第6章

"Nowwe\'vedoneit，"saysGeorgeinmyear:"Ourskin-friction，thatlastslide，hasplayedOldHarrywiththetensions!Lookoutforlaterals，Tim；she\'llwantsomeholding。"

"I\'vegother，"istheanswer。"Comeup，oldwoman。"

Shecomesupnobly，butthelateralsbuffetherleftandrightlikethepinionsofangryangels。Sheisjoltedoffhercoursefourwaysatonce，andcuffedintoplaceagain，onlytobeswungasideanddroppedintoanewchaos。Weareneverwithoutacorposantgrinningonourbowsorrollingheadoverheelsfromnosetomidships，andtothecrackleofelectricityaroundandwithinusisaddedonceortwicetherattleofhail——hailthatwillneverfallonanysea。Slowwemustorwemaybreakourback，pitch-poling。

"Air\'saperfectlyelasticfluid，"roarsGeorgeabovethetumult。

"AboutaselasticasaheadseaofftheFastnet，ain\'tit？"

Heislessthanjusttothegoodelement。IfoneintrudesontheHeavenswhentheyarebalancingtheirvolt-accounts；ifonedisturbstheHighGods\'market-ratesbyhurlingsteelhullsatninetyknotsacrosstremblinglyadjustedelectrictensions，onemustnotcomplainofanyrudenessinthereception。Timmetitwithanunmovedcountenance，onecornerofhisunderlipcaughtuponatooth，hiseyesfleetingintotheblacknesstwentymilesahead，andthefiercesparksflyingfromhisknucklesateveryturnofthehand。Nowandagainheshookhisheadtoclearthesweattricklingfromhiseyebrows，anditwasthenthatGeorge，watchinghischance，wouldslidedownthelife-railandswabhisfacequicklywithabigredhandkerchief。IneverimaginedthatahumanbeingcouldsocontinuouslylabourandsocollectedlythinkasdidTimthroughthatHell\'shalf-hourwhentheflurrywasatitsworst。Weweredraggedhitherandyonbywarmor，frozensuctions，belcheduponthetopsofwulii-was，spundownbyvorticesandclubbedasidebylateralsunderadizzyingrushofstarsinthe，companyofadrunkenmoon。

Iheardtherushingclickofthemidship-engine-leverslidinginandout，thelowgrowlofthelift-shunts，and，louderthantheyellingwindswithout，thescreamofthebow-ruddergougingintoanylullthatpromisedholdforaninstant。Atlastwebegantoclawuponacant，bow-rudderandport-propellertogether；onlythenicestbalancingoftankssavedusfromspinningliketherifle-bulletoftheolddays。

"We\'vegottohitchtowindwardofthatMarkBoatsomehow，"

Georgecried。

"There\'snowindward，"Iprotestedfeebly，whereIswungshackledtoastanchion。"Howcantherebe？"

Helaughed——aswepitchedintoathousandfootblow-out——thatredmanlaughedbeneathhisinflatedhood!

"Look!"hesaid。"Wemustclearthoserefugeeswithahighlift。"

TheMarkBoatwasbelowandalittletothesou\'westofus，fluctuatinginthecentreofherdistraughtgalaxy。Theairwasthickwithmovinglightsateverylevel。Itakeitmostofthemweretryingtolieheadtowind，but，notbeinghydras，theyfailed。Anunder-tankedMoghrabiboathadrisentothelimitofherlift，and，findingnoimprovement，haddroppedacoupleofthousand。Thereshemetasuperbwulli-wa，andwasblownupspinninglikeadeadleaf。Insteadofshuttingoffshewentasternand，naturally，reboundedasfromawallalmostintotheMarkBoat，whoselanguage(ourG。C。tookitin)washumanlysimple。

"Ifthey\'donlyrideitoutquietlyit\'udbebetter，"saidGeorgeinacalm，whileweclimbedlikeabatabovethemall。

"Butsomeskippers-willnavigatewithoutenoughlift。WhatdoesthatTad-boatthinksheisdoing，Tim？"

"Playin\'kissinthering，"wasTim\'sunmovedreply。A

Trans-AsiaticDirectlinerhadfoundasmoothandbuttedintoitfullpower。Buttherewasavortexatthetailofthatsmooth，sotheT。A。D。wasflippedoutlikeapeafromoffafinger-nail，brakingmadlyasshefleddownandallbutover-ending。

"NowIhopeshe\'ssatisfied，"saidTim。"I\'mgladI\'mnotaMarkBoat……DoIwanthelp？"TheGeneralCommunicatordialhadcaughthisear。"George，youmaytellthatgentlemanwithmylove——love，remember，George——thatIdonotwanthelp。Whoistheofficioussardine-tin？"

"ARimouskidrogheronthelook-outforatow。"

"VerykindoftheRimouskidrogher。Thispostalpacketisn\'tbeingtowedatpresent。"

"Thosedrogherswillgoanywhereonachanceofsalvage，"Georgeexplained。"Wecall\'emkittiwakes。"

Along-beaked，brightsteelninety-footerfloatedateaseforoneinstantwithinhailofus，herslingscoiledreadyforrescues，andasinglehandinheropentower。Hewassmoking。Surrenderedtotheinsurrectionoftheairsthroughwhichwetoreourway，helayinabsolutepeace。Isawthesmokeofhispipeascenduntroublederehisboatdropped，itseemed，likeastoneinawell。

WehadjustclearedtheMarkBoatandherdisorderlyneighbourswhenthestormendedassuddenlyasithadbegun。Ashooting-startonorthwardfilledtheskywiththegreenblinkofameteoritedissipatingitselfinouratmosphere。

SaidGeorge:"Thatmayironoutallthetensions。"Evenashespoke，theconflictingwindscametorest；thelevelsfilled；thelateralsdiedoutinlong，easyswells；theair-waysweresmoothedbeforeus。InlessthanthreeminutesthecoveyroundtheMarkBoathadshippedtheirpower-lightsandwhirredawayupontheirbusinesses。

"What\'shappened？"Igasped。Thenerve-storewithinandthevolt-tinglewithouthadpassed:myinflatorsweighedlikelead。

"God，Heknows!"saidCaptainGeorgesoberly"Thatoldshooting-star\'sskin-frictionhasdischargedthedifferentlevels。I\'veseenithappenbefore。Phew:Whatarelief!"

