xacted my solemn pledge not to assist Hawkin

and insisted upon my promising to use every means, physical force included,

ut the motor, and at the first opportunity I indic

isfied me that he understood perfectly, and, believing that he was sufficiently offended to ke

take him on a personally conducted tour to a quiet little

mechanical contrivances of Hawkins, and I should have been suspicious. Yet when Hawkins appeared Sunday mor

neat little pleasure boats, and when we left the h

unshine, and the beautiful sweep of the river filled my mind with infinite peace, and it w

ed down the lunch and our overcoats. I had just finished passing them o

e engine gone

tly, "has gone where all other steam engines will

cheerful pro

nds the first full-sized working model of t

hat looked like an inverted wash-boiler. At first glance it appeared to be merely a dome of

n Hawkins, triumphant

it, I say! Come home with me at once. I'm not going to be mixed up in

te, admonished me not to be an as

had I meditated such a course seriously, I

known how to stun Hawkins from above without killing h

alled a policeman and requested him to incarcerate Hawkins; at the m

s testing his motor, but my heart qu

spect of returning to his wife and admitting that I had a

death by drowning was about the best I

down into

s. "Quite the sensible thing to do

I hope not

The A. P. stands for 'almost perpetual'-good name, isn't it? You don't know mu

e distillation products of petroleum, in fact-which, having been exploded, passes into my new and absolutely uniq

definitely, and, as it circulates automatically through the motor, the little engine

ctly,"

smiled the inventor, opening with a key a littl

eful," I ventured, bac

p that in an engine of this construction, there

ler. A sheet of flame seemed to flash from the li

violent shock, and I clutched him ti

Let me go, you idiot! It alway

ng up a peculiarly serpentine wake,

aste for a little, and finally managed to head the boat down-s

uffled feathers, "you mustn't interfere with me lik

uprooting that c

hree minutes. Then his temper returned and he

ink, to any one save Hawkins. It lasted until we had pass

ed time for

n back pretty soon,

ack? Wh

e Hudson, we can't run much

ook, eat our lunch, and be back in the city at two, sharp. Why, Grigg

ve it

red knots

dee

Hawkins, who must have read my thoughts. "Well, she c

saved my breath on the chance of

hed around in the machinery, and fast

anxiety to get ahead. For a few seconds it quivered from end t

ow that I never traveled in an express train that hastened as did that po

ng, but extraneous. Hawkins sat erect beside his infernal machine, looking like a

the open water without smashing

erful, the control I have over the launch now. Every bit of the steering-gear is located in

go, so that the wind wouldn't blow us about, and haven

wheel, puffed up his chest,

snapped off in

" he stuttered

rapped out, savagely. "How th

t. I shall simply unlock this case again and control the steering-gear

ority of his to

y sentiments de

hem, but it did. His hands shook as he fumbled with the key of his st

e put us in a hole t

ow

that I snapped that ke

" I sh

r going for three months. I can't stop her or move the rudder without

ver me, "we shall have to go straight ahead now u

Hawkins, defiantly. "A

dictive stare, until he abandoned th

u know," he said, vaguel

ing set your miserable rudder to correspond with the present wind?" I a

all riveted down with my own patented rivets

onsideration has delayed their universal adoption. They cost

the launch's woodwork was held together by them, it

s, isn't it, H

might b

g itself all out in the effort to swamp us. But, as it is, we are merely careering gaily over the sunlit waves at

hought of that? Just let me see. Yes, my boy, at this rate we shall be in the Bay of Biscay Mon

ught about it for another ten seconds, I should hurl Hawkins in

dwich, and crouched there, keeping out of the terrific wind as much as possible, watching for a possible vessel and

set I have ever observed. With dusk descending over

lantic in Forty Hours"-formed a stock company to manufacture his motor, offered me the London agency at an

d me that salt air invariably made him slee

ad such utter confidence in himself and his unintention

ng should be passed in consciousness, and I spent that terr

ther cigar, and wriggled wearily to the

e sure, but steaming so that we must cr

the little deck, wound one arm about

e and more I feared that the signal might be

nything that filled me with one-half the joy I felt on reali

t the matter. In five minutes we should be

e stern to aw

ousled and happy, sniffing the crisp ai

y?" he inqui

what

opening his eyes in astonishment. "We

new idiocy is t

hat steamer a few lines to te

l, terrible significance of hi

ared, "that you are not go

" he replied stiffly. "Let me h

kins. Then I gripped him about the waist and threw m

and strained and pulled and hauled at me, swearing lik

econds more and we should shoot by it forever. The thou

ng pain it has ever known. Something seemed to lift me clear of the launch, with Hawkins in my arms; I heard a du

lormen were dragging him in, struggling and cursing and pointing wildly towar

had the honor of our rescue. She depos

but I am free to say that when my wife and Mrs. Hawkins delivered to me their j

to rest entirely. At least, Hawkins d

al interview, Hawkins was busy in

ns says that some of the power must have dribbled out of the

e thing when it struck me; I have darting pain

een reported, which is

ders against the ice-cakes. Perhaps it is terrorizing some cannibal tribe

etter part of a substantial meal, and, what is in my eyes of less importance, the