hat admit light and
air, can be closed up at a moment's notice, and the vessel, being thus
rendered water-tight, will ride through the most violent storm. No rocks
can break her, and no sea can swamp her.

During hurricanes the seas rise so high and in such large masses, that,
in descending, they sometimes submerge her; but she is too buoyant to
sink, soon regains the surface, and floats on as buoyant as ever.

The navigation in our world would on your earth be considered very
dangerous, if not impracticable. The swan-ship, even when driven by the
tempest, must often pass through narrow inlets between dangerous rocks,
sometimes _under_ the rocks, through channels scooped out by the
sea. The force of the hurricanes and the violence of the seas are
tremendous. Your most powerful ships could not live through them, yet no
serious accident has ever befallen one of our vessels. On one occasion,
when the ship was submerged for a time, the people suffered greatly from
want of air, as the sea was too terribly rough to allow of any window
being opened. After remaining covered by the waters for a length of
time, she righted herself as soon as the violence of the waves had
calmed.

On their return to Montalluyah, some of the passengers related to me
their acute sufferings from want of air, and as their narrative affected
me much, I resolved to discover a remedy.

Telescopic funnels to admit air were suggested by me as a provision for
such a contingency as I have described. These are so constructed that in
case of need they can be sent up to a great height above the surface of
the sea. The principal one is placed in the head of the swan. Several
experiments were made with air-pumps in the ship to draw in and diffuse
air, and they fully answered this purpose.

Air can still be admitted through the head and neck of the swan, if the
body only is submerged; but if this also is covered by the sea, the
telescopic funnel is sent up to the required height and a new current of
air is obtained. Light and air are, under ordinary circumstances
admitted by means of windows made with a transparent composition of
great strength.

The swan's head is reserved for the captain's quarters. His rooms are
spacious and well suited to his work; his windows are, some plane, some
concave, some convex, so that he can see both near and distant objects.
As the swan's head is high above the body of the swan, the captain
occupies a very commanding positi