Wedroppedfromtentosixthousandandgotridofourclammysuits。TimshutoffandsteppedoutoftheFrame。TheMarkBoatwascomingupbehindus。Heopenedthecolloidinthatheavenlystillnessandmoppedhisface。

"Hello，Williams!"hecried。"Adegreeortwoouto\'station，ain\'tyou？"

"Maybe，"wastheanswerfromtheMarkBoat。"I\'vehadsomecompanythisevening。"

"SoInoticed。Wasn\'tthatquitealittledraught？"

"Iwarnedyou。Whydidn\'tyoupulloutnorth？Theeast-boundpacketshave。"

"Me？NottillI\'mrunningaPolarconsumptives\'sanatoriumboat。

Iwassquintingthroughacolloidbeforeyouwereoutofyourcradle，myson。"

"I\'dbethelastmantodenyit，"thecaptainoftheMarkBoatrepliessoftly。"Thewayyouhandledherjustnow——I\'maprettyfairjudgeoftrafficinavolt-hurry——itwasathousandrevolutionsbeyondanythingevenI\'veeverseen。"

Tim\'sbacksupplesvisiblytothisoiling。CaptainGeorgeonthec。p。winksandpointstotheportraitofasingularlyattractivemaidenpinneduponTim\'stelescopebracketabovethesteering-wheel。

Isee。WhollyandentirelydoIsee!

Thereissometalkoverheadof"comingroundtoteaonFriday，"abriefreportofthederelict\'sfate，andTimvolunteersashedescends:"ForanA。B。C。manyoungWilliamsislessofahigh-tensionfoolthansome。Wereyouthinkingoftakingheron，George？ThenI\'lljusthavealookroundthatport-thrustseemstomeit\'satriflewarm——andwe\'lljogalong。"

TheMarkBoathumsoffjoyouslyandhangsherselfupinherappointedeyrie。Hereshewillstayashutterlessobservatory；alife-boatstation；asalvagetug；acourtofultimateappeal-cum-meteorologicalbureauforthreehundredmilesinalldirections，tillWednesdaynextwhenherreliefslidesacrossthestarstotakeherbuffetedplace。Herblackhull，doubleconning-tower，andever-readyslingsrepresentallthatremainstotheplanetofthatoddoldwordauthority。SheisresponsibleonlytotheAerialBoardofControltheA。B。C。ofwhichTimspeakssoflippantly。Butthatsemi-elected，semi-nominatedbodyofafewscoreofpersonsofbothsexes，controlsthisplanet。

"TransportationisCivilisation，"ourmottoruns。Theoretically，wedowhatwepleasesolongaswedonotinterferewiththetrafficANDALLITIMPLIES。Practically，theA。B。C。confirmsorannulsallinternationalarrangementsand，tojudgefromitslastreport，findsourtolerant，humorous，lazylittleplanetonlytooreadytoshiftthewholeburdenofpublicadministrationonitsshoulders。

IdiscussthiswithTim，sippingmateonthec。p。whileGeorgefansheralongoverthewhitebluroftheBanksinbeautifulupwardcurvesoffiftymileseach。Thedip-dialtranslatesthemonthetapeinflowingfreehand。

Timgathersupaskeinofitandsurveysthelastfewfeet，whichrecord"162\'s"paththroughthevolt-flurry。

"Ihaven\'thadafever-chartlikethistoshowupinfiveyears，"

hesaysruefully。

Apostalpacket\'sdip-dialrecordseveryyardofeveryrun。ThetapesthengototheA。B。C。，whichcollatesandmakescompositephotographsofthemfortheinstructionofcaptains。Timstudieshisirrevocablepast，shakinghishead。

"Hello!Here\'safifteen-hundred-footdropatfifty-fivedegrees!

Wemusthavebeenstandingonourheadsthen，George。"

"Youdon\'tsayso，"Georgeanswers。"IfanciedInoticeditatthetime。"

GeorgemaynothaveCaptainPurnall\'scatlikeswiftness，butheisallanartisttothetipsofthebroadfingersthatplayontheshunt-stops。Thedeliciousflight-curvescomeawayonthetapewithneverawaver。TheMarkBoat\'sverticalspindleoflightliesdowntoeastward，settinginthefaceofthefollowingstars。Westward，wherenoplanetshouldrise，thetripleverticalsofTrinityBay(wekeepstilltotheSouthernroute)

makealow-liftinghaze。Weseemtheonlythingatrestunderalltheheavens；floatingateasetilltheearth\'srevolutionshallturnupourlanding-towers。

Andminutebyminuteoursilentclockgivesusasixteen-secondmile。

"Somefinenight，"saysTim，"we\'llbeevenwiththatclock\'sMaster。"

"He\'scomingnow，"saysGeorge，overhisshoulder。"I\'mchasingthenightwest。"

Thestarsaheaddimnomorethanifafilmofmisthadbeendrawnunderunobserved，butthedeepairboomonourskinchangestoajoyfulshout。

"Thedawn-gust，"saysTim。"It\'llgoontomeettheSun。Look!

