I guess that’ll settle him, laughed the boy; but just then he heard an angry shout, and looking around saw a policeman running toward him Kill me dog, will ye–eh? yelled the officer; well, I’ll just run ye in for that same, an’ ye’ll spend the night in the lockup! And on he came, with drawn club in one hand and a big revolver in the other.
You’ll have to catch me first, said Rob, still laughing, and to the amazement of the policeman he began rising straight into the air.
Come down here! Come down, or I’ll shoot! shouted the fellow, flourishing his revolver Rob was afraid he would; so, to avoid accidents, he pointed the tube at him and pressed the button, The red-whiskered policeman keeled over quite gracefully and fell across the body of the dog, while Rob continued to mount upward until he was out of sight of those in the streets.
That was a narrow escape, he thought, breathing more freely.
I hated to paralyze that policeman, but he might have sent a bullet after me.
Anyhow, he’ll be all right again in an hour, so I needn’t worry, It was beginning to grow dark, and he wondered what he should do next.
Had he possessed any money he would have descended to the town and taken a bed at a hotel, but he had left home without a single penny.
Fortunately the nights were warm at this season, so he determined to travel all night, that he might reach by morning some place he had never before visited Cuba had always interested him, and he judged it ought to lie in a southeasterly direction from Boston.
So he set the indicator to that point and began gliding swiftly toward the southeast, He now remembered that it was twenty-four hours since he had eaten the first electrical tablet.
As he rode through the air he consumed another.
All hunger at once left him, while he felt the same invigorating sensations as before.
After a time the moon came out, and Rob amused himself gazing at the countless stars in the sky and wondering if the Demon was right when he said the world was the most important of all the planets, But presently he grew sleepy, and before he realized what was happening he had fallen into a sound and peaceful slumber, while the indicator still pointed to the southeast and he continued to move rapidly through the cool night air 5.