e part of any
of the company would not be strictly true. The ladies were pale and
silent, and stood with their arms about each other. Very little was said
by any one, for the sensation of skimming through the air at the rate of
more than twenty miles an hour at this elevation was too novel and
thrilling to admit of conversation. All experienced more or less of
vertigo and nausea, but the Doctor promptly controlled these
disagreeable symptoms with medicines from his case. All stood at their
post for something near an hour, Sing excepted. He was rattling about
among his pots, pans, and kettles as unconcernedly as if in the best
appointed kitchen in Washington. Finally a general conversation was
entered into as the first qualms of fear and sickness began to wear off.

"I am delighted with the performance of our ship," said Will. (We shall
take the liberty of using the given names of the two brothers hereafter,
Will and Fred.)

"Yes," returned the Doctor, "how easily and smoothly we are going. When
one looks inside, it is hard to realize that we are flying at the rate
of nearly thirty miles an hour through the air, three thousand feet
above the earth."

"And notice how steadily we are moving. Not a tremor nor movement of any
sort appreciable. How decidedly superior to car or steamboat traveling.
Here we have no jar, noise, nor dust," continued Will.

"Nor any kind of danger of shipwreck or collision," added Professor
Gray.

"Well, I'm sure that we are a peculiarly favored lot of travelers," said
Fred, turning to the organ and playing "Away with Melancholy," with
great spirit.

"How does the temperature in the globe keep up?" asked the Professor of
Will.

"I am astonished, Professor," he replied, "it has scarcely varied a
degree since starting, now two hours, and we are burning no fuel at all
at present."

"That is truly wonderful," answered the Professor. "At this rate we are
not likely to run out of fuel."

"No," said Will, "we are safe on that score."

The Doctor and Will now ascended to the observatory. Professor Gray and
Denison sat beside the ladies upon the balcony. Each was studying the
topography of the country with the aid of their field glasses.

"See the people everywhere and all waving their handkerchiefs at us,"
exclaimed Mattie.

"How distinctly we can see their white upturned faces, and how they do
shout," remarked Mrs. Jones.

"I can see photographers catching snap shots at us," said Deniso