Look!There\'sthedarkbeingcrammedbackoverourbows!Cometotheafter-colloid。I\'llshowyousomething。"

Theengine-roomishotandstuffy；theclerksinthecoachareasleep，andtheSlaveoftheRayisreadytofollowthem。Timslidesopentheaftcolloidandrevealsthecurveoftheworld——theocean\'sdeepestpurple——edgedwithfumingandintolerablegold。

ThentheSunrisesandthroughthecolloidstrikesoutourlamps。

Timscowlsinhisface。

"Squirrelsinacage，"hemutters。"That\'sallweare。Squirrelsinacage!He\'sgoingtwiceasfastasus。Justyouwaitafewyears，myshiningfriend，andwe\'lltakestepsthatwillamazeyou。We\'llJoshuayou!"

Yes，thatisourdream:toturnallearthintotheYaleofAjalonatourpleasure。Sofar，wecandragoutthedawntotwiceitsnormallengthintheselatitudes。Butsomeday——evenontheEquator——weshallholdtheSunlevelinhisfullstride。

Nowwelookdownonaseathrongedwithheavytraffic。Abigsubmersiblebreakswatersuddenly。Anotherandanotherfollowswithaswashandasuckandasavagebubblingofrelievedpressures。Thedeep-seafreightersarerisingtolungupafterthelongnight，andtheleisurelyoceanisallpatternedwithpeacock\'seyesoffoam。

"We\'lllungup，too，"saysTim，andwhenwereturntothec。p。

Georgeshutsoff，thecolloidsareopened，andthefreshairsweepsherout。Thereisnohurry。Theoldcontracts(theywillberevisedattheendoftheyear)allowtwelvehoursforarunwhichanypacketcanputbehindherinten。Sowebreakfastinthearmsofaneasterlyslantwhichpushesusalongatalanguidtwenty。

Toenjoylife，andtobacco，beginbothonasunnymorninghalfamileorsoabovethedappledAtlanticcloud-beltsandafteravolt-flurrywhichhasclearedandtemperedyournerves。Whilewediscussedthethickeningtrafficwiththesuperioritythatcomesofhavingahighlevelreservedtoourselves，weheard(andIforthefirsttime)themorninghymnonaHospitalboat。

Shewascloakedbyaskeinofravelledfluffbeneathusandwecaughtthechantbeforesheroseintothesunlight。"Oh，yeWindsofGod，"sangtheunseenvoices:"blessyetheLord!PraiseHimandmagnifyHimforever!"

Weslidoffourcapsandjoinedin。Whenourshadowfellacrosshergreatopenplatformstheylookedupandstretchedouttheirhandsneighbourlywhiletheysang。Wecouldseethedoctorsandthenursesandthewhite-button-likefacesofthecot-patients。

Shepassedslowlybeneathus，headingnorthward，herhull，wetwiththedewsofthenight，allablazeinthesunshine。Sotookshetheshadowofacloudandvanished，hersongcontinuing。"Oh，yeholyandhumblemenofheart，blessyetheLord!PraiseHimandmagnifyHimforever。"

"She\'sapubliclungerorshewouldn\'thavebeensingingtheBenedicite；andshe\'saGreenlanderorshewouldn\'thavesnow-blindsoverhercolloids，"saidGeorgeatlast。"She\'llbeboundforFrederikshavnoroneoftheGlaciersanatoriumsforamonth。

Ifshewasanaccidentwardshe\'dbehungupattheeight-thousand-footlevel。Yes——consumptives。"

"FunnyhowthenewthingsaretheoldthingI\'vereadinbooks，"

Timanswered，"thatsavagesusedtohaultheirsickandwoundeduptothetopsofhillsbecausemicrobeswerefewerthere。Wehoist\'eminsterilizedairforawhile。Sameidea。Howmuchdothedoctorssaywe\'veaddedtotheaveragelifeofman？"

"Thirtyyears，"saysGeorgewithatwinkleinhiseye。"Arewegoingtospend\'emalluphere，Tim？"

"Flapahead，then。Flapahead。Who\'shindering？"theseniorcaptainlaughed，aswewentin。

WeheldagoodlifttoclearthecoastwiseandContinentalshipping；andwehadneedofit。Thoughourrouteisinnosenseapopulatedone，thereisasteadytrickleoftrafficthiswayalong。WemetHudsonBayfurriersoutoftheGreatPreserve，hurryingtomaketheirdeparturefromBonavistawithsableandblackfoxfortheinsatiablemarkets。WeovercossedKeewatinliners，smallandcramped；buttheircaptains，whoseenolandbetweenTrepassyandLanco，knowwhatgoldtheybringbackfromWestErica。Trans-AsiaticDirectswemet，soberlyringingtheworldroundtheFiftiethMeridianatanhonestseventyknots；andwhite-paintedAckroyd&Huntfruitersoutofthesouthfledbeneathus，theirventilatedhullswhistlinglikeChinesekites。

TheirmarketisintheNorthamongthenorthernsanatoriawhereyoucansmelltheirgrape-fruitandbananasacrossthecoldsnows。Argentinebeefboatswesightedtoo，ofenormouscapacityandunlovelyoutline。They，too，feedthenorthernhealthstationsiniceboundportswheresubmersiblesdarenotrise。

Yellow-belliedore-flatsandUngavapetrol-tankspunteddownleisurelyoutofthenorth，likestringsofunfrightenedwildduck。Itdoesnotpayto"fly"mineralsandoilamilefartherthanisnecessary；buttherisksoftranshippingtosubmersiblesintheicepackoffNainorHebronaresogreatthattheseheavyfreightersflydowntoHalifaxdirect，andscenttheairastheygo。TheyarethebiggesttrampsaloftexcepttheAthabascagrain-tubs。Buttheselast，nowthatthewheatismoved，arebusy，overtheworld\'sshoulder，timber-liftinginSiberia。

