er, and
threw her a kiss. Clearly he had no fears, though it was the first time
he had ever been in an airship. Mr. Sharp was as calm and collected as
an ocean captain making his hundredth trip across the Atlantic.

"Throw on the main switch," he called to our hero, and Tom, moving to
amidships in the car, did as directed. Mr. Sharp pulled several levers,
adjusted some valves, and then, with a rattle and bang, the huge,
twenty-cylinder motor started.

Waiting a moment to see that it was running smoothly, Mr. Sharp grasped
the steering wheel. Then, with a quick motion he threw the two
propellers in gear. They began to whirl around rapidly.

"Here we go!" cried Tom, and, sure enough, the Red Cloud, now five
hundred feet in the air, shot forward, like a boat on the water, only
with such a smooth, gliding, easy motion, that it seemed like being
borne along on a cloud.

"She works! She works!" cried the balloonist. "Now to try our elevation
rudder," and, as the Red Cloud gathered speed, he tilted the small
planes which sent the craft up or down, according to the manner in
which they were tilted. The next instant the airship was pointed at an
angle toward the clouds, and shooting along at swift speed, while, from
below came the admiring cheers of the crowd of boys and men.

Chapter 5

Colliding With A Tower

"She seems to work," observed Tom, looking from where he was stationed
near some electrical switches, toward Mr. Sharp.

"Of course she does," replied the aeronaut. "I knew it would, but I
wasn't so sure that it would scoot along in this fashion. We're making
pretty good speed, but we'll do better when the motor gets to running
smoother."

"How high up are we?" asked Tom.

The balloonist glanced at several gauges near the steering wheel.

"A little short of three thousand feet," he answered. "Do you want to
go higher?"

"No--no--I--I guess not," was Tom's answer. He halted over the works,
and his breath came in gasps.

"Don't get alarmed," called Mr. Sharp quickly, noting that his
companion was in distress because of the high altitude. "That always
happens to persons who go into a thin air for the first time; just as
if you had climbed a high mountain. Breathe as slowly as you can, and
swallow frequently. That will relieve the pressure on your ear drums.
I'll send the ship lower."

Tom did as he was advised, and the aeronaut, deflecting the rudder,
sent the Red Cloud on a downward slant. Tom at