The Detroit times., 1909-06-15
The Man
Who Stole
The Earth"
By W. Holt Whits
CHAPTER LxvIIl.-(continued.)

I
Feeiing the JOY of coming conflict
In his veins. Strong rode his horse
blithely. and his face was pleasant and
brave 10 look ON, and the cheering
grew and grew in volume and contin-
ued long after the iron gates OF the
balloon ground had been closed with
crash behind him.
In the balloon ground itself every.
thing was business-like and in order
Langley had marshaled the workmen
in l.sissary fashion in hollow square.
and into this Strong rode alone.
He looked about him with "A smile.
and dotted his military helmet, and.
standing in his stirrups. oareheaded,
in the sunshine he cried.
Gentlemen. | thank you all for the
great service that you have rendered
10 Bahama and myself"
IL was Langley who lea the cheer
ing, and then Strong. dismountine
made for the Victor"
For he was still true To his first love
OF the airships.
The "Di having returned. Arbuthnot
assumed control OF the State while
Langley and Bellingham were placed
In charge OF the Remaining airships,
which had been christeued the bal
kama" and the Princess"
Churston took the hi, and, AZ a
signal given by gun.flre, the four grea,
airships and their little comrade rose
simultaneously I'm the air.
IN n hpIuht
1000 feet. SO that they could be dis
cerned by all the city. and, as he hung
above the balloon ground, Strehg )
heart swelled within him 10 near the
cheers rising from the black crowds
upon the Morning Hills and from the
troops stationed in the plain.
With langley he had worked out a
series OF simple evoluuons, much en-
the lines OF those followed IN naval
tactics. and. with the Victor" lead
ing. the airShips circled slowly round
the city
Then they dropped-t0-a lesser -elea
walton and made across the plain on
which the troops were stationed
They hung with scarcely a tremor
some 80 feet above the earth. in
we'll dressed line. and then at the fir
ing OF battery stationed above the
crowds on the Morning Hills the
troops began to move. Led by. Gen.
Martel and the stan which haae fol
lowed Strong 10 the balloon ground,
they slowly moved across the PLAIN
lust beneath the "Victors" bows.
cen Nartrt rrrTr'7- grim
AZ their head. merely lifting his sabre
10 the salute as he passed the alrship.
But the men. having seen the power
az Strong and drunk With sense or
the enormous power that had sudden
* come &c them, were net 20 be bound
! nv discipline. and as rack after rank
OF infantry passed the -salatihg base
the men tore their helmets from their
7 rr7rfs and -hutsted thenl upon thell
: rifles ana cheered and cheered again
II was indeed only by the almes'
superhuman efforts Of their officers
that they were kept marching
When the last man had passed
Strong put the airships up with q
lump and for half an hour or SC
drove the people OF Bomberg into a
/ frenzy Of delight over the evolutions
which they performed.
Before making his ascent, Strons
had left with Hertz a further proc "a
nation stating that he proposed that
very lay 10 proceed Berlin
He was not minded however &c
/ leave Bomberg entirely without de
fenses for that matter ftff4- EEt@
slightest risk OF breeding again a
spirit Of rebellion. and so he had de-
tailed the Bahama. under the charge
of Bellingham. TO remain over the
I ctty during his absence.
II srs.-tee late fin the day however
Ia make for Berlin then. and so h.
remained in mid-air all through the
afternoon and all through the night
Ito he Continued.)