The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1869-03-26
COL. DEM. VOL. XXXIII.. mo. G

tongues would leap upward from them,
andsthe thunder's voice burst forth.
Now, my precious Marie,n continu-
cd he, "you have an opportunity which
no balloonist ever yet had-that of sit
ting in the laboratory OF the tbunder
storm, and meeting the lightning eye
10 eye? The other day, those fearless
aeronauts, Blot and Gay Lussac, thought
themselves fortunate when, at about
this height, they could take some oh.
servations Of the movements OF the
magnetic needle. How much more
fortunate are we who shall soon see
Jove Forging his thunderbolts! .i
In few seconds the machine went
plunging into the black and rumbline
vortex! And OH. Monsieur Raynor,
how my soul shudders at the thought
OF the fearful rolling of the thunder
and the Kissing of the lightning which
took place all around us! At one mo.
ment all was darkness; at the next.
with dreadful burst. all would be
Hooded with blaze That was more hor-
rible than all else, and swooned agrin.
Once more woke to sensibility.
~ think you are sick my dear,n said
the voice OF Alexandra. "These airy
voyages sometimes make the most ex-
perienced of us i'll. Lean your head
upon me; there is no sickness where
we gO"
Inf
very cold, and saw that frost had set
tied upon the locks of the maniac.
"You are cold," said he; ~ was
obliged to rise little higher than in
tended, in order to get out of the storm.
The thermometer usually stands at this
altitude below zero. will descend a
little now, and we will sail along paral-
lei with the earth, until we get out to
sea, when it will be safe to begin our
final ascent. 1t is not so cold over the
ocean as over the earth at the same
height. Soon we shall bid farewell to
france and the world. We passed over
Anglers two hours ago. Now Nantes
is nearly under us. Within forty min
q,
the upward flight" ... f.
For an hour longer / lay in the bot
tom OF the car, as one in the midst of a
trance. After awhile began to reflect.
turned my eyes upward, and gazed
at the huge dark side of the balloon.
How quick the descent would be,
thought l, il an accident should make
II rent in the silk! ...
Marie, come here" cried Alexandre,
exultingly; "ho for the sea and heaven!
Farewell-farewell to France! Adieu
to the earth !" ,-.......
He removed the damask, and 1 be-
held the machine sweeping off the
shore, and away to sea! ....
Now to descend would be death. But
then death had long been certain, and
the thought of it had lost all its bitter
ness for me. No terror could frighten
me now. The sooner, thought /, the
catastrophe comes, the better. The
machine did not swing now. 1t was
riding in the still air that prevails at
sunset. 1 looked upward again, as l
had some moments before heard
strange fiuttering sound from the upper
part OF the balloon. There saw thin
stream OF smoke issuing from the side
OF the canvass. The next moment the
upper end of the ropes fell down. 1t
had been burnt in twain and was blaz-
ing.
Alexandra" said l, strangely calm,
1.-THE air-ship is on firer
"1ia, ha, ha !" he laughed. "On fire ?
My beautiful balloon on FIRE? Never!-
she is indestructible. Fire cannot injure
her. Why, my love, she out. rode the
lightnings. They pierced her through
and through, and yet she is not injured
she is spiritn
AS he ceased speaking there was a
Shrek OF the escaping gas; the vast
silken globe collapsed, and the car,
which had been for several minutes
settling, began its fearful descent Jer-
pendicularly toward the sea! Faster
and faster it sped, faster aud faster, un-
til
Just here Marie sprapg from her seat
beside me, and with the words, "Aye,
blythe by, / must show you the steps of
that new ballet" began pirouetting up
and down the graveled walk. / was
dumbfounded; saw instantly that
had been paying my addresses to an in
sane girl, and l got out of that garden
second quicker than went in. Upon
inquiry, l learned that Marie had read
the accounts Of the aerial voyages of
Montgoltier, Pilatre de Roziers, D'Alan-
dis, and, in fact, Of everybody else
who had made any, and had aftcrward
brooded over the subject OF aerostation
until she became crazed.