WeheldtotheSt。Lawrence(itisastonishinghowtheoldwater-waysstillpulluschildrenoftheair)，andfollowedhisbroadlineofblackbetweenitsdriftingiceblocks，alldowntheParkthatthewisdomofourfathers——buteveryoneknowstheQuebecrun。

WedroppedtotheHeightsReceivingTowerstwentyminutesaheadoftime，andtherehungateasetilltheYokohamaIntermediatePacketcouldpulloutandgiveusourproperslip。Itwascurioustowatchtheactionoftheholding-downclipsallalongthefrostyriverfrontastheboatsclearedorcametorest。AbigHamburgerwasleavingPontLevisandhercrew，unshippingtheplatformrailings，begantosing"Elsinore"——theoldestofourchanteys。Youknowitofcourse:

MotherRugen\'stea-houseontheBalticFortycouplewaltzingonthefloor!

AndyoucanwatchmyRay，ForImustgoawayAnddancewithEllaSweynatElsinore!

Then，whiletheysweatedhomethecovering-plates:

Nor-Nor-Nor-NorWestfromSourabayatotheBaltic——

NinetyknotanhourtotheSkaw!

MotherRugen\'stea-houseontheBalticAndadancewithEllaSweynatElsinore!

Theclipspartedwithagestureofindignantdismissal，asthoughQuebec，glitteringunderhersnows，werecastingouttheselightandunworthylovers。OursignalcamefromtheHeights。Timturnedandfloatedup，butsurelythenitwaswithpassionateappealthatthegreattowerarmsflungopen——ordidIthinksobecauseontheupperstagingalittlehoodedfigurealsoopenedherarmswidetowardherfather？

********

Intensecondsthecoachwithitsclerksclasheddowntothereceiving-caisson；thehostlersdisplacedtheengineersattheidleturbines，andTim，prouderofthisthanall，introducedmetothemaidenofthephotographontheshelf。"Andbytheway，"

saidhetoher，steppingforthinsunshineunderthehatofcivillife，"IsawyoungWilliamsintheMarkBoat。I\'veaskedhimtoteaonFriday。"

AERIALBOARDOFCONTROL

LightsNochangesinEnglishInlandlightsforweekendingDec。18th。

CAPEVERDE——WeekendingDec。18。Verdeinclinedguide-lightchangesfrom1stproximototripleflash——greenwhitegreen——inplaceofoccultingredasheretofore。ThewarninglightforHarmattanwindswillbecontinuousverticalglare(white)onalloasesoftrans-SaharanN。E。byE。MainRoutes。

INVERCARGIL(N。Z。)——From1stprox。:extremesoutherlylight(doublered)willexhibitwhitebeaminclined45degreesonapproachofSoutherlyBuster。TrafficflieshighoffthiscoastbetweenAprilandOctober。

TABLEBAY——Devil\'sPeakGlareremovedtoSimonsberg。TrafficmakingTableMountaincoastwisekeepalllightsfromThreeAnchorBayatleasttwothousandfeetunder，anddonotroundtotillEastofE。shoulderDevil\'sPeak。

SANDHEADSLIGHT-Greentripleverticalmarksnewprivatelanding-stageforBayandBurmatrafficonly。

SNAEFELLJOKUL——Whiteoccultinglightwithdrawnforwinter。

PATAGONIA——NosummerlightsouthCapePilar。ThisincludesStatenIslandandPortStanley。

C。NAVARIN——Quadruplefogflash(white)，oneminuteintervals(new)。

EASTCAPE——Fog——flash-singlewhitewithsinglebomb，30sec。

intervals(new)。

MALAYANARCHIPELAGO——Lightsunreliableowingeruptions。LayfromCapeSomersettoSingaporedirect，keepinghighestlevels。

FortheBoard:

CATTERTHUN}

ST。JUST}Lights。

VANHEDDER}

CasualtiesWeekendingDec。18th。

SABLEISLAND——Greensinglebarbette-towerfreighter，numberindistinguishable，up-ended，andfore-tankpiercedaftercollision，passed300-ft。levelQP。as。Dec。15th。WatchedtowaterandpithedbyMarkBoat。

N。F。BANKS——PostalPacket162reportsHalmafreighter(Fowey——St。John\'s)abandoned，leakingafterweather，46151N。

5015\'W。CrewrescuedbyPlanetlinerAsteroid。WatchedtowaterandpithedbyPostalPacket，Dec。14th。

KERGUELEN，MARKBOATreportslastcallfromCymenafreighter(GayerTongHuk&Co。)takingwaterandsinkinginsnow-stormSouthMcDonaldIslands。Nowreckagerecovered。MessagesandwillsofcrewatallA。B。C。offices。

FEZZAN——T。A。D。freighterUlematakengroundduringHarmattanonAkakusRange。Underplatesstrained。CrewatGhatwhererepairingDec。13th。

BISCAY，MARKBOATreportsCaducci(ValandinghamLine)slightlyspikedinwesterngorgePointdeBenasdue。PassengerstransferredAndorra(FultonLine)。BarcelonaMarkBoatsalvingcargoDec。

12th。

ASCENSION，MAREBOAT——Wreckofunknownracing-plane，Pardenrudder，wire-stiffenedxylonitevans，andHarlissengine-seating，sightedandsalved720\'S。1841\'W。Dec。15th。PhotosatallA。

B。C。offices。

MissingNoanswertoGeneralCallhavingbeenreceivedduringthelastweekfromfollowingoverdues，theyarepostedasmissing:

