The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1901-09-26


seemed to stir. II was only by look
ing down at the earth that saw how
rapidly / was travelling onward. over
river. wide spruce forests and scat
tered clearings. | knew the story OF
La Mountain and his balloon. and had
n horror of being carried Off into the
Canadian wilderness. | hoped that in
the course of an hour or two the wind
might fall. or the direction OF the air
current change.
The balloon continued to go steadily
forward. however, in northerly
course until the little clearings and
cabins below grew few and far he
tween.
l must have Travelled nearly $50
miles when | saw large lake or
rather a group of three or four lakes.
come into view on the horizon Dl-
rectly the black OF the spruce woods
had begun TO fade into the pale gray
of mossy bogs of tamarack and the
purple hue of caribou barrens. |
could not see a clearing or sign of hu-
man habitation anywhere The crowd
which l had left behind was bad
enough, but the unexplored wilderness
of lake and swamp ahead of me be-
gan to have an aspect even more grim
and terrifying. Moreover. | desired
II possible. TO save my balloon. TO de-
scend in gale is always perilous, hut
there seemed no help for it. | dared
not try the parachute. and so finally
pulled open the gas valve. The bal
loon soon began to approach the gray
swamps that stretched away to the
lakes ahead.
All the time | was flying as fast as
a horse could rum and as | sank lower
| perceived chat | was likely to do
some rough trailing"
When | came within 800 or 400 feet
of the ground l threw out strong
grapnel and line, which swung clear
for some minutes, then began to brush
the tall tree tops and catch In them.
BY good luck--of which | had had
little enough thus far that day-these
slight bitches g-eatly diminished the
speed of the balloon. and the grapnel
soon catching stronger hold, basket
balloon and all came down with sud
den hard fiOunce in thicket of low
shrub-llke frs, bordering a small bay
Oh one of the lakes--and there, hold
ing fast, swayed up and down.
l was pitched out OF the basket into
mud and water, but jumped TO my feet
and started to run back among the
thick frs to secure the anchorage when
became suddenly aware that / was
not alone.
\ loud squawking and squalling
arose all about me. | had come down
in Il swamp where wild geese were on
their nests. | was actually treading
on them and on their great white eggs
before l saw them. Every fir bush.
with its widespread boughs. appeared
TO have nest under it.
The outcry that all these geese set
up was something deafening. They
rose up, Tapping their wings. kissing
and squalling. and at once from all
sides. from the thlckets and from the
pond, there came rushing. flying. skim
ming over the frs whole focks of the
biggest and most savage gray ganders
ever set eyes on. They dashed at me,
at the balloon, ut the parachute. and
nj the basket. and bit like bulldogs.
and the blows from their long, hard
wings We're like blows from a fail.
Before ! could make shift to defend
myself with my knife or balloon hook
they had hold of me by my clothing,
by my legs, by my hair even. tug
glng, yelling and thrashing me. One
pincbed my cheek so that the blood
flowed. Their wings pounded my
head like clubs. | lodged this way
and that, and laying about me with
the stan of my hook. knocked down
gandcrs right and left. but still they
came.
lost n moment in foolish effort to
get my revolver from the wicker lock
er in the basket. and was well nigh
overborne. If once they had beaten
me down they would have killed me
beyond doubt. but l now began jump
ing from side TO side among the frs
dodging and striking with the hook
These tactics confused the ganders
for in their mad fury they flew blind
ly against each other. | was con
stantly stumbling into more nests, but
kept in the fir brush. scudding this
way and that. as the ganders charged
me.
After this fashion | retreated FOL
nearly mile, / think. lighting all til,
way till got among larger trees wheI
the attack slackened.
Rain began falling. | was in abou
as bad plight as can well be i'm
aglned Night was at hand, night IL
an untrodden wilderness. saw /
hear looking at me from out on tam
arack bog, and getting frightened
started to run. l had not gone far
however. when heard the report OF |
gun. Thereupon shouting for help
ran In the direction of the noise, an,
In the course of a few minutes met Al
Indian coming to find me. He ha'
seen the balloon come down, and wa
curious to see the man who travele'
In the air He led me out to the ban
OF river where there was bar
camp and three other Indians. The
received me kindly, installed me In
warm corner Of their camp out Of tn
rain. and gave me all the fried dee
meat could eat
But when talked with them OF II