won't be dangerous. We'll
crawl down and crawl out. Hold fast!"

He steered the machine straight for the edge of the ravine, and as the
nose slipped over and the broad steel belts bit into the earth the tank
tilted downward at a sickening angle.

She appeared to be making the descent safely, when there was a sudden
change. The earth seemed to slip out from under the broad caterpillar
belts, and then the tank moved more rapidly.

"Tom, we're turning over!" shouted Ned. "We're capsizing!"

Chapter XIV

The Ruined Factory

Only too true were the words Ned Newton shouted to his chum. Tank A was
really capsizing. She had advanced to the edge of the gully and started
down it, moving slowly on the caterpillar bands of steel. Then had come
a sudden lurch, caused, as they learned afterward, by the slipping off
of a great quantity of shale from an underlying shelf of rock.

This made unstable footing for the tank. One side sank lower than the
other, and before Tom could neutralize this by speeding up one motor
and slowing down the other the tank slowly turned over on its side.

"But she isn't going to stop here!" cried Ned, as he found himself
thrown about like a pill in a box. "We're going all the way over!"

"Let her go over!" cried Tom, not that he could stop the tank now. "It
won't hurt her. She's built for just this sort of thing!"

And over Tank A did go. Over and over she rolled, sidewise, tumbling
and sliding down the shale sides of the great gully.

"Hold fast! Grab the rings!" cried Tom to his two companions in the
tower with him. "That's what they're for!"

Ned and Mr. Damon understood. In fact, the latter had already done as
Tom suggested. The young inventor had read that the British tanks
frequently turned turtle, and he had this in mind when he made
provision in his own for the safety of passengers and crew.

As soon as he felt the tank careening, Tom had pressed the signal
ordering the motors stopped, and now only the force of gravity was
operating. But that was sufficient to carry the big machine to the
bottom of the gulch, whither she slid with a great cloud of sand, shale
and dust.

"Bless my--bless my--" Mr. Damon was murmuring, but he was so flopped
about, tossed from one side to the other, and it took so much of his
attention and strength to hold on to the safety ring, that he could not
properly give vent; to one of his favorite expressions.

But there comes an end to all things, ev