arition, and then, with a yell either of terror or
astonishment, bolted into the house as hard as he could run.

As soon as he was able to speak for laughing at the queer incident,
Arnold sent the fan-wheels aloft and lowered the _Ariel_ to within
about twenty feet of the ground over a level patch of sward, across
which meandered a little stream on its way to the lake. While she was
hanging motionless over this, the man who had fled into the house
reappeared, almost dragging another man, somewhat similarly attired,
after him, and pointing excitedly towards the _Ariel_.

The second comer, if he felt any astonishment at the apparition that
had invaded his solitude, certainly betrayed none. On the contrary,
he walked deliberately from the hut to the bit of sward over which
the _Ariel_ hung motionless, and, seeing two ladies leaning on the
rail that ran round the deck, he doffed his goatskin cap with a
well-bred gesture, and said, in a voice that betrayed not the
slightest symptom of surprise--

"Good morning, ladies and gentlemen! Good morning, and welcome to
Aeria! I see that the problem of aerial navigation has been solved; I
always said it would be in the first ten years of the twentieth
century, though I often got laughed at by the wiseacres who know
nothing until they see a thing before their noses. May I ask whether
that little message that I sent to the outside world some years ago
has procured me the pleasure of this visit?"

"Yes, Mr. Holt. Your little balloon was picked up about three years
ago in the Gulf of Guinea, and, after various adventures and much
discussion, has led to our present voyage."

"I am delighted to hear it. I suppose there were plenty of noodles
who put it down to a practical joke or something of that sort? What's
become of Stanley? Why didn't he come out and rescue me, as he did
Emin? Not glory enough, I suppose? It would bother him, too, to get
over these mountains, unless he flew over. By the way, has he got an
air-ship?"

"No," replied Arnold, with a laugh. "This is the only one in
existence, and she has not been a week afloat. But if you'll allow
us, we'll come down and get generally acquainted, and after that we
can explain things at our leisure."

"Quite so, quite so; do so by all means. Most happy, I'm sure. Ah!
beautiful model. Comes down as easily as a bird. Capital mechanism.
What's your motive-power? Gas, electricity--no, not steam, no
funnels! Humph! Very ingenious. Alway