Evans had not finished when already the capital of Canada began to dwindle into the distance. The aircraft entered a zone of little clouds, which shrouded gradually the sight of the sun.
Robur, seeing then that the president and secretary of the Weldon Institute were directing their attention to the exterior arrangements of the Albatross, approached and said:
“Well, gentlemen, do you believe now in the possibility of aerial locomotion by machines heavier than air?”
It would have been difficult not to submit to the evidence. Yet Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans did not reply.
“You’re silent?” continued the engineer. “No doubt hunger forbids you from speaking! … But though I’ve taken it on myself to transport you through the air, don’t think I intend to feed you with that poorly nourishing fluid. Your first lunch is waiting for you.”
As Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans felt sharp pangs of hunger, this was no time to stand on ceremony. A meal does not commit a man to anything, and when Robur set them on earth again, they fully expected to regain complete freedom of action from him.
So the two of them were led to the deckhouse at the stern, into a little dining room. There they found a properly set table, at which they were to eat by themselves throughout the voyage. For dishes, various preserves, including a sort of bread, made of equal quantities of flour and powdered meat, spiced up with a little lard, which, boiled in water, made an excellent soup; also slices of fried ham, and tea to drink.
As for Frycollin, he had not been forgotten. At the bow, he had found a hearty soup made from that bread. And he really must have been very hungry indeed to have eaten it, for his jaws shook with fear and might have refused him all service.
“If it breaks! … If it breaks! …” the unfortunate Negro kept repeating.
Hence, perpetual panic. Just imagine it! A fall of fifteen hundred meters, which would have reduced him to paste!
An hour later, Uncle Prudent and Phil Evans reappeared on the deck. Robur was no longer there. At the stern, the helmsman, in his cage of glass, kept his eyes fixed on the compass, and imperturbably, unhesitatingly, followed the route given by the engineer.
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