The Elk County advocate. [volume] (Ridgway, Pa.) 1868-1883, 1875-11-18
THE YOUNG BALLOONiST.
A story Of Franc g.

1t was very unfortunate thing. At
the very last moment, when everything
was ready, Killick the balloonist met
with an accident and could not go up
in the balloon.
1t would seem the most natural thing
to apologize to the crowd and have the
affair postponed until the balloonist
recovered, but the unfortunate fellow de-
clared that the mob would not submit to
this, and to my surprise proposed that
[ should go up in his place.
l had made one or two trips with him
and had learned from him to manage the
valves and ballast, the rudiments of the
art of ballooning. L was young, active,
and had steady head, and the owner of
the Defiance was quite willing to intrust
her to me, if would so far oblige him.
A rich landed proprietor of the neigh
borhood-a vainyoung man, with taste
for notoriety-had offered fifteen louis
dor to- be taken up as passenger; and
to disappoint Nj. Victor de Villeneuve
and lose three hundred francs was also
an unwelcome contingency.
With scarcely thought of the result
said | would go. NJ. de Villeneuve
was not to arrive till the last moment,
when up we would go.
was now in the rocking, swaying car,
and, STOPPING down, ascertained that
the bags of ballast, the coil of spare
rope, the flags, and telescope were at
my feet; then L assured myself that the
grapnel was provided with its tough
cord, aud the whizz of rocket and a
descending shower of colored spangles
OF fire gave warning note of prepara-
tion.
Rockets now scared aloft, amidst the
huzzas of the crowd, and then, spring
ing from the driving seat of a light
open carriage drawn by gray horse,
there appeared the figure of stout,
well-dressed man, who elbowed his way
so quickly through the throng that 1
had scarcel Y time to conjecture that this
must be the volunteer companion of my
aerial voyage, NJ. Victor de Villeneuve,
before he scrambled into the car, and
was at my side
6 Let go !" he cried, in sharp, i'm.
perlous tone, to the men who held the
ropes.
A voice raised il acc nts of command
seldom fails of its effect, however ques-
tionable may be the right of him who
uplifts it, aid the men addressed, in
~A1NAA lhSNlluI4lCuiIy oDty-
ed. The balloon rose a little, nothing
now restraining its upward fiji ght save
the tngger-cOrd, firmly moored to a
post below, the spring being in my
grasp.
"Off we go - exclaimed the passen-
ger, with a jovial laugh that had scarcely
the ring of honest mirth in it.
Perhaps NJ. de Villeneuve, for all his
a
as to the results of our voyage, and
strose to carry it Off gayly; such were
my thoughts as the Catherine wheels be-
gan to revolve in cascades of whirlipg
fire and the crowd to cheer. 1t was the
moment for our start, but hesitated to
pull the trigger, for now a strange hustle
and confusion below attracted my atten-
tion.
A mounted gendarme, his saber and
carbine 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 hurried questions, then a smother
ed outcry, a roar of voices, and a sway
ing backwards and forwards of the ex-
cited populace.
I looked down at the crowd of up
turned faces.
"Stopl stop! Englishman, stay!"
cried out the brigadier of the foot
police.
'Let go, fool !" thundered the man
who sat beside me in the car.
"But it is the police that p began,
thinking that NJ. de Villeneuve had sud
denly taken leave of his senses.
"Come down stop-haul the rope !"
was the shout from below; but as the
words reached my ear my companion
bent forward. Something flashed in his
hand-a dagger knife-and the cord
was cut, and the balloon darted up
wards.
SIN the name of the law-ah you
won'tG" cried gendarme, discharging
his carbine, an example that was follow
ed by his comrades; but the balls
whistled idly by, while we rose and
rose until the inn and the gardens and
the shouting rowd and the sputtering