still.

At length Smith discovered at the north end of the little town a spot
where landing was just possible if the descent was not endangered by
the wind. He felt more nervous than at any other time during his
voyage, and was on the alert to set the propellers working at the
first sign that the wind was too strong for him. To his great relief
he came safely to the ground, with no other misadventure than
collision with a huge eucalyptus tree at the edge of the clearing.
Without loss of time he made his way down to the town, and accosting
the first white man he met, asked to be directed to the residence of
the Administrator.

"You're a stranger, I guess," said the man, who had not seen the
aeroplane. "Come from Sydney?"

"No, from Port Darwin."

"Gosh! We don't often have vessels from there. How's my friend Mr.
Pond?"

"I don't know him."

"Well, that's real strange. I thought everybody knew Dick Pond; he's
lived there fifty years or more. Say, what's up?" he asked of a man
hurrying in the opposite direction.

"It's down. Didn't you see it or hear it?"

"Hear what?"

"The aeroplane."

"An aeroplane! You don't say so."

"It's a fact. Wonder you didn't hear it. It made a noise like a
thousand humming birds, and came down not half-a-mile over yonder.
Some German fellow, I shouldn't wonder, from Constantine or Finsch.
Hope we're not in for trouble; I'm off to see."

"So will I. Go straight on, stranger; you see that constable there?
Well, turn down by him, and you'll come to the Administrator's in
about five minutes."

Smith had taken off his overalls, so that his appearance attracted no
more than a passing glance from the sailors, clerks, merchants, and
natives whom he met hurrying towards the spot where the aeroplane had
descended. He found the Administrator's house without difficulty. Not
having a card, he gave his name and rank at the door. The
Administrator was at breakfast with his family when Lieutenant Smith
was announced. Imagining that a war vessel had unexpectedly put in at
the harbour, he rose and went to the door to greet his visitor and
invite him to his table. A look of disappointment crossed his face
when he saw a dirty, unshaven object before him, dressed in stained
brown serge, offering no resemblance to the trim spick-and-span
officer he had expected to see.

"I'm sorry to trouble you, sir," said Smith, "I'm in need of some
petrol, and--"

"I don't keep petrol," said the Administrat