completion it was submitted to several preliminary flights, which
were so eminently successful that the inventor decided to make a
trial trip under conditions closely analogous to those imposed
for the Government test. On June 20th, 1908, at 8:26 a.m. the
craft ascended and remained aloft for 12 hours, during which time
it made an encouraging circular tour. Flushed with this success,
the Count considered that the official award was within reach,
and that all his previous disasters and misfortunes were on the
eve of redemption.

The crucial test was essayed on August 5th, 1908. Accompanied by
twelve observers the vessel ascended and travelled without
incident for eight hours. Then a slight mishap demanded
attention, but was speedily repaired, and was ignored officially
as being too trivial to influence the main issue. Victory
appeared within measurable distance: the arduous toil of many
patient years was about to be rewarded. The airship was within
sight of home when it had to descend owing to the development of
another motor fault. But as it approached the ground, Nature, as
if infuriated at the conquest, rose up in rebellion. A sudden
squall struck the unwieldy monster. Within a few moments it
became unmanageable, and through some inscrutable cause, it
caught fire, with the result that within a few moments it was
reduced to a tangled mass of metallic framework.

It was a catastrophe that would have completely vanquished many
an inventor, but the Count was saved the gall of defeat. His
flight, which was remarkable, inasmuch as he had covered 380
miles within 24 hours, including two unavoidable descents, struck
the Teuton imagination. The seeds so carefully planted by the