into his pockets and now held them out at the front ranks of the
infuriated mob.

In each hand was one of those American institutions known as
revolvers which the mere pressure of the fingers is enough to fire --
pocket mitrailleuses in fact.

And taking advantage not only of the recoil of his assailants but
also of the silence which accompanied it.

"Decidedly," said he, "it was not Amerigo that discovered the New
World, it was Cabot! You are not Americans, citizen balloonists! You
are only Cabo-"

Four or five shots cracked out, fired into space. They hurt nobody.
Amid the smoke, the engineer vanished; and when it had thinned away
there was no trace of him. Robur the Conqueror had flown, as if some
apparatus of aviation had borne him into the air.





Chapter V

ANOTHER DISAPPEARANCE