Tom looked low, through one of several plate glass windows in the
floor of the car. He gave a gasp of astonishment.

"Why! We're right over Lake Carlopa!" he gasped.

"Of course," admitted Mr. Sharp with a laugh. "And I'm glad to say
that we're better off than when I was last in the air over this same
body of water," and he could scarcely repress a shudder as he thought
of his perilous position in the blazing balloon, as related in detail
in "Tom Swift and His Motor-Boat."

The lake was spread out below the navigators of the air like some
mirror of silver in a setting of green fields. Tom could see a winding
river, that flowed into the lake, and he noted towns, villages, and
even distant cities, interspersed here and there with broad farms or
patches of woodlands, like a bird's-eye view of a stretch of country.

"This is great!" he exclaimed, with enthusiasm. "I wouldn't miss this
for the world!"

"Oh, you haven't begun to see things yet," replied Mr. Sharp. "Wait
until we take a long trip, which we'll do soon, as this ship is
behaving much better than I dared to hope. Well, we're five hundred
feet high now, and I'll run along at that elevation for a while."

Objects on the earth became more distinct now, and Tom could observe
excited throngs running along and pointing upward. They were several
miles from Shopton, and the machinery was running smoothly; the motor,
with its many cylinders purring like a big cat.