isement de ca! Withdraw: yes,
certainly, at the quickest possible: but how? You perceive that our
aeroplane is so placed that one cannot extricate it without
assistance. If monsieur will be so good as to lend us his
distinguished help, so that we may remove it from this hole--"

"Hole! Mille diables! It is a trench; a trench excavated with many
pains in this _tell_. As for assistance, I give you none, none
absolutely. You brought your aeroplane here without assistance: then
remove it equally without assistance; immediately: already you waste
too much time."

"Mais, monsieur, our mission is of life or death."

"N'importe, n'importe. I tell you I am quite unmoved. No interest is
superior to that of science--the science of archaeology. I tell you I
have just made a discovery of the highest importance. I have but a
short time left; you, you and your ridiculous machine, have scared
away my imbeciles of workmen; they will not return until you have gone
away; the leg of my derrick is smashed; I demand, I beseech, I
implore--"

"Pardon, monsieur," said Smith, coming forward, and courteously
saluting the stout, spectacled little Frenchman, whom he could just
see in the growing darkness. "We regret extremely having put you to
this trouble and inconvenience, and I assure you that but for the
storm we should never have dreamed of entering here, and interrupting
the great work on which you are engaged."

Smith's quiet voice and slow, measured utterance made an instant
impression. A man can hardly rave against a person who remains calm.
Moreover, the Frenchman was mollified by the speaker's evident
appreciation of the value of his work.

"Eh bien, monsieur?" he said courteously.

"I am a seaman, monsieur," proceeded Smith; "my friend here is an
engineer, and between us I have no doubt that we can repair the leg of
your derrick and assist you to place the masonry where you will. All
that I would ask is that you in return will help us to remove our
aeroplane from your trench into the open plain."

"Certainly, certainly; with much pleasure," said the Frenchman
eagerly; "I will light my lantern, so that we may see what we are
about."

Smith and Rodier stripped off their drenched coats, and by the light
of Monsieur de Montause's lantern soon spliced up the broken leg of
the derrick, set the contrivance in a stable position, and lowered the
mass of brickwork to the spot the explorer pointed out. It was no
sooner safely settled