rom the ground. The iron muscles of legs
and body, moved by a powerful magnic motor inside the body of the
monster, acted on bones of hollow steel. Each machine was operated by
the dynamo in the body, which was adjusted to act or remain inert, as
required, when riding the structure. A switch in front of the saddle
set the bockhockid in motion or brought it to rest again. It was
simply a gigantic velocipede without wheels. "We'll ride the bastes,"
said Flathootly, with suppressed excitement.

"Do you think you can accommodate yourselves to ride such a machine?"
said the governor. "You will find it, after a little practice, an
imposing method of travel."

We were assembled in a spacious court that surrounded the private dock
of the king. Into this dock the _Polar King_ had been brought for
greater safety and also to facilitate popular inspection. I determined
that both officers and sailors should equally take part in the honors
of our reception, and I informed the governor that we would like to
see first how the machines were worked.

At a signal from the governor, Captains Pra and Nototherboc
disappeared and presently returned to the court-yard mounted on two
gigantic bockhockids, on which they curvetted and swept around in
gallant style.

We were both astonished and delighted at the performance. It was
marvellous to see such agility and obedience to the wish of the rider
on such ungainly monsters. The sailors were only too anxious to mount
such helter-skelters as the machine ostriches of Atvatabar. The stride
made by each bird was over forty feet, and nothing on earth could
overtake such coursers in full flight.

The governor, proud of his two-legged horses, as he called them, grew
eloquent in their behalf.

"Consider an army of men," said he, "mounted on such machines. How
swift! How formidable! What a terrible combat when two such armies
meet, armed with their magnic spears! What display of prodigious
agility! What breathless swerving to and fro! What fearful fleetness
of pursuer and pursued! Aided as we are by the almost total absence of
gravity, our inventors have produced a means of locomotion for
individual men second only to the flying motor. We possess, also,
flying bockhockids who are our cavalry in aerial warfare."

The enraptured sailors were only too anxious to mount the enormous
birds and sally forth to electrify the city. Ninety-eight bockhockids
were required to mount the entire company. This num