“We’ll finish this as soon as we can,” said Peltok, but there was no occasion to say that. Tom and Ned could see that the three were doing their best.
So, having learned that he would not disturb them by sending his craft along, the young inventor started the undamaged motor and soon the Air Monarch was moving at fairly rapid speed over the surface of the calm sea. Tom steered by a binnacle compass, heading due east, and knew that every mile he gained was so much to the good.
With the other motor in commission, he knew he could more than double the present speed. But his main reliance was going to be travel in the air, for that was his speediest medium.
After about an hour, during which the craft had sped along for several miles over the sea, they ran into a thick fog, which seemed another indication of a change in the weather.
“Got a fog horn?” asked Ned, as he stood beside Tom in the motor control cabin.
“What for?”
“To signal so we won’t run into any ships.”
“I guess we won’t be down on the sea much longer,” Tom said, for he had asked Ned to take the wheel while he went back to note what progress the three mechanics were making. “They have almost finished. We’ll be going up directly.”
“Glad of it,” remarked Ned. “I don’t like it down here—not in a fog.”
“There’s no danger,” began Tom, with a laugh. “I’ll take a chance——”