," said Dick. "In my next airship I'll have that
done."

"Not a bad idea," agreed Mr. Vardon. "It could be arranged."

The night was wearing on, and as the first pale streaks of dawn showed
through the celluloid windows of the cabin it was noticed by the wind
gage that the force of the gale was slacking.

"We've ridden it out!" exulted Dick. "She's a good old airship after
all. Now we can get back on our course. We ought to be crossing the
Rockies soon, and then for the last stage of the trip to San Francisco."

"Oh, we've got considerable distance yet to cover," said the aviator.
"I fancy we were blown nearly five hundred miles out of our way, and
that's going to take us several hours to make good on."

"Still you are doing well," said the army man. "No airship has ever
made a trans-continental flight, and there is no speed record to go by.
So you may win after all, especially as the storm was so general."

It was rapidly getting light now, and as they looked they saw that they
were above the clouds. They were skimming along in a sea of fleecy,
white mist.

"First call for breakfast!" cried Dick. His tones had scarcely died
away when there came a howl from Grit, who was standing near the
compartment of the main motor.

"What is the matter with that dog?" asked Dick, in a puzzled voice.
Grit's howl changed to a bark, and at the same moment, Larry Dexter,
who was passing, cried out:

"Fire! There's a fire in the motor-room! Where are the extinguishers?"

A black cloud of smoke rushed out, enveloping Grit, who howled dismally.

CHAPTER XXIX

THE RIVAL AIRSHIP

"What did it?"

"Had we better descend?"

"Everybody get busy!"

"Fire extinguishers here!"

These and other confused cries sounded throughout the airship,
following Larry's alarm.

"No, don't go down!" shouted Mr. Vardon. "We'll stay up as long as we
ca