The Middlebury register. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1850-1882, 1865-08-16


understood me at last, but too late.-
Away we swept before them, the anchor
ploughing up the ground several acres in
length. Coming to farm ! shouted to
the people standing there the same appeal.
Some women, with their quick, humane
instruct, were the first to conceive nv
danger, and exhorted the men to hurry
TO my assistance, they themselves running
as last as they could TO tender what li,tle
help theG might be able to give me. Tho
anchor struck in a willow tree. | shout
ed out to the persons below to secure the
cable and anchor by ropes, which they
did.
The evening was now beautifully still.
the breeze had died away, and the bal
loon was swinging calmly at her moorinps
above the farm yard. One of the men
asked me whether had rope with me,
or how L intended to get out. told
him only TO take care of the cable. be-
cause the balloon would settle down Of
herself by -andb by. | was congraiulating
myself on speedy escape from my dan
gerous position. | had not counted N
the wind; breeze in about six or eirht
minutes sprung up, and tossed the bal
loon about like large sail A crash and
the anchor was loosed again. 1t tore
through the trees, ninging limbs and
branches about like matches. 1t struck
the root Of the farm house, splnterinc the
chmneys and tiles like glass. On
went. l came near another farm, shout
ed out for help and told the men to Sc
cure the anchor to the foot of larre
tree close by.
The anchor was soon made fast. but
this was only momentary relief The
breeze again filled the half empty balloon
like sail; there was a severe strain on
the cable; then dull sound and Il Sc
we're conclusion of the basket The cable,
strange fatality had broken. and
the anchor, my last and only hope, was
gone. | was now carried on in straight
direction towards the sea. which was but
short distance head. The anchor being
lost | gave up all hope sat down re-
signed III the car, and prepared for the
end All at once discovered that side
current was drifting me towards the noun
tain; the car struck the ground, and was
dashed along at a fearful rate, knocking
down stone fences and breaking everything
1t came in contact with in its wild career.
| think l must have gone at least at the
rate OF ten or twelve miles an hour. AL
most certain death seemed before me, y,t
to jump out on this passage would have
ensured my being dashed to pieces on the
rocky ground beneath. | was tossed
about in the basket as the peas in a childs
rattle, and cannot comprehend at this
moment that my bones were not all broken
By-and-by, the knocks became less fire.
quent; we were passing over cultivated
country, and the car was. as it were.
skmming the surface and grazing the tops
Of the hedges. saw a thick hawthorne
hedge at some distance before me. and the
balloon rapidly sweeping towards it that
was any only chance. | rushed on the
edge of the car, and flung myself down
upon the hedge. | expected severe
tumble, but had mild fall The car did
not as feared, strike me, but the moment
! left it rose over my head slid down
on the other side of the hedge. rose on
my feet, and then tried every limb They
were whole, and need not describe nv
feelings at this almost miraculous preser-
walton. When | looked up | saw the
balloon soaring maje,tically over the sea,
from which / was about quarter oi a
mile distant.