There, at the farther end,
was Ingra, on his knees before the mechanical mouths which swallowed the
invisible elements of power from the air; and beside him was another,
also on his knees, and busy with tools, apparently trying to detach the
things. The explanation flashed over my mind; Ingra had brought a skilled
engineer to aid him in discovering the secret of the car, and, no doubt,
to rob it of its mysterious mechanism. They seemed to fear no
interruption, because Ingra had undoubtedly informed himself of the fact
that for a day or two past we had abandoned the use of our room in the
tower, and taken our repose in our apartments in the palace. It was by
mere chance that Juba and I had, on this occasion, remained so long aloft
that I had decided to take our sleep in the tower room.
Anticipating no surveillance, Ingra was not on his guard, and had no idea
that I was behind him. Instinctively I grasped for my pistol but
instantly remembered that it was with my coat in the room. I tiptoed
back, awoke Juba, making him a sign to be noiseless, got the pistol, and
returned, without a sound, to the open door of the car with Juba at my
heels.
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