Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-24

Law like ogs By the peculiar whistlng Of
the air he knew that the vessel was travel
ing at a tremendous speed. 1t did not
occur to him to be troubled about
1t. He congratulated himself that the
man at the throttle and the helm had
escaped this terrible.attack. He lay look
ing toward the stern of the airship, and did
not think it necessary to turn around. In
deed, he did not think it we'll to raise his
head at all, for fear the symptoms would
Immediately return, The smooth, unjarrine
strokes OF the machinery lulled MIN to rest
He felt verv drowsy. Yet he thought that
he ought to inquire about the Professor be.
fore he slept. He had no concern about the
three torpid men about him, for be knew if
he could pull through that they would in
due time.
"wilderl Say, Wilderr he feebly cried,
In voice still loud enough to carry to the
front engine compartment
He listened and heard no answer. He
imagined that he had not called loud
enough and tried again, then listened. The
heavy breathing of his stricken friends was
the only sound that replied to him.
"Wilderl Professor! Answer"
1t was the commander of the expedition
who spoke now with an instinct of fear.
Sergeant Willtwig lifted himself upon
his elbow and turned around. The sight
made him cry aloud with horror and with
terror Before him, upon the floor, Law the
designer of the airship, his head perilously
near revolving wheel But beyond,
through the window in the airship's bow
he saw black mass looming before them.
With bound he dashed into the engine
room. In view of some horrible emer-
gency, he had learned the use of the differ
ent parts of the complicated machinery.
Indeed, its important features were
marked. Before the airship lowered
mountain crags They were not more
than two miles away-that is, a seconds
Mountains were thousands of feet high,
while the airship had barely attained an
altitude of three thousand feet. Trappers
must have often asked of themselves why
that mountain range had ever been thrown
up. But now its use was made manifest,
1t was in iniquitous league with the witch
of the North Pole. For 10, 600 centuries it
had been ordained that here should be the
barrier to this profane expedition. These
rocks were cast up to grind to dust these
sacrileg, GUS explorers, who, mutinying
against the earth, dared the transit of the
heavepa
This was Sergeant Willtwig's bitterest
moment of all The stalwart man who had
no fear.
In that fraction of second, facing an i'm
minent and terrible doom, the Sergeant had
agonizing thoughts. He was glad that his
companions were mercifully spared even
the knowledge of their own death. Tho i'm
pact following upon such an unheard-of
impetus would mean instantaneous annihi-
lation.
For himself, he mourned the death of his
mission more than his own slaughter; as he
yielded to his compassion, he gave a mighty
turn to the wheel that controlled the YER
tical rudder. The airship careened so that
be was thrown from his feet. Even before
one could write the dot upon the he felt q
grating, crunching sound. There was a
shrek from the cabin.
He looked out of the window. The ship
had graZed the side of the mountain-iust
escaped destruction.
But, horror upon horrori Even as he
looked, congratulating himself, and feeling
as brave men do-weak as water after a
narrow escape-the mountains doomed UP
before him again.
He had forgotten to straighten the rudder,
and the airship, describing gigantic circle,
more swiftly than the hungriest bird of
bolical obstruction. The Sergeant's hands
were paralyZed. "Mv God!' he cried.
Professor Wilder, who had been lying on
the floor during these unparalleled crises,
was aroused at the exclamation. This was
the first word which the Sergeant had ut
tered. The inventor opened his eyes. They
fell upon the wheel that controlled the
direction Of the airship. His trained eye
saw that it was terribly turned He did not
know the danger which they had escaped.
He only knew that something was
altogether wrong. Deity and quickly he
turned the wheel so that the ship, suddenly