The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-03-22

Il had thought We might adjourn TO the
heater and"
Il move that we do nothing of the kind.
,ut that il you are not tired OF this place. /
We stsv here until you have told me your
story"
De Barre Welded with very good grace.
VERY we'll" he began. You must know
that happened to be i'll in Paris at the time
il was invested by the German troops. hac
been taken there some time before. helpless
from o wound which was followed by Sc
we're and prostIating fever, and | woke up
after weeks OF delirium TO find that | was In
q doomed city and could do nothing Tor my
beloved France. / recovered rapidly, but
even when well aud strong found that 1t
was impossible to Quit Paris. IL was at this
iuncture, when was nearly maddened by
inaction. that the balloon service was organ
lied, and volunteered for il at once. / had
been a sailor, familiar with ropes and cords
and tossing and rocking ships ever since
was thirteen years old. was strong and
we'll, had cool head, sufficiently good
recoId-in short / was accepted. Naturally
had everything to learn, bat / learned 1t
quickly, and though my first ascent In
balloon gave me sensations which were sui
6ciently horrible, / msnaeedto conceal what
I felt so successfully that at the end ct few
weeks / was selected to carry dispatches to
General Journsye, who Was then on the
Northern frontier.
Il was to 90 alone; bat had no fear. In
truth, had not the faintest idea OF what
was undertaking.
"Well, sll the preparations were made;
the balloon was provisioned and furnished
with everything necessary, the dispatches
were concealed about my person so lnge-
niously that even If had fallen plump into
the Prussisn army they would have had
some trouble In discovering the nature OF
my embassy, and in short, everything was
ready.
Just as was about stepping into the car
the aeronaut in command gave me last
warning. For The love OF God, NJ. lie Lieu
tenant he exclaimed, keep your bead cool
about the sand bags. 1t Is more important
to keep ones head cool about the sand-bags
than about the ropes
II promised everything, listened atten-
lively to all his injunctlons, aud assured
him that would be ice as regarded the use
of the sand bags, although, to tell the truth,
regarded his repeated warnings as rather
superhuous.
Then the balloon was cut loose, and the
earth began to fall away from me. And as
it fell, still heard ascending the warning.
an xious tones, For the love of Sod as you
value your life and mission. Keep cool-keep
cool: remember the sand bags
Presently the balloon foated over the
barriere. and with the strong glass l had in
and intrenchments. The devils looked dam
nably busy, and saw looked again, aud
was certain-yes. l saw the preparations the
accursed fends were making to lombard
Paris. A rage-ah. monsieur, G fury that
has no name-flled my soul. and mad
denipg haste to speed upon my mission
Forgetting everything else seized the sand
bags aud threw them out and then. mon
Dieu flor q second or two remember nothing
Ia my agitation had completely forgotten
the aeronaut's functions, and had thrown
out, as afterward found, twice as many
sand bags a. ought to have used. The bal
loon shot up as il seemed to me, to the very
zenith, and the horror Of my position fell
upon me and over whelmed me.
But in a moment or two / recovered my
self, and l stretched out my hand to the
valves. The very desperate danger in which
vas steadied my nerves, and recalled
sy liable by SYLLABLE, as 1t were. every word
OF the careful lessons had received as TO
what should do and how the balloon should
bs managed In such contingency as the
present. All this was in less than a second
OF time, and yet l had th ought also of my
mother and sisters, my Aimee (my fiancee) |
my beloved France, and the possible good
which might result from my mission to Gen
eral Journaye.
al stretched out my hand 10 the val YES, as
| say. Alas could not touch them. My |
hand fell lifeless ut my side An agony
worse. as 1t seems to me, than death OPP
pressed me. In vain l struggled to rise; |
fell. rose TO my knees agsin, struggling, |
gssping for breath. / could not see; my
eyes were vet, and as passed my hand over
them | withdrew 1t stained with blood. |
Blood gushed from my ears, my nose and
still 1 struggled fought for breath, for
life enough TO fulhli my mission. Still
lighting my way; as 1t vera,
was u loud roaring In my ears, bat suppose
there was no sound aud every respiration
was IN agony untold. Thers-when could |
wipe that mist OF blood from my burning
ey es--there were the valves and with q last
despsiring effort seemed to fling myself
toward them. l did not touch them. had |
bat . moment in which to feel the anguish
of failure, the bitterness and horror of death
then the vast dome about me compressed
my tortured lungs In one supreme wrench
OF agony, and in that torture found obliv
ion.
II have never known how long my swoon
lasted woke 10 sensations of acute pain, |
thirst and cold. l thought at first that was
in my hammock at sea, and invol-
unfairly / stretched out my hand for a
blanket. did not find 1t; then | sat up |
CROPPED for a covering, and finally fading
one, lay Down again, still thinking was In |
my hammock.
THE rocking motion of the balloon and
the deep night which surrounded me proba-
bly, added to this de- usion. which, however,
did not last long, as the pain and difficulty |
of breathing and the burning thirst which
consumed me dispelled little by little the
mists of Inconsistencies. Oh, the anguish
OF that gradual wskingl No hammock, no
familiar ship, no we'll beloved sea washing
the vessels keel rs she sailed on to port; but
instead the mysterious swsying OF the bal
loon and the awful solitude OF the upper air /
As I recovered myself somewhat / struggled
again to sitting position. and Looked over
the side of the car. The balloon vas moving
steadily ON above the clouds which stretched
out Ia every direction below me, vast white
Al d dream-liks. Above rose the dark and
dome of SKIP gemmed in its re-
hottest depths with the solemn stars. And
In this isolated part of Gods great universe
1. poor wretch, drifted on, helpless and
alone.
az collected my scattered thoughts once
more. 1 forced them upon the duIy had in
hand, and again / turned to the valves But
q moments reflection convinced me that IL /
would be worse than madness to touch them
nov. The intense pain still felt 10 breath.
m nrovad that ho Ia lIoop 20 .ho-al