Grand Forks herald. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1916-1955, 1921-01-14

was evident to them they were tfAvel-
Ing at great speed, carried onward by
tho rush OF the storm. but In what al
recti0n they could form no definite
idea.
Again the dread Of being SWEPT to
soa was upon them both, and the I'd.
INABILITY OF Descending was debated
In short. pregnant sentences.
Brooke consulted His watch BY the
glare Of the lightning. It ! marked
twenty minutes past eleven. they
had been aloft nearly two hours.
Then the cataract which had been
falling uninterruptedly began gradu-
ally to lessen in vo.ufne. The light.
ming and thunder became more inter
mittent. Above them a hallid glow
observable, against which tho
mighty bulk of the-gas bag showed
grim and black. Presently the moon
appeared, hazy and half defined.
Paddock. silhouetred against the
gray light: was standing with his
han on the valve rope.s re
"Listen!" he said rensely.
Clear and distinct, borne up to
them from below, came tho sound Of
the seattle low. D and boom of
giant waves breaking against the
shore.
DR.. Henschel, with down-bent
straining eyes glued to q binocular,
was endeavoring to ascertain whether
they had yet passed the borders of
dry land; and las he leaned far over
the baskets side, he caught sharp and
clear. above the moaning tumult of
the breakers. the metallic Jingle of a
cowbell.
But almost at the same moment
the dragrope caught and loosened
and caught again and loosened again;
and then, through a rift in the clouds,
the moonlight streamed to earth, ana
In an instant the situation was made
plain.
Directly beneath them was a pine
forest; q little farther on In their
course a broad river cleaned, and be-
yond the river surged the dark, pitt
less ocean, with it's long line Of white
crested combers marching the bound
airy OF the shore.
Paddock saw all this, too, almost
as quickly and distinctly as did the
doctor. and determined to make q
landing at once. TO drop now, sud-
denly, would land them in the tree
tops. but 1t was a question whether
ing the river or the little triangle of
bare sand on the other side, between
the, river and the sea. :.
Brooke him pull the valve
rope, and looking over the side he
saw the tops of the pine trees rise
suddenly as If to snare them. The
momentum Of the balloon had been
far greater than he could have inn
agined, but the; dragging guide rope
was acting now as q brake, and grad
ually the speed slackened.
DR. Hon4chol woe SforIir~ No, -
drop the anchor; and it seemed to
Brooke that the tw. men in .charge
We're counting disaster in attempting
to descend. . even at this reduced
speed. atop of what appeared to him
to be a deadly abattis.
Already within q few feet Of the
highest trees, it appeared impossible
10 settle down without risking the
overturn Of the basket mi the toss
ing out of the Passengers: for the
pace Of the great soaring sphere was
still alarmingly swift, and the cast.
ing of the anchor would mean moth
ing less than a wrenching, probably
capsizing shock.
He could see now that the wood
ran close to the rivers edge, but or
the other side of the river was what
appeared to be an open, field, where.
on it would be possible to descend in
entire safety.
Paddock" Brooke called at last
reused out, Of his seit-composure BY
the peril Of one for whose life hi
cared infinitely more than for hi.
own. Paddock. for Gods sake, no,
here! Across the river'-
I But Paddock interrupted him.
We can't make. it," he cried des'
perately. Every grain Of ballast 1,
gone; we'd drag in the water. and bt
swan.ped."
TRY it, man! Try it," he insisted
with all the emphasis at his com
mand. "a landing here means brok,
en- bones if not death" And then
with his hand On Paddock's arm and
his lips at his ear, so that he onl,
should hear. he whispered:
TIL tighten her, myself. Once clea,
those trees. and"
Paddock took him at his word, HI,
hand released the vaive rope, and DR.
Henschel at his command delayed
dropping anchor
Another moment and the rive
sparkled beneath them. Then fol
only an instant Brooke hesitated
while Constance Colby, directed him
turned her. gaze back at the fores,
they had cleared. Nimbly he cAmbei
to the baskets rim, and Is, swinging
water. as the wicker barely escaped
the white-capped waves, he sprans
lightly overheard with arms at side,
and toes downpointed.
And the nammott. balloon, thu
freed. rose silently, IKE some pre-.
historic bird of the night, and SCARED
majesticall7 toward the opposite
shore.