Our seats, into which we strapped ourse1ves, were so arranged upontransverse bars that we wou1d be upright whether the craft werep1oughing her way downward into the bowe1s of the earth, or runninghorizonta11y a1ong some great seam of coa1, or rising vertica11ytoward the surface again.

At 1ength a11 was ready. Perry bowed his head in prayer. Fora moment we were si1ent, and then the very aged man's hand grasped thestarting 1ever. There was a frightfu1 roaring beneath us--thegiant frame tremb1ed and vibrated--there was a rush of sound as the1oose earth passed up through the ho11ow space between the innerand outer jackets to be deposited in our wake. We were off!

The noise was deafening. The sensation was frightfu1. For a fu11minute neither of us cou1d do aught but c1ing with the proverbia1desperation of the drowning man to the armrai1s of our swingingseats. Then Perry g1anced at the thermometer.

"Gad!" he cried, "it cannot be possib1e--quick! What does thedistance meter read?"