"Not at all," corrected the good-natured airman. "Except for the self-sustaining power, it will be constructed on the best aeroplane principles. I have been working on it for some months, and only yesterday I got figures on the machine."
"What is it for, Mr. King?" submitted the inquisitive Hiram, "exhibitions?"
"No. It's first big feat is to cross the Atlantic."
"Cross the Atlantic Ocean!" almost gasped the excited Hiram.
"Cross the Atlantic!" repeated Dave, in a startled yet thoughtful manner.
He sat looking fixedly at the aviator as if fascinated. The novelty, the immensity of the proposition, stunned Dave.
"Can it be done?" he asked in a low, intense tone, vast dreams running through his mind a lightning speed.
"According to my calculations, yes," replied Mr. King definitely. "Oh, it is no new idea with me. The project has been the constant ideal of every advanced airman. It has got to come to that, if aeronautics is the progressive science we enthusiasts believe it to be."
"I would like to be the first one to win such a triumph," said Dave.
"Yes, the first one gets the fame," said the airman. "The prize, too. If such an experiment was rationally started I believe the profession and its backers would put up a small fortune to go to the successful winner. Now, boys, I have great confidence in you. What has held me back has been the lack of capital."