Hal gave the word, and willing hands started the machine along the ground. Gradually it gained momentum until it was skimming over the ground at a rapid gait. Then Hal threw over the elevating lever, and the machine shot into the air amid the cheers of the Russians below.
Alexis was conscious of a sinking sensation in the region of his stomach, and he ducked his head even lower as the car rose higher in the air.
“Look up, Alexis!” shouted Chester, reaching over and laying a hand on the Cossack’s arm.
Now that the machine had reached a good height, Hal held it steady, and it darted ahead on a straightaway course. The plane shook with the vibrations of the engine, but otherwise there was scarcely a noticeable motion.
Now that the machine was more steady, Alexis, in response to Chester’s command, slowly opened his eyes and looked about. Seeing nothing, he closed them again immediately, and again ducked his head. Once more Chester yelled at him to look about, and at last Alexis raised his head and glanced into the distance.
“This is a terrible place for a man to be,” he muttered with a shudder. “If man were meant to fly he would have been given wings. It is tempting the wrath of the elements to be here.”
As he looked about him, however, and became conscious of the steadiness of the craft, his composure returned, and soon he was making inquiries regarding the construction of the craft, its speed and the height to which it could ascend. He glanced over the side of the machine, and then looked quickly upward again. The one glance below had made him ill.
He smiled faintly. “I can’t look down yet,” he said ruefully. “I suppose I’ll get used to it in time; but now I had better keep my eyes inside.”
“How fast are we going, Hal?” asked Chester.
“Sixty-five miles an hour,” was Hal’s reply.