Year: 1868

Five Miles Above the Earth-Thrilling


Adventure.


One dull day in August, just after
noon, a balloon rose in the air at the 1901
of Cloet Hills, on the western edge OF the
central plain Of England. 1t was inflated
with the lightest of gases which chemical
skill could produce, and it rose with
amazing velocity. A mile up and 1t en-
tered a stratum of cloud more than q
thousand feet thick. Emerging from this
the sun shone brightly on the air-shlpi
The sky overhead was of the clearest and
deepest blue, aud below lay cloudland-
an immeasurable expsnse of cloud whose
surface looked as solid as that OF the
earth not wholly lost to view. Lofty
mou ntains and deep, dark ravines, ap-
peared below the peaks andsldes OF these
cloud-mountains next the sun, glittering
like snow, but casting shadows as If they
were solid rock. Up rose the balloon
with tremendous velocity. -Four miles
I, above the earth pigeon was let loose; It
dropped down through the air as if It had
been a stone. The air was too thin TO
enable il to Ay. It was as if bark
laden to the deck were to pass from the
heavy waters of the sea into an inland
unsaline lake; the bark would sink at
once in the thinner water. UP, up still
higher What silence profound. The
nights of the sky were as still as the
deepest depths of the ocean. where, as
was found during the search for the lost
Atlantic cable, the fine mud lies as un-
stirred from year to year as the dust
which imperceptibly gathers on the fur
niture of deserted house. No sound,
ne life-only the bright sunshine falling
through sky which it could not warm.
Up-fye miles above earth-higher than
the inaccessible summit of Chimborazc
or Dawangiri. Despite the sunshine,
everything freezes. The air grows toe
thin to support life, even for few min
utes. Two men only are in that adven'
turous balloon-the one steering the air
ship, the other watching the scientific
instruments, and recording them with
rapidity bred of long practice. Sud-
denly, as the latter looks at his instru-
ments, his sight grows dim; he takes
lens to help his sight, and only marks
from the falling barometer that they are
rising rapidly. A flask of brandy lies
within q foot of him; he tried to reach
IL. but his arm refused to obey his will.
He tries to call on his comrade, who has
gone up into the ring above; whisper
in that deep silence would suffice-bui
no sound comes from his lips-he is
voiceless. The steersman comes down
into the ear; he sees his comrade in
swoon, and feels his own sense failing
him.


He saw at once that life and death hung
upon few moments. He seized or tried
to seize the valve, in order to open 1t sno
let out the gas. His hands are purple
with intense cold-they are paralyzed
they will not respond to his will. dc
seized the valve with his teeth, it opened
a little-once, twice, thrice. The balloon
began to descend. Then the swooned
marksman returned to consciousness
and saw the steersman standing before
him. He looked at his instrument; but
now the barometer was rising rapidly; the
balloon was descending. Brandy was
used. They had been higher above earth
than mortal man or any living thing had
ever been before. One minute more OF
iuaction-of compulsory inaction-on
the part of the steersmsn, whose senses
were failing him, and the air ship, With
the intensely rare6ed gas, would have
been floating unattended, with two
corpses. in the wide realms of space.