Atlantis，W。17630。Canton——ValparaisoAudhumlaW。889。Stockholm——OdessaBerenice，W。2206……Riga——VladivostockDraw，E。446……Coventry——PontesArenasTontine，E。5068。C。Wrath——UngavaWu-Sung，E。41776……Hankow——LobitoBayGeneralCall(allMarkBoats)outfor:

JaneEyre，W。6990。PortRupert——CityofMexicoSantander，W。6514……GobiDesert——ManilaY。Edmundsun，E。9690……Kandahar——FiumeBrokeforObstruction，andQuittingLevelsVALKYRIE(racingplane)，A。J。Hartleyowner，NewYork(twicewarned)。

GEISHA(racingplane)，S。vanCottowner，Philadelphia(twicewarned)。

MARVELofPERU(racingplane)，J。X。Peixotoowner，RiodeJaneiro(twicewarned)。

FortheBoard:

LAZAREFF}

McKEOUGH}TrafficGOLDBRATT}

NOTES

High-LevelSleetTheNorthernweathersofarshowsnosignofimprovement。Fromallquarterscomecomplaintsoftheunusualprevalenceofsleetatthehigherlevels。Racingplanesanddigsalikehavesufferedseverely——theformerfrom\'unequaldepositsofhalf-frozenslushontheirvans(andonlythosewhohave"heldup"abadlybalancedplaneinacross-windknowwhatthatmeans)，andthelatterfromloadedbowsandsnow-casedbodies。Asaconsequence，theNorthernandNorth-westernupperlevelshavebeenpracticallyabandoned，andthehighfliershavereturnedtotheignoblesecurityoftheThree，Five，andSixhundredfootlevels。Butthereremainafewundauntedsun-hunterswho，inspiteoffrozenstaysandice-jammedconnecting-rods，stillhaunttheblueempyrean。

Bat-BoatRacingThescandalsofthepastfewyearshaveatlastmovedtheyachtingworldtoconcertedactioninregardto"bat"boatracing。Wehavebeentreatedtothespectacleofwhatarepracticallykeeledracing-planesdrivenaclearfivefootormoreabovethewater，andonlyeaseddowntotouchtheirso-called"

nativeelement"astheyneartheline。Judgesandstartershavebeenconvenientlyblindtothisabsurdity，butthepublicdemonstrationoffSt。Catherine\'sLightattheAutumnRegattashasborneample，iftardy，fruit。Inthefuturethe"bat"istobeaboat，andthelong-unheededdemandofthetruesportsmanfor"nodaylightundermid-keelinsmoothwater"isinafairwaytobeconceded。Thenewruleseverelyrestrictsplaneareaandliftalike。Thegascompartmentsarepermittedbothforeandaft，asintheoldtype，butthewater-ballastcentraltankisrenderedobligatory。Thesethingswork，ifnotforperfection，atleastfortheevolutionofasaneandwholesomewaterbornecruiser。Thetypeofrudderisunaffectedbythenewrules，sowemayexpecttoseetheLong-Davidsonmake(thepatentonwhichhasjustexpired)comelargelyintousehenceforward，thoughthestrainonthesternpostinturningatspeedsoverfortymilesanhourisadmittedlyverysevere。Butbat-boatracinghasagreatfuturebeforeit。

CreteandtheA。B。C。

ThestoryoftherecentCretancrisis，astoldintheA。B。C。

MonthlyReport，isnotwithouthumour。Tillthe25thOctoberCrete，asallourplanetknows，wasthesolesurvivingEuropeanrepositoryof"autonomousinstitutions，""localself-government，"

andtherestofthearchaiclumberdevisedinthepastfortheconfusionofhumanaffairs。ShehaslivedpracticallyonthetouristtrafficattractedbyherannualpageantsofParliaments，Boards，MunicipalCouncils，etc。，etc。Lastsummertheislandersgrewwearied，astheirpremierexplained，of"playingatbeingsavagesforpennies，"andproceededtopulldownallthelanding-towersontheislandandshutoffgeneralcommunicationtillsuchtimeastheA。B。C。shouldannexthem。Forside-splittingcomedywewouldreferourreaderstothecorrespondencebetweentheBoardofControlandtheCretanpremierduringthe"war。"However，all\'swellthatendswell。TheA。B。C。havetakenovertheadministrationofCreteonnormallines；andtouristsmustgoelsewheretowitnessthe"debates，"

"resolutions，"and"popularmovements"oftheolddays。TheonlypeopletosufferwillbetheBoardofControl，whichisgrievouslyoverworkedalready。ItiseasyenoughtocondemntheCretansfortheirlaziness；butwhenonerecallsthelarge，prosperous，andpresumablypublic-spiritedcommunitieswhichduringthelastfewyearshavedeliberatelythrownthemselvesintothehandsoftheA。B。C。，one，cannotbetooharduponSt。

Paul\'soldfriends。

CORRESPONDENCE

SkylarkingontheEquatorToTHEEDITOR:Onlylastweek，whilecrossingtheEquator(W。

26-15)，IbecameawareofafuriousandirregularcannonadingsomefifteenortwentyknotsS。4E。Descendingtothe500ft。

level，IfoundapartyofTransylvaniantouristsengagedinexplodingscoresofthelargestpatternatmosphericbombs(A。B。

C。standard)and，intheintervalsoftheirpleasinglabours，firingbowandsternsmoke-ringswivels。Thisorgie——Icangiveitnoothername——wentonforatleasttwohours，andnaturallyproducedviolentelectricderangements。Mycompasses，ofcourse，werethrownout，mybowwasstrucktwice，andIreceivedtwobriskshocksfromthelowerplatform-rail。Onremonstrating，I

wastoldthatthese"professors"wereengagedinscientificexperiments。Theextentoftheir"scientific"knowledge，maybejudgedbythefactthattheyexpectedtoproduce(Igivetheirownwords)"alittlebluesky"if"theywentonlongenough。"

