of the air ship, finally descending into the interior. This greatly
excited Jack, who was for following them at once.

"I can't be easy," he declared. "Nobody can tell what may happen to him
if they get him alone."

But I succeeded in persuading him that there could be no danger, and that
we ought to trust to Edmund's discretion. They were gone so long,
however, that at last I became anxious myself, and was on the point of
suggesting to Jack that we try to find them, when they reappeared, and
Edmund at once came to us, his face irradiated with smiles.

"I have plenty of news for you," he said, as soon as he had joined us.
"Never in my life have I spent two hours more delightfully. In the first
place, I have found out practically all that I wished to know about this
expedition, and, second, I have thoroughly examined the mechanism of the
ship. Its complication is only apparent, and the management of it is so
simple that a single man can pilot it easily. I could do it myself."

We did not appreciate at the time what the knowledge that Edmund had thus
acquired meant for us.

"Well, what about the expedition?" asked Jack. "And where are we going?"

"From what I can make out," replied Edmund musingly, "Ala is really what
you called her, Jack, a queen. But such a queen! If we had some like her
on the earth, monarchy might not be such a bad thing after all. She is a
_savant_."

"Bluestocking," put in Jack. "This is a new kind of amazon."