cy
Lexington White, the conqueror of the fleet. The air once more echoed
its response to our hurrahs.

"We might have rested, and even slept, on the impalpable air, but duty
forbade us any such luxury. We repacked our trunk and proceeded
straight to Egyplosis, then but two hundred miles away. We arrived
safe, and, handing the high priest, Hushnoly, your despatch, hastened
on to the palace of art at Gnaphisthasia. We again succeeded in
eluding the vigilance of the king's wayleals, thanks to our speed and
disguise, and delivering your despatch to the grand priest of art
Yermoul, in Gnaphisthasia, returned forthwith to Kioram."

CHAPTER XLIX.

PREPARATION FOR WAR.

In less than a week, as measured by the time bells of Kioram, the
ships began to arrive with troops from various parts of the coast of
Atvatabar, bringing volunteers for either branch of the service of her
majesty. In ten days one hundred thousand volunteers had arrived, and
these were quartered in the city, pending their equipment as wayleals
and bockhockids. As might be expected, a great many were deserters
from the royal army, and these were of great assistance in organizing
the troops, being already skilled in the tactics of aerial warfare.

General Rackiron had turned the entire fortress into an arsenal of
war. Fires blazed everywhere for forging guns and magnic spears, and a
thousand hammers were shaping the limbs of bockhockids. The department
for making ammunition was busiest of all, furnishing the elements on
whose efficiency depended success or defeat.

A vast quantity of hand mitrailleuses, or gigantic revolvers, were
made, and being of but little weight, these blew showers of bullets
from magazines attached to the tubes. Each wayleal carried a thousand
cartridges.

The cell in the case of the wayleals had to furnish a double current,
viz., the current that moved the wings and the death-dealing current
of the spear. For each bockhockid two powerful cells were necessary,
one for the rider and the other to work the bockhockid he rode or flew
upon. The strongest cell was contained in the body of the mechanical
bird, which moved both its wings and legs, and also furnished its
claws with a deadly current, so that when a detachment of bockhockids
dashed into a mass of wayleals, legs foremost, the greatest possible
havoc could be made with the least possible risk to the mounted
riders.

The object of having each cell separate in the case o