orary, Smith
swung the aeroplane round, in order to take advantage of this calm
region of air and at least fly in the right direction. At the same
time he looked out anxiously for a spot to which he might descend if
the defect in the engine proved persistent.

In a very few moments it was clear that to continue his flight would
be no longer safe, and he prepared to glide. While he was searching
for a convenient landing place the sparking ceased altogether. The
whole country was rugged; below, almost wholly forest land as far as
the eye could reach; above, bare rocks or scrub, and at the greatest
altitude, snow. The aeroplane flew on for a little by its own
momentum, and Smith wasted a few painful seconds before, despairing of
finding level ground, he began to descend in a long spiral.

As he neared the ground, Rodier's quick eye detected a little river
cutting its way through the forest, and at one spot a widening of its
bed, due, probably, to the action of freshets. Here there was a narrow
space of bare earth, the only clear spot in the landscape, and even
this was surrounded with dense woodland. He pointed it out to Smith.
There was no room for mistake or misjudgment. Smith knew that if he
did not strike the exact spot the aeroplane must crash into the
forest that lined both banks of the river. Never before had so heavy a
demand been made upon his nerve and skill. But the severe training of
the Navy develops coolness and judgment in critical situations; his
long apprenticeship to aerial navigation enabled him to do the right
thing at the right time; and, thanks to the calmness of the air in
this lofty region, the machine answered perfectly to his guiding hand,
and settled down upon the exact spot he had chosen, the little open
stretch on the right bank of the stream, within eight or ten yards of
the water.

His hand was trembling like a leaf when he stepped out on to the land.
The teeth of both men were chattering.

"Mon Dieu!" cried Rodier. "That was a squeak, mister. Le diable de
machine! It seem I do nothing at all but clean, clean, all the way
from London, and yet--"

"And yet down we come, 'like glistening Phaethon, wanting the manage
of unruly jades,'" quoted Smith. "Still, we're safe, and I've known
men killed or lamed for life getting off a horse."

"But with the horse you have the whip, with the machine you have only
the rags to clean her with. Ah! coquine, I should like to flog you, to
give you beans