So swiftly did they go up that their breath was almost taken away.
"Great Scott!" gasped Chester. "This is more than I bargained for!"
With the lights of the village like pin points below him, Hal, who had not for a moment lost his presence of mind, checked the rise of the machine, and headed toward the southwest, gauging his direction by a compass before him, the moonlight luckily permitting him to see.
As the machine settled down to its flight, Chester regained his composure.
"This is more like it," he said. "For a moment I was afraid it was all up with us."
"I was scared for a minute myself," replied Hal. "But you must remember this is not my first trip aloft."
"I guess it's all right after you get used to it," was the answer, "but the way I feel right now, if I ever get my foot on terra firma again I am going to stay there."
Hal laughed.
"Oh, you will be all right directly," he said. "For my part, I like it."
"How fast do you suppose we are going?"