Tales of Terror and Mystery
The Horror of the Heights
Itmustbewellabovethatpointthattheaeroplaneentersthedangerzone—alwayspresumingthatmypremonitionsarecorrect.
"Aeroplaninghasbeenwithusnowformorethantwentyyears,andonemightwellask:Whyshouldthisperilbeonlyrevealingitselfinourday?Theanswerisobvious.Intheolddaysofweakengines,whenahundredhorse-powerGnomeorGreenwasconsideredampleforeveryneed,theflightswereveryrestricted.Nowthatthreehundredhorse-poweristheruleratherthantheexception,visitstotheupperlayershavebecomeeasierandmorecommon.Someofuscanrememberhow,inouryouth,Garrosmadeaworld-widereputationbyattainingnineteenthousandfeet,anditwasconsideredaremarkableachievementtoflyovertheAlps.Ourstandardnowhasbeenimmeasurablyraised,andtherearetwentyhighflightsforoneinformeryears.Manyofthemhavebeenundertakenwithimpunity.Thethirty-thousand-footlevelhasbeenreachedtimeaftertimewithnodiscomfortbeyondcoldandasthma.Whatdoesthisprove?Avisitormightdescenduponthisplanetathousandtimesandneverseeatiger.Yettigersexist,andifhechancedtocomedownintoajunglehemightbedevoured.Therearejunglesoftheupperair,andthereareworsethingsthantigerswhichinhabitthem.Ibelieveintimetheywillmapthesejunglesaccuratelyout.EvenatthepresentmomentIcouldnametwoofthem.OneofthemliesoverthePau-BiarritzdistrictofFrance.AnotherisjustovermyheadasIwritehereinmyhouseinWiltshire.IratherthinkthereisathirdintheHomburg-Wiesbadendistrict.
