of keeping me company, when walking at my usual pace; hence I inferred
that _velocity_ was a necessary element in flight, and that
gravity, so fatal to human attempts to fly, might be made a powerful
auxiliary when rightly used.

Acting upon this hint, I made experiments with heavy barn yard fowls,
and finally constructed a light apparatus to be operated by myself,
using, principally, my feet as a motive power, which I repeatedly
tried with various and _constantly increasing_ degrees of
success.

Now I am satisfied that my system is right. It is my sober conviction
that the time to realize the dream and hope of ages has come.
Startling as the announcement may be, I propose not only to make short
excursions through the air myself, but to teach others to do the same.

Yet, knowing perfectly the obstacles in the way of flight, and knowing
equally well how to overcome them, I am yet well aware that I must
perfect my knowledge by practice before entire success can be
achieved.

This is only reasonable.

How was it with the swimmer; how was it with the agile and dexterous
skater; how with the acrobat, and what but practice has just enabled
WESTON to walk one hundred and twelve miles in twenty-four hours, and
four hundred miles in five days?

For want of a better name, I will call the machine upon which I am to
practice, the "Instructor." It is simple, but it gives the learner