way you feel about it, I'll see what I can do. It will be another
exercise for me in this new kind of language. But, mark this, if I
succeed in persuading the chieftainess to keep us together, you will have
to acknowledge that your fears were groundless. Perhaps it's worth trying
on that very account."

He disappeared from our eyes again--for as soon as he approached their
leader the people of the air ship crowded close around as if to afford
her protection--and, after another ten minutes' conference, came back
smiling to the edge of the deck.

"Dismiss your fears, friend Jack," he said cheerfully. "You are all to
come aboard here with me. So you see there could have been no thought of
treachery; but I'm glad that we are not to be separated, and I thank you
for your solicitude on my account. I'm sure that the original
arrangement was made only because of lack of room aboard this craft, and
you'll see that that was the reason."

He was right, for immediately half a dozen of the crew of the principal
air ship were sent aboard ours while we were transferred to take their
place.

We now had an opportunity to study the countenance of the "amazon"
commander, and we found her to be an even more remarkable personage than
she had appeared at a distance. Of the beauty of her features and form I
shall say no more, but about her eyes I could write a chapter. The
pupils, widely expanded amidst their circles of sky-blue iris, seemed to
speak. I can describe the impression that they made in no other way. I no
longer wondered at Edmund's ability to converse with her, for I felt
that, with a little instruction, and more of our leader's mental