ThisintheheartoftheDoldrumsat450feet!Ihavenoobjectiontoanyamountofblueskyinitsproperplace(itcanbefoundatthe4000levelforpracticallytwelvemonthsoutoftheyear)，butIsubmit，withalldeferencetotheeducationalneedsofTransylvania，that"skylarking"inthecentreofamain-travelledroadwhere，atthebestoftimes，electricityliterallydripsoffone\'sstanchionsandscrewblades，isunnecessary。Whenmyfriendshadfinished，theroadwasseared，andblown，andpittedwithunequalpressurelayers，spirals，vortices，andreadjustmentsforatleastanhour。Ipitchedbadlytwiceinanupwardrush——solelyduetothesediabolicalthrow-downs——thatcameneartowreckingmypropeller。EquatorialworkatlowlevelsistryingenoughinallconsciencewithouttheaddedterrorsofscientifichooliganismintheDoldrums。

Rhyl。J。VINCENTMATHEN。

[WeentirelysympathizewithProfessorMathen\'sviews，buttilltheBoardseesfittofurtherregulatetheSouthernareasinwhichscientificexperimentsmaybeconducted，weshallalwaysbeexposedtotheriskwhichourcorrespondentdescribes。

Unfortunately，achimerabombinatinginavacuumis，nowadays，onlytoocapableofproducingsecondarycauses-Editor。]

AnswerstoCorrespondentsVIGILANS——TheLawsofAuroralDerangementsarestillimperfectlyunderstood。Anyoverheatedmotormayofcourse"seize"withoutwarning；butsomanycomplaintshavereachedusofaccidentssimilartoyourswhileshootingtheAurorathatweareinclinedtobelievewithLavallethattheupperstrataoftheAuroraBorealisarepracticallyonebigelectric"leak，"andthattheparalysisofyourengineswasduetocompletemagnetizationofallmetallicparts。Low-flyingplanesoften"glueup"whenneartheMagneticPole，andthereisnoreasoninsciencewhythesamedisabilityshouldnotbeexperiencedathigherlevelswhentheAurorasare"delivering"strongly。

INDIGNANT——Onyourownshowing，youwerenotundercontrol。ThatyoucouldnothoistthenecessaryN。U。C。lightsonapproachingatraffic-lanebecauseyourelectricshadshort-circuitedisamisfortunewhichmightbefallanyone。TheA。B。C。，beingresponsiblefortheplanet\'straffic，cannot，however，makeallowanceforthiskindofmisfortune。AreferencetotheCodewillshowthatyouwerefinedonthelowerscale。

PLANISTON——(1)TheFiveThousandKilometre(overland)waswonlastyearbyL。V。Rautsch；R。M。Rautsch，hisbrother，inthesameweekpullingofftheTenThousand(oversee)。R。M。\'saverageworkedoutatafractionover500kilometresperhour，thusconstitutingarecord。(2)Theoretically，thereisnolimittotheliftofadirigible。Forcommercialandpracticalpurposes15，000tonsisacceptedasthemostmanageable。

PATERFAMILIAS——Nonewhatever。Heisliablefordirectdamagebothtoyourchimneysandanycollateraldamagecausedbyfallofbricksintogarden，etc。，etc。Bodilyinconvenienceandmentalanguishmaybeincluded，buttheaveragecourtsarenot，asarule，swayedbysentiment。Ifyoucanprovethathisgrapnelremovedanyportionofyourroof，youhadbetterrestyourcaseondecovertureofdomicile(seeParkinsv。Duboulay)。Wesympathizewithyourposition，butthenightofthe14thwasstormyandconfused，and——youmayhavetoanchoronastranger\'schimneyyourselfsomenight。Verbumsap!

ALDEBARAN——(1)war，asapayingconcern，ceasedin1987。(2)TheConventionofLondonexpresslyreservestoeverynationtherightofwagingwarsolongasitdoesnotinterferewiththetrafficandallthatimplies。(3)TheA。B。C。wasconstitutedin1949。

L。M。P——(1)Keepherfullhead-onathalfpower，takingadvantageofthelullstospeedupandcreepintoit。Shewillstrainmuchlessthiswaythaninquarteringacrossagale。(2)

Nothingistobegainedbyreversingintoafollowinggale，andthereisalwaysriskofaturnover。(3)Theformulaeforstun\'slebrakesareuniformlyunreliable，andwillcontinuetobesoaslongasairiscompressible。

PEGAMOID-(1)Personallywepreferglassorfluxcompoundstoanyothermaterialforwinterworknose-capsasbeingabsolutelynon-hygroscopic。(2)Wecannotrecommendanyparticularmake。

PULMONAR——(1)Forthesymptomsyoudescribe，trytheGobiDesertSanatoria。ThelowlevelsofmostoftheSaharanSanatoriaareagainstthemexceptattheoutsetofthedisease。(2)Wedonotrecommendboarding-housesorhotelsinthiscolumn。

BEGINNER——Onstilldaystheairabovealargeinhabitedcitybeingslightlywarmer——i。e。，thinner——thantheatmosphereofthesurroundingcountry，aplanedropsalittleonenteringtherarefiedarea，preciselyasashipsinksalittleinfreshwater。

Hencethephenomenaof"jolt"andyour"inexplicablecollisions"

withfactorychimneys。Inair，asonearth，itissafesttoflyhigh。

EMERGENCY——Thereisonlyoneruleoftheroadinair，earth，andwater。Doyouwantthefirmamenttoyourself？

