“Now we’ve got to ascend a few thousand feet to clear the tops of the Alleghany mountains. Let a little more air out of the tank. There—that’s enough. It’ll be quite cool at the altitude to which we’ll rise, so we’d better put on the fur coats that are in the locker under you, Bob, and curl down in the car and snooze awhile.”
A few minutes later the two were asleep and the feather-bed balloon was topping the Alleghanies.
CHAPTER III
THROUGH A STORM IN A BALLOON
On awaking Bob was a little confused. But soon he remembered where he was, and he sat up and blinked and looked around for his companion. Fitz Mee stood upon the locker, a tiny binocular glued to his pop eyes, gazing intently at the western horizon. It was gray daylight, and they were making good speed.
“What’s the matter, Fitz?” Bob demanded, alert and interested at once. “What’re you looking at?”
“Looking at a storm gathering,” the goblin replied, without turning his head.
The boy rose to his feet, removed his fur coat, and wadded it into a ball and stuffed it into the locker.