Then, with a scream as of some gigantic shell from a thousand-inch
rifle, something passed over the _Annihilator_; something that shook
the great projectile like a leaf in the wind. And then the scream died
away, and there was silence. For a moment no one spoke, and then Jack
whispered hoarsely:

"We've passed it."

"Yes," added Mark, "we're safe now."

"By golly! I knowed we would!" fairly yelled Washington, leaping to his
feet. "I knowed dat no old meteor could kerflumox us! Perfesser
Henderson he done jumped our boat ober it laik a hunter jumps his boss
ober a fence. Golly! I'se feelin' better now!"

"How did you avoid it?" asked Mark of the professor.

"With the help of the repelling machine and by changing our course. But
we did it only just in time. It was an immense meteor, much larger than
at first appeared, and it was blazing hot. Had it struck us, there
would have been nothing left of us or the projectile either but star
dust. But we managed to pass beneath it, and now we are safe."

They congratulated each other on their lucky escape, and then busied
themselves about various duties aboard the air-craft. The rest of the
day was spent in making minor adjustments to some of the machines,
oiling others, and in planning what they would do when they reached the
moon.

In this way three days and nights passed, mainly without incident. They