PICCIOLA——BothPoleshavebeenoverdoneinArtandLiterature。

LeavethemtoScienceforthenexttwentyyears。Youdidnotsendastampwithyourverses。

NORTHNIGERIA——TheMarkBoatwaswithinherrightinwarningyouofftheReserve。Theshadowofalow-flyingdirigiblescaresthegame。YoucanbuyallthephotosyouneedatSokoto。

NEWERA——ItisnotetiquettetoovercrossanA。B。C。official\'sboatwithoutaskingpermission。Heisoneofthebodyresponsiblefortheplanet\'straffic，andforthatreasonmustnotbeinterferedwith。You，presumably，areoutonyourownbusinessorpleasure，andmustleavehimalone。Forhumanity\'ssakedon\'ttrytobe"democratic。"

EXCORIATED——Allinflatorschafesoonerorlater。Youmustgoontillyourskinhardensbypractice。Meantimevaseline。

REVIEW

TheLifeofXavierLavalle(ReviewedbyReneTalland。EcoleAeronautique，Paris)

TenyearsagoLavalle，"thatimperturbabledreameroftheheavens，"asLazareffhailedhim，gatheredtogetherthefruitsofalifetime\'slabour，andgaveit，withwell-justifiedcontempt，toaworldboundhandandfoottoBarald\'sTheoryofVerticesand"compensatingelectricnodes。""Theyshallsee，"hewrote——inthatimmortalpostscripttoTheHeartoftheCyclone——"theLawswhoseexistencetheyderidedwritteninfirebeneaththem。"

"Butevenhere，"hecontinues，"thereisnofinality。BetterathousandtimesmyconclusionsshouldbediscreditedthanthatmydeadnameshouldlieacrossthethresholdofthetempleofScience——abartofurtherinquiry。"

SodiedLavalle——aprinceofthePowersoftheAir，andevenathisfuneralCellierjestedat"himwhohadgonetodiscoverthesecretsoftheAuroraBorealis。"

IfIchoosethustobebanal，itisonlytoremindyouthatCollier\'stheoriesaretodayasexplodedastheludicrousdeductionsoftheSpanishschool。Intheplaceoftheirfugitiveandwarringdreamswehave，definitely，Lavalle\'sLawoftheCyclonewhichhesurprisedindarknessandcoldatthefootoftheoverarchingthroneoftheAuroraBorealis。ItistherethatI，intentonmyowninvestigations，havepassedandre-passedahundredtimesthewornleonineface，whiteasthesnowbeneathhim，furrowedwithwrinklesliketheseamsandgashesupontheNorthCape；thenervoushand，integrallyapartofthemechanismofhisflighter；andaboveall，thewonderfullambenteyesturnedtothezenith。

"Master，"IwouldcryasImovedrespectfullybeneathhim，"whatisityouseektoday？"andalwaystheanswer，clearandwithoutdoubt，fromabove:"Theoldsecret，myson!"

Theimmenseegotismofyouthforcedmeonmyownpath，but(cryofthehumanalways!)hadIknown——ifIhadknown——Iwouldmanytimeshavebarteredmypoorlaurelsfortheprivilege，suchasTinsleyandHerrerapossess，ofhavingaidedhiminhismonumentalresearches。

ItistothefilialpietyofVictorLavallethatweowethetwovolumesconsecratedtotheground-lifeofhisfather，sofulloftheholyintimaciesofthedomestichearth。OncereturnedfromtheabysmsoftheutterNorthtothatlittlehouseupontheoutskirtsofMeudon，itwasnotthephilosopher，thedaringobserver，themanofironenergythatimposedhimselfonhisfamily，butafatandevenplaintivejester，afarceurincarnateandkindly，theco-equalofhischildren，and，itmustbewritten，notseldomthecomicdespairofMadameLavalle，who，asshewritesfiveyearsafterthemarriage，tohervenerablemother，found"inthisunequalledintellectwhosenameIbeartheabandonofalargeandveryuntidyboy。"Hereisherletter:

"XavierreturnedfromIdonotknowwhereatmidnight，absorbedincalculationsontheeternalquestionofhisAurora——labelleAurore，whomIbegintohate。Insteadofanchoring，——Ihadsetouttheguide-lightaboveourroof，sohehadbuttodescendandfastentheplane——hewandered，profoundlydistracted，abovethetownwithhisanchordown!Figuretoyourself，dearmother，itistheroofofthemayor\'shousethatthegrapnelfirstengages!

ThatIdonotregret，forthemayor\'swifeandIarenotsympathetic；butwhenXavieruprootsmypetaraucariaandbearsitacrossthegardenintotheconservatoryIprotestatthetopofmyvoice。LittleVictorinhisnight-clothesrunstothewindow，enormouslyamusedattheparabolicflightwithoutreason，foritistoodarktoseethegrapnel，ofmyprizedtree。TheMayorofMeudon，thundersatourdoorinthenameoftheLaw，demanding，Isuppose，myhusband\'shead。Hereistheconversationthroughthemegaphone——Xavieristwohundredfeetaboveus:

"\'Mons。Lavalle，descendandmakereparationforoutrageofdomicile。Descend，Mons。Lavalle!\'

"Nooneanswers。

"\'XavierLavalle，inthenameoftheLaw，descendaridsubmittoprocessforoutrageofdomicile。\'

"Xavier，rousedfromhiscalculations，comprehendingonlythelastwords:\'Outrageofdomicile？Mydearmayor，whoisthemanthathascorruptedthyJulie？\'

"Themayor，furious，\'XavierLavalle——\'

