"No," interrupted the aviator. "What I want is a dirigible
airship."

"Pshaw! only a balloon!" remarked Hiram disappointedly.

"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