devoted several hours to arranging their staterooms
and bunks, and getting their clothing stowed away, and when this was
done Mr. Parker and Mr. Jenks sat gazing off into space.

"It's hard to realize that we are really in an airship," observed the
diamond man. "At first I thought I would be frightened, but I'm not a
bit. It doesn't seem as if anything could happen."

"Something is likely to happen soon," said Mr. Parker, suddenly, as he
gazed at some weather instruments on the cabin wall.

"Bless my soul! Don't say that!" cried Mr. Damon. "What is it?"

"I think, from my observations, that we will soon have a hurricane,"
said the scientific man. "There is every indication of it;" and he
seemed quite delighted at the prospect of his prediction coming true.

"A hurricane!" cried Mr. Damon. "I hope it isn't like the one that blew
us to Earthquake Island."

"Oh, I think there will be no danger," spoke Tom. "If it comes on to
blow we will ascend or descend out of the path of the storm. This craft
is not like the ill-fated Whizzer. I can more easily handle the Red
Cloud; even in a bad storm."

"I'm glad to hear that," remarked Mr. Jenks. "It would be too bad to be
wrecked before we got to Phantom Mountain."

"Well, I predict that we will have a bad storm," insisted Mr. Parker,
and Tom could not help wishing that the scientist would keep his gloomy
forebodings to himself.

However the storm had not developed up to noon, when Tom, with Mr.
Damon's help, served a fine meal in the dining-room. In the afternoon
the speed of the ship was increased, and by night they had covered
several hundred miles. Through the darkness the Red Cloud kept on,
making good time. Tom got up, occasionally, to look to the machinery,
but it was all automatically controlled, and an alarm bell would sound
in his stateroom when anything went wrong.

"Bless my napkin!" exclaimed Mr. Damon the next morning, as they sat
down to a breakfast of fruit, ham and eggs and fragrant coffee, "this is
living as well as in a hotel, and yet we are--how far are we above the
earth, Tom?" he asked, turning to the young inventor.

"About two miles now. I just sent her up, as I thought I detected that
storm Mr. Parker spoke of."

"I told you it would come," declared the scientist, and there was a
small hurricane below them that morning, but only the lower edge of it
caught the Red Cloud, and when Tom sent her up still higher she found a
comparatively quiet zone