"Tom, we must go down. Drop at once," he said. "That old fellow
succeeded in blowing a hole in us all right."

The pumps were set to work and the Wondership fell rapidly. They
dropped in a field by the roadside, landing on the running wheels as
lightly as a feather, thanks to the shock absorbers, similar to those
of an automobile, with which the Wondership was equipped.

"Now for the repair kit," said Jack, rummaging a locker.

He soon had balloon silk, big shears, a quick-drying gum solution and
a pot of gasproof varnish, ready for the job of patching up the hole.
But first they had to empty the big bag of gas. This was speedily
done, for already enough had escaped to wrinkle the bag like a walnut,
with hollows and creases.

Jack cut out a patch of balloon silk large enough to fit the hole and
spread it with the adhesive gum solution. This he placed inside the
hole, spreading it out so that when pressure was applied it would be
pressed firmly against the aperture. Then he coated the patch with the
gasproof varnish, and both boys sat down to give the job time to
"set."

Their eyes turned idly to the high-road. It was about noon and there
was a heavy sort of silence in the air. Far on the horizon they could
make out great billowy masses of white cloud. Piled and castellated
against the sky they assumed all kinds of odd shapes.

"Thunder heads," said Jack. "We shall have a storm before to-night."