The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1875-11-04

in sharp, imperious tone, to the men
who held the ropes. BIAS les cordes! do
you hear?"
A voice raised in accents of command
seldom fails Of its effect, however question
able may be the right of him who uplifts
it, and the men addressed, in their aston
ishment, mechanically obeyed. The bal.
loon rose little, nothing now restraining
its upward flight save the trigger-cord,
firmly moored to post below, the spring
being in my grasp.
Montons, camarade! OFF we go!" ex-
claimed the passenger, with jovial laugh
that had scarcely the ring of honest mirth
in it.
Perhaps NJ de Villeneuve, for all his
staggering department, was ill at ease as
to the results of our voyage, and strove to
carry it Oft gayly; such were my thoughts
as the Catherine wheels began to revolve
in cascades of whirling fire and the crowd
to cheer. It was the momentfo our start,
but l hesitated to pull the trigger, for now
strange hustle and confusion below at
tracted my attention.
A mounted gendarme, his saber and car
bine clanking, had ridden up at the full
gallop of his reeking horse, followed at
some distance by three others, who spurred
furiously forward. There were a few hur-
ried questions, then smothered outcry,
roar of voices, and a swaying backward
and forward of the excited populace
looked down at the crowd of upturned
faces.
stop! stop! Au nom de loi! English.
man, stay!" cried out the brigadier Of the
foot-police.
LET 60, fool!" Numbered the man who
in hn
but it is the police that" began,
thinking that NJ. de Villeneuve had sud
denly taken, leave of his senses.
"Come down! stop-haul the roper
was the shout from below; but as the
words reached my ear my companion bent
forward. Something flashed in his hand
"a dagger-knite-andt the cord was cut,
and the balloon darted upward.
"In the name of the law-ah! vov
won't? Tiensr' cried gendarme, dis
charging his carbine, an example that was
followed by his comrades; but the balls
whistled idly by, while we rose and rose
until the inn and the gardens and the
shouting crowd and the suffering fire.
works had diminished to pigmy size,
and presently disappeared altogether, and
the balloon rode on, solitary, through the
fields OF air.
A nous deux, maintenantn' said NJ.
de Villeneuve, with a chuckle that was in
comprehensive to me. "A singular sa-
lutte our friends gave US, ell, when they
babe us bon voyagey"
The moon, half full, had now risen, and
l could see the face of my companion
the swarthy, keen face Of a man forty
years OF age, with short, dark hair, slight
ly grizzled, tiery-black eyes, and very
white, strong, sharp-pointed teeth, which
gave him, when he smiled, somewhat the
expression OF laughing wolf. He was u
man OF powerful frame, and the fingers of
the gloved hand which he now laid upon
my arm were as strong and supple as
steel.
"Avow," said this strange passenger,
with grin that an ogre might have en-
We'd" avow that you take me for queer
specimen Of the French provincial gentry,
helm? But first, how comes it that the
pere Killick is absent, and a blanc bee of
your age has the honor to be my pilot?"
told him briefly and in offended tones
what had occurred, and how it was that
he and found ourselves together so far
above terra .trm1, at the same time eau
tioning him not, as he had done before, to
take it on himself to interfere with the
management of the balloon.
1--WE must now," added, look out for
place to descend, for the wind is fresh
ening, and
Let it freshen!" rudely interrupted NJ.
de Villeneuve. Sets fair for Spain, does
it not?"
For Spain?" I echoed in surprise
Could this self-conceited country gentle.
man reall. deem that we were bound on
such journey as that? l could not help
laughing as I said: "Why for Spain,
monsieur"
"Well, Italy would have served me as
we'll had the wind been q westerly one. ]
talk both languages equally, and know
every wlne-shop in Cadiz as we'll as dc
those of Genoa" answered M. de Vile.
neuve, again chuckling. "Ha, lad, what
are you about that you finger that rope ?'
II am opening the valve above" an
swered coldly, because it is time now to
sink to lower level and descend -"
Descend, eh?" briskly put in my fel
low-voyager. 1--WE may as well under
stand each other at once. Hands off the
rope, say, if you would keep the roof or
your skull" he added Overwhelmingly, al
he drew a revolver from within his waist
coat and deliberately pointed the barrel
at my head. "I'll show you who's cap
tain up here"
My brain reeled and my blood ran cole
as the horrid thought flashed upon m,
that was, at that fearful height above tn
earth, in company with mailman. Moth
ing surely save insanity could account TO
the extraordinary behavior Of NJ. de Vile
neuve.
But suppose put q tolerably goot
countenance on the matter, for my formi
dable companion laughed again, but les
ill-naturedly, as he said:
"You face it out well, boy. I like ,
youngster who shows heart somewha
bigger than chickens. And I'm not 81
bad as / losk-never do this !'-he drew
his hand as he spoke edgeways, with ,
meaning gesture, across his throat
"when can get my little profits b,
quieter means. But you stare at me as
were mountebank selling quack medi
cines. Can you guess why these gen
darmes were SO peremptory an hour ago
Because they wanted the pleasure o
my company back to Toulon, that's all
Did you never hear, Anglais, Of Risque
son-cou?'
"Risque-son-cou ?" repeated in per
plexity.
"Ay, Pierre Paul Grincheux, If 20,
please, dit Risque-son.cou," said the man
with an odd sort Of pride; !" it's q name, 1
you read the reports Of our tribunals, tina
,, you may have met with. Toulon, Brest
Lambessa-l know every one of thes
charming retreats like my pocket. hav
had enough sea air for one while, so CAV
: myself leave Of abse6ce."
And then I remembered to have seen
paragraph in local paper announcin
the escape from Toulon Of q criminal q
. the worst and most dangerous. type, VIII
had not as yet been recaptured, and who's
grotesque nickname of Neck n othin
had been earned by fifty prison breaking
u and hair.breadth evasions from jusdc'