The Flying Legion

iscipline that had

ready like a second

quite prevent a little

of t

herself and soared aloft, shouts echoed down the corridors, sh

he Master frowned. This intrusion of disorder lay quite outside his plans. He had hoped for a swift and quiet g

dark, at the faint flicker of lights along the crest of the black cliff. In the gloom of the pilot-house, his

n vanished. The Nissr, upborne at her wonderful climbing-angle toward the clouds painted by her searchlight-clouds like a ripp

f the sudden wind of the airship's own motion, and fo

If the floats had smashed when they hit the gate, there'd have been a devil of

ement had spent itself, this strange man had once more resumed his mantle of calm. Upborne on the wings of wondrous power, wings all aquiver

he repeated. "None of

ntade!" He glanced swi

of light reflected fro

d the captain

ed, Ca

a sc

ve Simonds, in charge of the st

s,

that nerve-shock of a wound brings. But coolly enough he slid open the door leading into the main corridor, and passed through, closing the door after him. Where his hand t

nipped through the broken window. Cloud-wisps began to blur t

, as they rested in their metal stirrups, an aluminum plate silently slid back. A

y twinkling lights. Lights and water drew backward, as the rotary motion gave way to a southern course. The Master sl

ply exclaimed into the ph

me back the ob

Niss'rosh! Remember, two

report as soon a

angle. Under his skilled touch at the wheel, the compass needle steadied to the dot. The

demanded the Ma

picked it up.

Nissr drew over the building. Far, very far down in the chasm of emptiness, tiny strings of light-infinitesimal luminous b

learly. He slowed, circled, playing with vacuum-lift, helicopters, engines, as if they had been keys of a familiar inst

e again, as his deft fingers made another connect

lery now, with the winc

st

of them. As Nissr slowly turned, a trap opened in the bottom of her lower gallery, almost directly between the

nch dropped the nacelle

mmand, through the pho

r, the basket la

kles to Captain Alden's plane there, le

e nacelle. As it cleared the roof, Nissr purred forward, slid away,

lane was being hoisted by davits and made fast on the upper platform, known as the

e reached out for her, felt into the void, whirled like cosmic spokes. The Brooklyn Navy Yard whipped the upper air for her. Down on Sandy Hook, a slim

dropped East River behind and unloosed

ad, ever ahead, till a whipping gale began to beat in at the broken pane. "They

. "Faith, they'll be after us, all

ght. The close-compacted lights beneath commenced to sprinkle out into tenuous dots. The tiny blazing fringe of Coney burned a moment very far below, then slid away, under the glass

ght, unleashed myriad stars-stars which leaped out of the velvet night. Already man and the works of man lay far behind. If there had been any tent

lstered his gun. He moved over to the starboard window, out of the g

loid cat has of catching the asbestos rat," said he. "A clean getaway

ything's shipshape. Be sure the port and starboard watches are chosen. Everything's been arranged, already, but in

familiarity with the Master was now constrained

relieve me, in ab

the gloom of the pilot-house, he eyed the dim, watchful figur

um ladder that led to the upper g

nickel, that's plain

stand for it; but ther

nished, and went to do

brain. Power lay under his hand, that closed with joy upon it. Pow

w showed 2,437 feet, and still rising. Tachometers gave from 2,750 to 2,875 r.p.m. for the various propellers. Speed had gone above 190 miles per hour. No sign of man remained, save, very fa

ed Nissr. The Master felt himself alone with air and

hing ever attempted in this world! A dream that's never been dreamed, before! And if it can't, well, a d

g strength into the mechanism that, whirling, zooning with power, needed no more. The gleam in his eyes,

been only a week before, drawn and lined by ennui. Now

hrough voids of night and mystery, he peered with burning eager

he cried suddenly.

he cry of all Mohammedan pilgrims as