ched the clearing where Bab stood it was easy to
see what had happened. An aerial navigator had come to grief and was
calling for assistance.

As Naki joined Bab, the aeronauts dropped more ropes from their basket,
which hung beneath the great balloon. The big guide seized hold of one;
his wife grabbed another; before Miss Sallie could stop her, Bab was
swinging on a third.

"Great heavens child, let go!" Miss Sallie called out in tones of intense
alarm. "You will be rising up in the air in another moment!"

"Oh, no!" laughed Bab out of breath. "There's no danger now. Don't you
smell something horrible?"

The delicious air of the woods was being permeated with a detestable
odor. The great balloon above their heads was shrinking. It was growing
smaller and smaller. The gas was being allowed slowly to escape from it.

"Why, it looks like an enormous slug," cried Mollie, "now that we can see
the thing closely."

By this time the balloon had neared the ground. Two men sprang over the
sides of the basket, both alighting on their feet. Half a moment later
the older of the two was bowing politely to Miss Sallie and wiping his
glasses. Landing from a balloon on top of a mountain was apparently an
ordinary occurrence with him. His companion was busy with the airship,
which now lay on one side on the ground. It was shuddering and exhaling
deep breaths.

"Madam," said the aeronaut addressing Miss Sallie, but looking at
Barbara, who stood by her side. "More than I can express I thank you for
your assistance. We were, I think, in rather a dangerous position and we
might very easily have been killed. At best, in trying to alight without
help, I should have torn my balloon in the branches of the trees. Perhaps
you ladies would like to examine the balloon more thoroughly. This is my
nephew, Reginald Latham."

A young man arose from the ground. He wore a close fitting tan costume, a
cap with a visor and short trousers.

He brought his heels together with a click, and bowed low to Miss Sallie.
Then he extended his hand to Mollie and Barbara. "It was immensely clever
of you," he spoke, with a slightly foreign accent, "to have helped us out
of our difficulty. Tying us to the tree, while we were obliged to wait,
really saved the situation. I do not think the balloon is injured at all,
except for the broken rudder."

The young man spoke of his balloon as tenderly as though it were a
cherished friend. He looked about twenty-three