San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1890-11-28

U ClOCk VIC lllCb Il counter CURRENT OF all
from the north, and in five minutes the
balloon had begun to drive back to the
south. Ballast was thrown out, and we
leaped up to find the current still stronger
above We then settled down as near the
earth as it was safe to go, but still we
drove back over our course. Seeing that
we had to go, ballast was flung out TO give
us higher altitude, and we moved to the
northwest at the rate of ten miles an hour.
In an hour we could discern the sea and
its coast line, and as evening came we left
the land and lowered over the Gulf of Cam.
bay. This was the last seen of the balloon
on shore.
While Mazam had never made an ascen
sion before, to say nothing of the manage
ment of balloon, he had no difficulty in
handling IL, aud neither of us was at all
timid. 1t was a serious matter to find the
balloon sailing out to sea, but we ate ouI
supper at an altitude of half mile, and
hoped for a change of wind. At about II
o'clock, our progress then being not ovel
ten miles an hour, and sort of fog shut.
ting out sight of everything below us,
went to sleep. MaZam was to arouse me
at - or | to go on watch, but ut sunrise
both of us opened our eyes and turned out
at the same moment. He had fallen asleep
soon after did, and the balloon had been
left to take care of itself The compass
showed her to be heading due west at
gentle pace, but in another half hour she
might have been in the sea, everything be
ing saturated and heavy with dew We
were down where we could plainly make
out several steamers and sailing craft, and
the balloon was evidently an object OF
great curiosity to the people on board some
of them. Ballast was thrown out until we
reached an altitude of 1000 feet above the
sea, and the sun soon dried the dew and
rendered the balloon very buOyant. A stiff
breeze also got up from the east, and by
7oclock we were making railroad speed
through the air, bound for the coast OF
Arabia.
During the entire day, which was a very
pleasant one, our craft took sole care OF
herself, never varying over fifty feet in heI
altitude, and driving so steadily that one
had but to shut his eyes to imagine that
she was standing still From our perch we
looked down on many craft during the day,
and were COnsoled by the thought that in
case of accident we were pretty sure to be
picked up. When night came we added SOC
feet to our altitude as an offset to the dew.
and as the weather was fine we both lay
down to sleep. lawoke twice during the
night, but to find all quiet, and when
turned out just at sunrise it was to find
the Arabian coast almost under our feet.
Had the wind held steadily during the
night we ShOuld have reached the coast at
or near Mirbat, but it had changed two or
three points and drifted us higher up. As
soon as the sun had dried the dew we de
scended until not more than 200 feet above
the land, and then we made out very
bleak and sterile country under our feet.
We were on the northeastern edge of the
Arabian desert, and it was good hour be
fore we saw any signs of civilization. Mean
while, both Of us knowing what sort of peo-
pie we hs.G 20 deal with, we had loaded all
the firearms and made pile of such bag
gage as could be thrown away in case we
wanted higher altitude,
If our air ship had lost any great amount
of gas up to this time we could not perceive
it, Here and there was wrinkle in the
silk to prove that the safety valve had been
opened to give us a drop, but it did not
seem as if an ounce had escaped by any
other means. We had no sooner left the
water than the breeze began to subside,
and our pace was reduced to five or six
miles an hour. We knew that n counter
current would soon be met with, and both
were looking ever the edge of the basket at
the moving panorama below when we
suddenly espied native village. 1t was.
rather, the camp of some wandering tribe,
all the shelters being of canvas or skin.
We saw camels, asses, goats and horses,
with many people moving about, and we
Ill han hnN
us. Some fell down and others ran away,
and we were laughing at their fright when
we heard the sing of bullet and the report
of gun.
cover with the ballastw shouted Mazam
and the next instant we were so far above
them that their horses appeared to be mere
BpeCks on the earth.
1--WE have lost the breeze and are stand
ing still" said my companion as | went
over to him. II don't know what those
fellows take us for, but they seem bound
to bring us down"
There were four or five of the Arabs
shooting at us at this time, and now and
then we could catch the noise of their bull
let's If we went higher there was fear
of meeting with a current of air that
might set us off over the sea again; and as
the Arabs continued TO blaze away, we then
hanging right above the camp, Mazam
opened the safety valve with the remark:
Let's show them that two can play at
this game We don't want to kill, but let's
give them a good scare"
AS we dropped down we began firing
over the edge of the basket down among
the focks, and in two minutes there was
a rumpus which set us both laughing.
The entire village made a rush and aban-