He dropped
downward until he was about a hundred feet above the water, when he
continued his northwesterly course.
But now he regretted having interfered for a moment with the action of
the machine, for his progress, instead of being swift as a bird's
flight, became slow and jerky, nor was he sure that the damaged
machine might not break down altogether at any moment. Yet so far his
progress was in the right direction, and he resolved to experiment no
further with the instrument, but to let it go as it would, so long as
it supported him above the water. However irregular the motion might
be, it was sure, if continued, to bring him to land in time, and that
was all he cared about just then.
When night fell his slumber was broken and uneasy, for he wakened more
than once with a start of fear that the machine had broken and he was
falling into the sea. Sometimes he was carried along at a swift pace,
and again the machine scarcely worked at all; so his anxiety was excusable.
The following day was one of continued uneasiness for the boy, who
began to be harrassed by doubts as to whether, after all, he was moving
in the right direction.
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