now?"

"Well," he replied, with a grim attempt at a smile, "my opinion is not
worth much in our present strange circumstances, but it seems to me we are
on our way either to the sun or one of the large planets."

I did not reply, and we both soon found it wise to expend no unnecessary
breath in talking. The ether was now so thin that it took oceans of it,
literally, to make enough air to keep us alive.

Our provisions were nearly exhausted, our strength was failing, and I
really believe we would not have lived many days had not something
occurred to divert our minds and to relieve some of our physical
discomforts.




CHAPTER IV.

AND ONE WOMAN.


At the time we tied our car to the rocks, to prevent us from drifting away
from the earth, we did not anticipate that the fastenings would receive
any very severe strain, but now the velocity of the wind was such that
there was great danger of our breaking away. The moon was not a very
hospitable place, to be sure, as we had thus far found it, but still we
preferred it to the alternative of flying off into space in our glass car
and becoming a new species of meteor.