ain, it would be above the clouds.

"Well, another day will bring us there," said Tom one evening, as he
was loading the camera with a fresh roll of films. "Then we'll have to
be on the lookout for an avalanche."

"Yes, we're making pretty good time," remarked Ned, as he looked at the
speed gage. "I didn't know you had the motor working so fast, Tom."

"I haven't," was the young inventor's answer, as he looked up in
surprise. "Why, we are going quite fast! It's the wind, Ned. It's
right with us, and it's carrying us along."

Tom arose and went to the anemometer, or wind-registering instrument.
He gave a low whistle, half of alarm.

"Fifty miles an hour she's blowing now," he said. "It came on suddenly,
too, for a little while ago it was only ten."

"Is there any danger?" asked Mr. Nestor, for he was not very familiar
with airship perils.

"Well, we've been in big blows before, and we generally came out all
right," returned Tom. "Still, I don't like this. Why she went up five
points since I've been looking at it!" and he pointed to the needle of
the gage, which now registered fifty-five miles an hour.

"Bless my appendix!" gasped Mr. Damon. "It's a hurricane Tom!"

"Something like that," put in Ned, in a low voice.

With a suddenness that was startling, the wind increased in violence
still more. Tom ran to the pilot house.

"What are you going to do?" Ned called.

"See if we can't go down a bit," was Tom's answer. "I don't like this.
It may be calmer below. We're up too high as it is."

He tried to throw over the lever controlling the deflecting rudder,
which would send the Flyer down, but he could not move it.

"Give me a hand!" he called to Ned, but even the strength of the two
lads was not sufficient to shift it.

"Call Koku!" gasped Tom. "If anybody can budge it the giant can!"

Meanwhile the airship was being carried onward in the grip of a mighty
wind, so strong that its pressure on the surface of the deflecting
rudder prevented it from being shifted.

CHAPTER XV

SNAPPING AN AVALANCHE

"Bless my thermometer!" gasped Mr. Damon. "This is terrible!" The
airship was plunging and swaying about in the awful gale. "Can't
something be done, Tom?"

"What has happened?" cried Mr. Nestor. "We were on a level keel before.
What is it?"

"It's the automatic balancing rudder!" answered Tom. "Something has
happened to it. The wind may have broken it! Come on, Ned!" and he led
the way to the en