Lords of the Stratosphere

Contents

I The Take-off
II The Ghostly Columns
III Strange Levitation
IV Frantic Scheming
V Into the Void
VI Stratosphere Currents
VII Invisible Globe
VIII Cataclysmic Hunger
IX A Scheme Is Described
X How It Came About
XI To the Rescue

* * * * *




[Sidenote: High into air are the great New York buildings lifted by a
ray whose source no telescope can find.]

CHAPTER I

_The Take-off_


It seemed only fitting and proper that the greatest of all leaps into
space should start from Roosevelt Field, where so many great flights had
begun and ended. Fliers whose names had rung--for a space--around the
world, had landed here and been received by New York with all the pomp
of visiting kings. Fliers had departed here for the lands of kings, to
be received by them when their journeys were ended.

Of course Lucian Jeter and Tema Eyer were disappointed that Franz Kress
had beaten them out in the race to be first into the stratosphere above
fifty-five thousand feet. There was a chance that Kress would fail, when
it would be the turn of Jeter and Eyer. They didn't wish for his
failure, of course. They were sports-men as well as scientists; but
they were just human enough to anticipate the plaudits of the world
which would be showered without stint upon the fliers who succeeded.

[Illustration: _The warship simply vanished into the night sky._]

"At least, Tema," said Jeter quietly, "we can look his ship over and see
if there is anything about it that will suggest something to us. Of
course, whether he succeeds or fails, we shall make the attempt as soon
as we are ready."

"Indeed, yes," replied Eyer. "For no man will ever fly so high that
another may not fly even higher. Once planes are constructed of
unlimited flying radius ... well, the universe is large and there should
be no end of space fights for a long time."

Eyer, the elder of the two partner scientists, was given sometimes to
quiet biting sarcasm that almost took the hide off. Jeter never minded
greatly, for he knew Eyer thoroughly and liked him immensely. Besides
they were complements to each other. The brain of each received from the
other exactly that which he needed to supplement his own knowledge of
science.