bring them safely through the bad weather that
seemed in store, and were soon asleep.

To the two older flyers, used to all conditions of aerial passage as a
result of several years' experience, the present conditions were not at
all terrifying. Although the spectacle of the dark clouds in front of
them was extremely uncanny, they realized that they were only local
thunder showers which could probably be avoided by a little careful
navigating.

In this they were right. By wheeling a little out of their course, to
the left or right, and by flying up over one big cloud which could not
be avoided in any other manner, they managed to dodge the most
dangerous fields of lightning and the worst torrents of rain.

Presently they left the dark clouds far behind, and once more the stars
appeared in the blue firmament above and the pale moon lit up the
tropical sea.

With relief John guided the Sky-Bird lower, so that they could keep a
sharp lookout for guide-posts of land. They passed several small
islets which were uncharted with them, but when, about midnight, they
made out a great black blotch not far ahead, they recognized it as the
southern end of the island of Borneo, and knew they were all right.

In a little while Borneo was sweeping along below them, its mangroved
shores gloomy and desolate-looking, not to say weird, in the pale
moonlight. Among those dense forests and thickets the flyers knew many
a wild animal was prowling at that very moment, and in the thatched
huts in the glens slept many a fierce-visaged savage with weapons close
at hand.

Toward morning the flyers observed a volcano in active eruption off to
the southeastward, apparently on the island of Timor. It was a
beautiful sight, so wonderful that John awoke the sleepers, that they
too might enjoy it. Fantastic lights of various colors shot upward
from the crater. These shafts lit up billowing clouds of smoke and
ashes, which poured out in awe-inspiring volume. Back of it all stood
the dark-blue velvet sky, against which the pyrotechnics were embossed
in a stunning manner. Man could never have wished to witness a more
remarkable manifestation of nature than did the young aviators, as they
viewed the spectacle from their own favored position in the air.

Swiftly the Sky-Bird drew them toward the volcano, for it was directly
in their course. As they approached, they could see flames licking
their way upward from the dark mass of rock constit