"whoa, dar!"

It might have gone hard with him, had not Garret Jackson, the
engineer, running in front of Boomerang, caught the animal. Eradicate
picked himself up, and gazed sadly at his arms. The navigators of the
air could not hear what he said, but what he thought was evident to
them.

Then, as Mr. Sharp deadened the explosions of the powerful motor. Tom,
looking at a gauge, noted that their height was seven hundred feet.
"High enough!" called Mr. Sharp, and it was time, for Mr. Damon, in
spite of his resolution, was getting pale.

The gas was shut off, the propellers thrown into gear, and, with a
rush the Red Cloud shot toward the south, passing over the Swift
homestead, and high above the heads of the crowd that had gathered to
witness the start. The eventful voyage of the air had begun.



Chapter 12 - Some Startling News



"Well, there they go," remarked Mrs. Baggert to Mr. Swift, as she
strained her eyes toward the sky, against the blue of which the
airship was now only a large, black ball.

"Yes, and a fine start they made," replied the inventor. "I almost
wish I had accompanied them, but I must not stop work on my submarine