The Wichita daily eagle., 1894-03-07

pilot than yourself Is it not so.
madam"
Miss. if you please" rectifed the
very slight and slender lady Miss Ara
bella Upton, at your service" And
she added: But / shall miss my last
car for Wooloomooloo!"
From new vibrations the captain con-
jectured that we were carrying sus-
pended below us nearly the whole Of
the broken cable. Its weight visibly
impeded the ascent of the Condor Of
the Andes. and there was reason to fear
that on the descent it would occasion
very grave damages.
The aeronaut was, fortunately,
prompt in decision. Like q true cap
tain, he armed himself with q penknife,
and, hoisting himself over the interior
abyss of the osier basket, strove to saw
away the thick rope.
How high are we?" he asked, with
out interrupting his difficult and per-
ilous task.
Twelve hundred and twenty-five
yards" responded Miss Arabella, get
ting ahead Of me again
Painting greatly, the aeronaut added.
addressing himself to me:
"As soon as the cable Is detached
with bound we will ascend to two"
The sentence remained unfinished
At slight cry turned around. ceas-
ing to observe the barometer. Over
the gaping void i could no longer see
either the man or the cable. In the
captains supreme effort, one drawing
the other. both had faIlenl Above us,
toward the profound night. stil
stretched the unfathomable space.
l had not much time for pity; she
balloon, suddenly freed. scaled the in.
accessible with . prodigiouss bound.
And without any idea of aerial naviga-
ton, lost in space andl darkness, /
found myself alone with an ignorant
young girl. as unconscious as she OF
the Danger, unable to attempt the
slightest maneuver.
Mute, but terrified OWNED u
without seeing her. for her fingers had
plunged their nails into my garments
and fesh-Miss Arabena had seized my
arm. Suddenly she let go her hold to
stoop, and l saw that she was throwing
our sand overheard
Twas about to grasp her uncere-
moniously by the waist-logically con-
WINGED that unballasted we would
mount higher yet-when of them.
selves her arms fell; realized that she
was inert A prey also to very painful
uneasiness, cast q glance Of anguish
at the barometer. The atmospheric
pressure had sensibly diminished-wc
had passed four thousand yardsl In
the air the oxygen had rarefed. / ex-
perienced a sensation had already felt
on high SUBMITS
Crawling, 1 dragged myself to tho
barometer and saw with terror that
the thermometer had gone down to
zero-33S. That was the equivalent Of
sixty y-fve hundred yards in height. tho
altitude OF Chimborazo or Of the Kouen-
Loun chain BY the light of the little
lantern noticed that my hands were
growing black and swelling. Ny pulse
counted the improbable number of one
hundred ane thirty TO one hundred and
forty bsatinga simultaneously with
an insurmountable desire to sleep, the
forerunner Of asphyxia, cadaveric in
sensibilty was gaining possession OF me.
had. however. the will 70 take the
lantern in my hand, but on stretching
up to reach it l felt myself enveloped
by terrible cold Ice coated the Condor
of the Andes The mercury OF the
thermometer had fallen to twenty four
degrees below zero.'
then clearly comprehended that the
end had come, and. without further
striving to recover, closed my eyes and
gave myself up
When I returned to the knowledge of
things q magnificent moon was iilu-
minsting the night Ny eyes. turning
mechanically to the rim Of the car.
distinguished . small silk balloon fas-
tened TO q strap. II bore label:
-'Oxy gen at seventy-6ve per cent" And
it was salvationi Ny scientific attain
men.s enabled me 70 understand this
salvation almost a. hand! A few In.
halations Of that overoxygenated AIR
would restore me with Life, with
strength
seized the little balloon ~ qulckly
as was capable Of doing. and, care
fully uuscrewing It's stopper, applied IL
TO my mouth 10 breathe / Afterwards
thought OF Miss Arabeila. and intro
duced tho slender neck between her
lips. which saw were horribly black
aud swollen
1reedily. as she returned 20 life.
took 1t from her again. and then en-
sued between US . strange struggle Of
ferocioua. famished creatures
Cool now and completely restored.
was considering the quickest wsy in
which 20 end our adventure. The more /
SO. as. sa-ed from as2hyxia and
Miss Upton kept shout |
ing ia my ears in desfening tone. Il !
want 20 descend. Monsieur Frenchnani /,
/ repeat j. 70 you taz: van, TO Ss- |
scendi"
Without losing time In answering ]
her, / srroye 20 mzneuves the ropes; I i
pulled them one -yAy after anoshess