“You can get films with that machine,” he said, “that will be better than any pictures ever thrown on a screen.  My fortune will be made, Tom, and yours too, if you can only get pictures that are out of the ordinary.  There will be some hair-raising work, I expect, but you can do it.”

“I’ll try,” spoke Tom.  “I have—­”

“Hold on!  I know what you are going to say,” interrupted Mr. Period.  “You are going to say that you’ve gone through some strenuous times already.  I know you have, but you’re going to have more soon.  I think I’ll send you to India first.”

“To India!” exclaimed Tom, for Mr. Period had spoken of that as if it was but a journey downtown.

“Yes, India.  I want a picture of an elephant drive, and if you can get pictures of the big beasts in a stampede, so much the better.  Then, too, the Durbar is on now, and that will make a good film.  How soon can you start for Calcutta?”

“Well, I’ve got to overhaul the airship,” said Tom.  “That will take about three weeks.  The camera is practically finished.  I can leave in a month, I guess.”

“Good.  We’ll have fine weather by that time.  Are you going all the way by your airship?”

“No, I think it will be best to take that apart, ship it by steamer, and go that way ourselves.  I can put the airship together in India, and then use it to get to any other part of Europe, Asia or Africa you happen to want pictures from.”

“Good!  Well, get to work now, and I’ll see you again.”

In the days that followed, Tom and Ned were kept busy.  There was considerable to do on the airship, in the way of overhauling it.  This craft was Tom’s largest, and was almost like the one in which he had gone to the caves of ice, where it was wrecked.  It had been, however, much improved.

The craft was a sort of combined dirigible balloon, and aeroplane, and could be used as either.  There was a machine on board for generating gas, to use in the balloon part of it, and the ship, which was named the Flyer, could carry several persons.

“Bless my shoe laces!” cried Mr. Damon one day as he looked at Koku.  “If we take him along in the airship, will we be able to float, Tom?”

“Oh, yes.  The airship is plenty big enough.  Besides, we are not going to take along a very large party, and the camera is not heavy.  Oh, we’ll be all right.  I suppose you’ll be on hand to-morrow, Mr. Damon?”

“To-morrow?  What for?”

“We’re going to take the picture machine up in the airship, and get some photos from the sky.  I expect to make some films from high in the air, as well as some in the regular way, on the ground, and I want a little practice.  Come around about two o’clock, and we’ll have a trial flight.”

“All right.  I will.  But don’t let my wife know I’m going up in an airship again.  She’s read of so many accidents lately, that she’s nervous about having me take a trip.”