The Cincinnati daily star. [volume] ([Cincinnati, Ohio]) 1875-1880, 1876-06-01
My Balloon. Adventure.

wind, he wa kind enough to favor me
with few brief anecdotes OF his past
career, in which the jocose and horrible
seemed to mingle in cynic confusion.
The one point on which he was uncom-
municative was the manner OF his recent
escape from Toulon; or how, probably
owing to the completely OF others, he be-
came possessed OF his weapons. But he
told graphically OF the ten days OF hard
ship and hunger which he had endured
while skulKing among the rocky hills by
night and living hidden among thorny
brakes by day, until at last he broke into
pean of triumph in relating how ne
had encoun tered and robbed the true M.
de Villeneuye on his way to the village
lete.
"pwenty shining maps in his purse,
the ldiotl" he said eXultingly, land
three thousand francs besides IN notes.
Well, we'll! / left him gagged and bound
10 a tree, alter had taken the freedom
to change clothes with nlm; and there be
stands, no doubt, trembling, but fortu.
nate to keep a whole skin. And found
in his pocket the letter of NJ. Killick,
promising 10 take him as passenger in
| the balloon here, and So"
Aud SO the idea had presented itself to
| this ready-witted rutiian to personate
tue victim OF his recent robbery, and
thus to procure the means OF flight in
" hat was certainly an uneXampled fash
ion, while l mas the luckless scapegoat
OF his audacious enterprise.
| Meanwhile The wind, as l have said,
was rising, and as we hurried oH Hooked
downwards and saw by the shimmering
of the moonlight on the tremulous waves
that The sea was below us. 1 could not
iol bear from an exclamation OF dismay.
| The desperate at my side also looked
down.
| "Bah! sea or land-what matters ii?
he said recklessly. "Throw out ballast;
do you hear meT and unwilllngly com.
piled.
The balloon instantly rose, sand il
presently became perceptibly colder, 80
That L sniyered, and had to chaie my
bands together to prevent them from
sLlffening. MY compahlon's iron frame
showed no signs OF suffering from the
abrupt lowering of the temperature; but
alter a time the Defiance seemed TO be-
nearer to the sea, ior L heard the low
roar of the waves; and then Rlsque-scn.
cou impatlently flung out anULher bag oi
ballast, and we rose.
| Vague, like The Visions of dream, are
my recollecLions of the voyage OF thai
mise able night, spent thus, and in such
company. suffered muca IRON col,
and fatigue, and it was mechanically
that l obeyed the directions OF lht
escaped galley-slaye, who had now as.
sumed the command. There was nc
doubt about the tixity Of his determine
Uion 10 continue the desperate flight un
til we should be across the French from
tier. How long our 1rial journey mignl
prove, undertaken as it was wiUhou
| ala nj, innC nrn hu
could noL coBjecLure; while it was GER
tain thai we we're hurry ing along at Z
swift pace-how swllt L had no means
OF calculating the pressure o.
the strong wind. .
| SO tar as could tell, the direction o
| the wind was a uniform one, steadily
from northeastby-east. The sea whicl
had seen beneath us was no doubt d
part of the Gull, lying some where be-
tween the mou MS of the RIVER Rhont
and the Spanish border, but the re-
mainder OF our route was, in theory
mere guesswOfk. A siight shift in tn.
wind cause us 10 be carried out into the
broad M --even, did we bul
drilt beyond the STRAITS, into the broader
Atlantic to perish, as many balloon
yoyager has died, without record o
his late. Whereabouts We were L couiu
1
Wuat lay beneath seemed TO indicate
hills and woods, not sea.
IF we come down in France, my young
friend" said the strldent voice of th1
escaped convict, as We floated through
masses of misty vapor, Lhe condensed
mofslure OF winch wetted me to the skin
.you may bid adieu TO Whatever homt
Ties and British affections your insulai
heart may cherish. It's no fault OF yours
,ou VIII say, If the wind carries tni,
fapping gas-Dag to Poitou or the Niver.
nals. No, but is Rlsqae-soh-eea to wail
while the young Englishman crawls t.
the nearest brlgaue OF gendarmerie u
give notice that his feliOw-traVeler was
Peter Paul Grincheux, foreat eR raptaf.
ue ban? Thank you. l prefer to keel
my ewn counsel. 30 sure as we ds0l
where Napoleon is Emperor, and tht
Official journal postel on the walls o
tne Poste de Police, prove that one esi
keep a secret better than two."
| There's something wrong with tht
valyes.n SAID nay companion fou shly. al
nuur later; ''the gas, diablel is coming
| down, and we are sinking. IPs for you
aeronaut, to ascend tue netting and stol
the escape Of gas" t
| was very reluctant to obey. To cllml
the netting of a balloon, when at a great
height above the earth, Ss never very
pleasant task; but to do 80, leaving be-
mind me ruhian who might at any mo.
ment pistol or sLaD me as descended
thus relieving himself from al incen-
venient witness, was indeed irksoIne
However, RIsque-son-cOu eyinced sucu
vehement pertlnaciCy, and swore s,
many grisly oaths, that at last i com
piled; and, having adjusted the valve
crept back to the ear, sick and giddy
but unhurt.
The mvon had faded away. Thert
were pale crimson streak5 in what
took to be the eastern sky, and below
lay piled-up gloomy masses OF blael
cloud, through which cleaned at inter
walls something white and lustrous, lik,
the marble pInnacles OF the Cathedral u
Milan.
"We're steering straight. Fatality
for once, beiriends me-" exclaimed til,
desperate sharer OF my journey, "io
mile bombes! those are the peaks Of thu
Eastern Pyrenees. Chuck over ballast
boy, and don't let US ground on tneIn."
We were, in reality, floating amongs
the serrated SUBMITS and snOw-cla,
lmounkain stops OF the huge chain o
mountains that forms a natural barrie
between Gaul and Spain. Below, The
sullen cloud-banks menaced elementl
war, and already low-muttering growl