"Xavier，interrupting:\'Ihavenotthatfelicity。Iamonlyadealerincyclones!\'

"Myfaith，heraisedonethen!AllMeudonattendedinthestreets，andmyXavier，afteralongtimecomprehendingwhathehaddone，excusedhimselfinathousandapologies。Atlastthereconciliationwaseffectedinourhouseoverasupperattwointhemorning——Julieinawonderfulcostumeofcompromises，andI

haveherandthemayorpacifiedinbedintheblueroom。"

Andonthenextday，whilethemayorrebuildshisroof，herXavierdepartsanewfortheAuroraBorealis，theretocommencehislife\'swork。M。VictorLavalletellsusofthathistoriccollision(enplane)ontheflankofHeclabetweenHerrera，thenapillaroftheSpanishschool，andthemandestinedtoconfutehistheoriesandleadhimintellectuallycaptive。Eventhroughtheyears，theimmenselaughofLavalleashesustainstheSpaniard\'swreckedplane，andcries:"Courage!IshallnotfalltillIhavefoundTruth，andIholdyoufast!"ringslikethecalloftrumpets。ThisisthatLavallewhomtheworld，immersedinspeculationsofimmediategain，didnotknownorsuspect——theLavallewhomtheyadjudgedtothelastapedantandatheorist。

Thehuman，asapartfromthescientific，side(developedinhisownvolumes)ofhisepoch-makingdiscoveriesismarkedwithasimplicity，clarity，andgoodsensebeyondpraise。Iwouldspeciallyrefersuchasdoubtthesustaininginfluenceofancestralfaithuponcharacterandwilltotheeleventhandnineteenthchapters，inwhicharecontainedtheopeningandconsummationoftheTellurionicalRecordsextendingovernineyears。OftheirtremendoussignificancebesurethatthemodesthouseatMeudonknewaslittleasthattheRecordswouldonedaybetheplanet\'sstandardinallofficialmeteorology。ItwasenoughforthemthattheirXavier——thisson，thisfather，thishusband——ascendedperiodicallytocommunewithpowers，itmightbeangelic，beyondtheircomprehension，andthattheyuniteddailyinprayersforhissafety。

"Prayforme，"hesaysupontheeveofeachofhisexcursions，andreturning，withanequalsimplicity，herendersthanks"aftersupperinthelittleroomwherehekepthisbarometers。"

TothelastLavallewasaCatholicoftheoldschool，accepting——hewhohadlookedintotheveryheartofthelightnings——thedogmasofpapalinfallibility，ofabsolution，ofconfession——ofrelicsgreatandsmall。Marvellous——enviablecontradiction!

ThecompletionoftheTellurionicalRecordsclosedwhatLavallehimselfwaspleasedtocallthetheoreticalsideofhislabours——laboursfromwhichtheyoungestandleastimpressionableplaneurmightwellhaveshrunk。Hehadtracedthroughcoldandheat，acrossthedeepsoftheoceans，withinstrumentsofhisowninvention，overtheinhospitableheartofthepolariceandthesterile

visageofthedeserts，leaguebyleague，patiently，unweariedly，remorselessly，fromtheirever-shiftingcradleunderthemagneticpoletotheirexalteddeath-bedintheutmostetheroftheupperatmosphereeachoneoftheIsoconicalTellurionsLavalle\'sCurves，aswecallthemtoday。Hehaddisentangledthenodesoftheirintersections，assigningtoeachitsregulatedperiodoffluxandreflux。Thusequipped，hesummonsHerreraandTinsley，hispupils，tothefinaldemonstrationascalmlyasthoughhewereorderinghisflighterforsomemid-dayjourneytoMarseilles。

"Ihaveprovedmythesis，"hewrites。"Itremainsnowonlythatyoushouldwitnesstheproof。WegotoManilato-morrow。A

cyclonewillformoffthePescadoresS。17E。infourdays，andwillreachitsmaximumintensitytwenty-sevenhoursafterinception。ItisthereIwillshowyoutheTruth。"

AletterheretoforeunpublishedfromHerreratoMadameLavalletellsushowtheMaster\'sprophecywasverified。

Iwillnotdestroyitssimplicityoritssignificancebyanyattempttoquote。Notewell，though，thatHerrera\'spreoccupationthroughoutthatdayandnightofsuperhumanstrainisalwaysfortheMaster\'sbodilyhealthandcomfort。

"Atsuchatime，"hewrites，"IforcedtheMastertotakethebroth"；or"Imadehimputonthefurcoatasyoutoldme。"NorisTinsley(seepp。184，85)lessconcerned。Hepreparesthenourishment。Hecookseternally，imperturbably，suspendedinthechaosofwhichtheMasterinterpretsthemeaning。Tinsley，boweddownwiththelaurelsofbothhemispheres，raiseshimselftoyetnoblerheightsinhiscapacityofadevotedchef。Itisalmostunbelievable!AndyetmenwriteoftheMasterascold，aloof，self-contained。SuchcharactersdonotelicitthejoyousandunswervingdevotionwhichLavallecommandedthroughoutlife。

Truly，wehavechangedverylittleinthecourseoftheages!Thesecretsofearthandskyandthelinksthatbindthem，wefelicitateourselvesweareontheroadtodiscover；butourneighbours\'heartandmindwemisread，wemisjudge，wecondemnnowasever。Letall，then，wholoveamanreadthesemosthuman，tender，andwisevolumes。

transcriber\'snote:These"advertisements"appearedintheformatthatwouldhavebeenusedinanewspaperormagazineadsection——thatisintwocolumnsforthesmallerads，andinquarter，half，fullanddoublepagelayoutsfortheothers。alsoLisusedasthesymbolforpounds。

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