The Lost City

come yonder sullen roar, which was now beginning to come their

nergy which told how serious he regarded the emergency, and,

along the wooden ways prepared for that express purpose, while Professor Featherwit hurried aboard a few article

to spare in idle motions. See! The stor

seemed, in

y boulders, tossing them here and there, as a giant of olden tales might play with jackstones, snappi

e professor put that cunning machinery in motion, causing the air-ship to rise from its ways with a sudden

is at stake; but the flying-machine was afloat and fairly off upon the most marvellous journey m

htly gripping the polished lever through which he controlled that admirable mechanism. "I have longed for just such an oppo

yonder awful force in action. "Of course I'm not scared, or anything like that, uncle Phaet

, more deeply stirred than either of his nephews had ever seen him before. "A genuine tornado which has no

escription, but which, in itself, was more than sufficient to chill the blood of even a brave man. Yet, almost as though magnetised by that frightful force, the prof

both hand and tiller, forcing them in the requisite direction, causing the aeromotor t

nod his approval when thus aroused from the dangerous fascination. Another minute, and the air-ship was floating to

ed that gentle curve until it swung around well to the rear of the cloud, where agai

mortal being been blessed with such a magnificent oppo

ast far away from the tornado proper by those erratic winds. And at the same instant the machine itself recoiled,

ow. "Turn the old thing the other way, uncle Phaeton, and let's g

and gazing enthralled upon the vision which fairly thrilled his heart to it

ded across that track of destruction, it gave a drunken stagger, casting

uno, tearing open his shirt-c

nging desperately to the life-lin

t, but then the danger seemed past as the ship darted fairly acr

Featherwit headed the flying-machine directly for the balloon-shaped cloud

lory, eyes asparkle and muscles aquiver, hair bristling as though full of electricity, face glow

ed Waldo, now a bit more at his ease since that awful se

boy!" expostulat

and had mighty little time in which to get there. But this one

oes have been timed as moving from twelve to seventy miles an hour, one passing a given point in half a

ate of thirty-four miles an hour, yet its force was so mighty that it tore away the spire, vane, a

hich swept through Frankfort, Kansas, on May 17, 1896, was fully a half-hour in crossing a half-mile stretch of bot

was anything like this one," declared Waldo, shivering a bit as he watche

h composed of paper. And over all ascended the horrid roar of ruin beyond description, while from that misshapen balloon-cloud, with its flattened top, the electri

ds the northwest, in this, as in all else, seemingly bent on proving i

arm and side, the better to manipulate his hand-camera, with which h

l man ever would have, such a glorious opportunity for recording the

one will be sufficient to carry our names ringing through all time down the corrido

attended such a reckless venture, Waldo could not repress a chuckle at that comical conclusion, s

ured Bruno, as another retrograde gust of air smote

aldo. "If the blamed thing should take a notion to balk,

would have been worse than useless, for that tremendous roaring, crashing, thund

blinding eyes for the moment, forcing the brothers closer to the floor of the aerostat, a

that temporary obscurity and horrible jangle o

shield, and so long as he willeth, just

e again the trio of adventurers might watch

out of his eyes and striving to clean his glasses without removing them, clinging t

og!" suggested Waldo, with boyish sarcasm. "Not any of that

ivid fire, lightning playing back and forth, from side to side, in every conceivable

g like one fascinated. "Who could or would ever believe all t

ctical or nothing, even under such peculiar circumstances. "If I had

er shot at yonder aerial phenomena, feeling that future generations would surely rise up to

ring navigators of space, and that almost before one or the other of them could fa

almost useless for the time being, the aerostat began to sway and reel from side to side, shivering as thoug

to breathe, while an unseen power seemed press

ll those painfully oppressed lungs. Once again the trio cleared the

eromotor perilously near yonder storm-centre, and though Professor Featherwit gripped hard

panted Bruno, leaning to aid the professor.

re already-in