The Yale expositor., 1911-11-30

and yet you won't fall out because or
the centrifugal power"
He gave one last twist TO the cords
that bound me and glared into my
eyes.
But suppose ! suddenly shut off
the engine? What them" he asked.
A smile flickered across his face. 'Ill
tell you, Langton," he said What
happens when you whirl the pail of
water round and round your head and
suddenly stop? What happens to the
water? Does it stay in the pail? Or
does it go through the air? Langton,
you're going through the air. The
sudden cessation of the centrifugal
force, converted into energy, will
throw you just about as hard as a can
non ball.
you may land in the Earl's Court
Road or you may land in the Preston
Road or in Bromley street. l can't
promise for certain, but my aim is inn
proving, and / can assure you of four
hundred yards clean travelling over
the rooftops." He ceased and broke
into revilings. He struck me several
| times, kicked me with his heels and,
| in his uncomfortable rage seemed on
the point of numbering me. Then,
| tearing himself away with a shout of
| final defiance, he left me.
I heard the mechanism begin whir-
| ring in the engine house and felt the
boat begin to move. 1t glided gently
| at first, but soon it's motion was &C
CELEBRATED. Now l was flying high in
| the air over the grounds; faster and
| faster I flew, till the trees, the build
! ings and the night shadows were moth
| ing but blur under me. The speed
was inconceivable! it was as though
were dashed to the engine of some
train which spun on it's circular course
at about twice the speed of the Chica-
so flyer. My brain reeled, my senses
were deserving me; terror, even, fed
from my benumbed consciousness and
| waited calmly for that supreme mo-
ment when the power suddenly ar
rested, l should be sent flying out of
the boat and through the air, over the
revolving housetops. Each moment
seemed an eternity. Would that cul-
mination never arrive? And even as
wondered / felt shock that Jared
each nerve in me; binding light, an
awful sound in my ears and l lost
consciousness.
When I opened my eyes I was still
in the boat. But my bonds were un-
fastened and Crewe was bending over
me, rubbing my chafed and tingling
limbs. My head swum dizzily.
ITS all right, Langton," he said
cheerily. "The watchmen have him
under guard in the engine house"
l stared at Crewe, hardly yet con.
scious of my surroundings, memory
slowly filtering back through her &C.
customed courses.
What happened to you?" I NUT.
tered, striving to recall the occur,
rences of that period after Crewe's
departure.
Crewe sat by me in the boat and
rubbed by legs and arms briskly.
| "Why, Langton, must confess that
the maniac outwitted me. He cam.
on me from behind as silently as a Cat
and choked me into insensibility.
When l opened my eyes l found my
self bound in the engine house.
knew exactly what sort of deviltry he
was up to-, and | surmised that you
would be trapped as easily as l. Pres
emily he came back; he was so intent
on your destruction that he did not
seem to notice me, but from his inco-
herent mumbling l learned that he had
| you fastened in one Of the boats. He
| threw on the lever which starts TIE
mechanism and, as tse machinery be-
| gan to work and tan speed acceler-
ated, he stood tas7e, rubbing his hands
and chucEsipg, with me bound hand
and foot not ter y'lces away, im-
mediately behini ? t,ynamo.
From where l lay l saw the speed
] indicator c7seb up from nothing to-
ward the century mark. understood
| that, who7 it reach 15t, .be nIcxi-
mum, the fierd would throw the lee or
back and send you flying into peril
| ton. l strove to free myself. 1 got
one arm loose, but that was all.
could not stir. But l saw an iron
bolt lying not five feet from me and
somehow can't imagine how
managed to reach it. Just them tie
end came. l saw the indie ator needle
reach the end of the dial. Shay flung
| back the lever with a Shrek of joy,
and then, maddened by the thought
| that your life had been sacrificed,
managed to catch his ankle as ne
leaped back and brought him to the
ground, when l stunned him with the
bolt. found a penknife in his pocket,
cut my bonds, and summoned the
night watchmen by my cries. But
dared not hope to find you still in the
boat"
"But why am / in the boat?" I
cried. "Why did l not go flying
through the air when he stopped the
machinery"
"Why," said Crewe, smiling family,
"you owe your life to a most provi-
Dental oversight on the part of our
maniac. In his half-witted fury, in