at rustled as he breathed. It
was lined with papers. But Bert could not see to get them out or examine
them, much as he wished to do so....

He was awakened by the crowing of cocks, the barking of dogs, and a
clamour of birds. He was driving slowly at a low level over a broad land
lit golden by sunrise under a clear sky. He stared out upon hedgeless,
well-cultivated fields intersected by roads, each lined with
cable-bearing red poles. He had just passed over a compact, whitewashed,
village with a straight church tower and steep red-tiled roofs. A number
of peasants, men and women, in shiny blouses and lumpish footwear, stood
regarding him, arrested on their way to work. He was so low that the end
of his rope was trailing.

He stared out at these people. "I wonder how you land," he thought.

"S'pose I OUGHT to land?"

He found himself drifting down towards a mono-rail line, and hastily
flung out two or three handfuls of ballast to clear it.

"Lemme see! One might say just 'Pre'nez'! Wish I knew the French for
take hold of the rope!... I suppose they are French?"

He surveyed the country again. "Might be Holland. Or Luxembourg. Or
Lorraine 's far as _I_ know. Wonder what those big affairs over there
are? Some sort of kiln. Prosperous-looking country..."

The respectability of the country's appearance awakened answering chords
in his nature.

"Make myself a bit ship-shape first," he said.

He resolved to rise a little and get rid of his wig (which now felt
hot on his head), and so forth. He threw out a bag of ballast, and was
astonished to find himself careering up through the air very rapidly.

"Blow!" said Mr. Smallways. "I've over-done the ballast trick.... Wonder
when I shall get down again?... brekfus' on board, anyhow."

He removed his cap and wig, for the air was warm, and an improvident
impulse made him cast the latter object overboard. The statoscope
responded with a vigorous swing to Monte.

"The blessed thing goes up if you only LOOK overboard," he remarked, and
assailed the locker. He found among other items several tins of liquid
cocoa containing explicit directions for opening that he followed with
minute care. He pierced the bottom with the key provided in the holes
indicated, and forthwith the can grew from cold to hotter and hotter,
until at last he could scarcely touch it, and then he opened the can at
the other end, and there was his cocoa smoking, without the use of match
or flame of any s