tiff before you could say Jinks."

Nothing daunted, Swift took the aeronaut by the arm, offered him a
cigar, and pointed towards the Buzzard mountains.

"That's just where we want to go. D'ye see those birds up there? If they
can stand it we can. This deadly what-you-call-it doesn't reach as high
as that."

The professor stared and then muttered to himself:

"Gee--mima! The feller's hit it right."

"Now, look here, professor! You're a famous man. Everybody knows _you_.
The _Planet_ charters your balloon for five hundred dollars. Is it a
go?"

The professor's eyes glittered yellow, the color of greed.

"I couldn't think of it. I couldn't risk the danger. It's an unknown
country, now--no, I couldn't."

"Call it six hundred."

"Impos-sible!"

"Seven!"

"That wouldn't pay me if she breaks."

"Eight hundred dollars!"

"Couldn't do it."

"Nine hundred dollars. I'm tired."

"Subtract eight and add a cipher, and I'm your man."

"Very well! Mr. Ticks is witness. I will give you five hundred when we
leave the ground, and the balance when we touch it again."

"Done!"

The two men shook hands over their bargain.

"Let me see," said Swift, glancing at his watch, "it is ten o'clock. We
will ascend at one."

"I will assist the professor in preparing his airship," said Mr. Ticks.
"By the way, how tall is your balloon, professor? What is her cognomen?"

"I call her _High Tariff_, mister. That's her name. You'll see it on
her. Wait till she gets her forty thousand cubic feet of gas in her, and
you'll see her height."

By twelve o'clock the multitude had got wind of the undertaking, and
were thronging towards the fenced enclosure, where the huge monster was
flapping with that inane motion that only a half-filled balloon can take
to itself. Rumors of the wildest description were afloat. By half-past
twelve the balloon was, to all appearance, full, and sandbags were being
put aboard. By one the crowd could hardly be kept back by self-sworn
marshals, and the balloon tugged at its warps as if it would burst its
bonds at the slightest provocation.

The _High Tariff_ now awakened the utmost enthusiasm. Men came by tens
and hundreds to make offers for the risky trip.

"Blank it all, she's chartered, the _High Tariff_ is," was the
aeronaut's invariable reply. "She don't belong to me this trip. Ask the
owners."

At ten minutes after one precisely Swift appeared upon the ground. He
had just sent off the following