CHAPTER X

THE PLUNGE

To enter the world of wings is to enter a new state of existence. The
apparent loss of weight; the ability to attain full speed in a few
seconds, and to stop suddenly in a headlong rush without fear of
collapse; the power to steer instantly in any direction by merely
changing the angle of the body; the altered and enormous view of the
green world below--looking down upon forests, seas and clouds; the easy
voluptuous rhythm of rising and falling in long, swinging undulations;
and a hundred other things that simply defy description and can be
appreciated only by actual experience, these are some of the delights of
the new world of wings and flying. And the fearful joy of very high
speed, especially when the exhilaration of escape is added to it, means
a condition little short of real ecstasy.

Yet Jimbo's first flight, the governess had been careful to tell him,
could not be the flight of final escape; for, even if the wings proved
equal to a prolonged effort, escape was impossible until there was
somewhere safe to escape to. So it was understood that the practice
flights might be long, or might be short; the important thing,
meanwhile, was to learn to fly as well as possible. For skilled flying
is very different to mere headlong rushing, and both courage and
perseverance are necessary to acquire it.

With rare common sense Miss Lake had said very little about the
possibility of failure. Having warned him about the importance of not
falling, she had then stopped, and the power of suggestion had been
allowed to work only in the right direction of certain success. While
the boy knew that the first plunge from the window would be a moment
fraught with the highest danger, his mind only recognised the mere
off-chance of falling and being caught. He felt confidence in himself,
and by so much, therefore, were the chances of disaster lessened.

For the rest of the afternoon Jimbo saw nothing of his faithful
companion; he spent the time practising and resting, and when weary of
everything else, he went to the window and indulged in thrilling
calculations about the exact height from the ground. A drop of three
storeys into a paved courtyard with a monster waiting to catch him, and
a high wall too close to allow a proper swing, was an alarming matter
from any point of view. Fortunately, his mind dwelt more on the delight
of prospective flight and freedom than on the chances of being caught.

The yar