The Washington times., 1911-08-20

was IOaQe0 ana we nad taken
our places, Gwynne pulled over a lever,
touched a spring. and we were of.
Like thistledown we fioated upward
to a great elevation; like thistledown we
settled upon our course. To a great eN-
tent 1t was guesswork, though we all
felt sure We could not be very far
wrong in the general direction.
II obstacles beset our path, we would
do our best to float round them. India
was surely TO the south. and to the
south we would go.
Once beyond these terrible Businesses,
in lower altitude and latitude. amid
more genial surroundings, we would be
sure to find human creatures like those
in the world we had come from. Gwynne
had no fear of the ship, he said, now
that the power was replsnished.
AS usual we stopped at noon for din
! ner-and, as usual, the girls insisted
upon doing most of the work. We didn' t
quarrel over 1t. as, they, were deter
mined, and Gwynne busted himself with
some geographical calculations, while
I fetched wood and put the ship to
| rights.
Jack was a good cook; Jill a good
adviser. But I went after the water.
Between us the job was satisfactorily
done, and we sat down to eat.
! 1t was the first real stage of the
| Journey homeward-a journey whose
vicissitudes and end were alike impos-
| sible to guess. But grear mental bur-
den had been removed and nothing in
| the future semed dark by comparison.
| In measure our charges had really
taken charge of us, and the light of
their faces worked a spiritual trans
formation in all We did, thought, or
| looked at.
Although bubbling over with fun, and
positively blinking with delight at the
strange new journey ahead, the girls
were reserved and dignified. I fell nat
urally into calling the elder Miss Jack, ~
while the younger sister ,demurely re-
quested that l call her 'tJill' without
a prefix.
She had been used to it all her life.
tave standard of its own. But II soon
without a Miss for either of them.
While still warm in the middle of the
day, the nights were colder than ever,
and we longed for the south. But the
gigantic snow-peaks continued to en-
fold us, and the solitude remained un-
broken.
The road which we had kept in sight
for the first day was lost. 1t had got
! tangled among rushing torrents, rocks,
and driftwood, and when we looked for it
again had hopelessly DISAPPEARED. Still
we were sure that the general direction
was right. and If persisted in would lead
US to civilization and warmer levels. So
day after day we continued our weird
flight above a world that was unknown
to man. and where only a wild goat OF
| bird were to be seen at rare and un-
certain intervals.
| At night we sat over the campfire
for hours, singing, talking, laughing
The girls lives were spread out before
us. but no memory of past or recent
hardship could blot out the delight Of
our present abandon and newly acquired
freedom. The world was ours-we coult
do as we pleased-we could fly.
There were strange Tfbetan songs witt
which they entertained us-and often. tc
my discontinue, would hold length!
talks with each other in the Bod-skad
Even Gwynne could only partially fol
low them On this.
Then the wild melodies of the Himala
yas would ring out and echo from crat
to summit and distant vale. and tht
mountains were peopled with the ghosts
of the departed lamas.
AT such times my blood would tingl'
with uncanny pictures OF the past, ant
the great chasm Of time that separated
these people from the world woult
4 make me think and fill me with kint
of awe.
One night Gwynne was musing owe
his papers by the fire. :,
"It'ss over there-it must be there.
he said.
lack looked up and smiled.
"IVhat's over there" she asked him
''The road l travelled with the Golol
; when here before-the road where tn
yak carried me. Surely you haven