ared the shadows of huge birds.
Their raucous cries were the sole interruption to the profound
silence. Who knows if they were not affrighted by the arrival of this
formidable, winged monster, which they could not match either in
might or speed.

Everything led me to believe that it was here that the Master of the
World withdrew in the intervals between his prodigious journeys. Here
was the garage of his automobile; the harbor of his boat; the hangar
of his air-ship.

And now the "Terror" stood motionless at the bottom of this hollow.
At last I could examine her; and it looked as if her owners had no
intention of preventing me. The truth is that the commander seemed to
take no more notice of my presence than before. His two companions
joined him, and the three did not hesitate to enter together into the
grotto I had seen. What a chance to study the machine, at least its
exterior! As to its inner parts, probably I should never get beyond
conjecture.

In fact, except for that of my cabin, the hatchways were closed; and
it would be vain for me to attempt to open them. At any rate, it
might be more interesting to find out what kind of propeller drove
the "Terror" in these many transformations.

I jumped to the ground and found I was left at leisure, to proceed
with this first examination.

The machine was as I have said spindle-shaped. The bow was sharper
than the stern. The body was of aluminium, the wings of a substance
whose nature I could not determine. The body rested on four wheels,
about two feet in diameter. These had pneumatic tires so thick as to
assure ease of movement at any speed. Their spokes spread out like
paddles or battledores; and when the "Terror" moved either on or
under the water, they must have increased her pace.

These wheels were not however, the principal propeller. This
consisted of two "Parsons" turbines placed on either side of the
keel. Driven with extreme rapidity by the engine, they urged the boat
onward in the water by twin screws, and I even questioned if they
were not powerful enough to propel the machine through the air.

The chief aerial support, however, was that of the great wings, now
again in repose, and folded back along the sides. Thus the theory of
the "heavier than air" flying machine was employed by the inventor, a
system which enabled him to dart through space with a speed probably
superior to that of the largest birds.

As to the agent which set in action these var