Part 4 (1/2)
”But then you could see nothing, raphical observations, or reconnoitre the face of the country”
”Ah!” replied the doctor, ”if I am master of my balloon-if I can ascend and descend at will, I shall stop when I please, especially when too violent currents of air threaten to carry me out of my ith them”
”And you will encounter such,” said Captain Bennet ”There are tornadoes that sweep at the rate of more than two hundred and forty miles per hour”
”You see, then, that with such speed as that, we could cross Africa in twelve hours One would rise at Zanzibar, and go to bed at St Louis!”
”But,” rejoined the officer, ”could any balloon withstand the wear and tear of such velocity?”
”It has happened before,” replied Ferguson
”And the balloon withstood it?”
”Perfectly well It was at the time of the coronation of Napoleon, in 1804 The aeronaut, Gernerin, sent up a balloon at Paris, about eleven o'clock in the evening It bore the following inscription, in letters of gold: 'Paris, 25 Frimaire; year XIII; Coronation of the Emperor Napoleon by his Holiness, Pius VII' On the nextabove the Vatican, whence it crossed the Cana, and finally fluttered down into the lake of Bracciano So you see, gentlemen, that a balloon can resist such velocities”
”A balloon-that ht be; but a man?” insinuated Kennedy
”Yes, a man, too!-for the balloon is always motionless with reference to the air that surrounds it What moves is the ht a taper in the car, and the flame will not even waver An aeronaut in Garnerin's balloon would not have suffered in the least from the speed But then I have no occasion to attempt such velocity; and if I can anchor to soht, I shall not fail to do so Besides, we take provision for twoto prevent our skilful huntsaht”
”Ah! Mr Kennedy,” said a young midshi+pman, with envious eyes, ”what splendid shots you'll have!”
”Without counting,” said another, ”that you'll have the glory as well as the sport!”
”Gentlereatly-appreciate-your co to o?”
”I auson?”
”Not only shall I not accompany him, but I aoing”
Every eye was now turned to the doctor
”Never mind him!” said the latter, calue with hi”
”By Saint Andrew!” said Kennedy, ”I swear-”
”Swear to nothing, friend dick; you have been ganged and weighed-you and your powder, your guns, and your bullets; so don't let us say anything more about it”
And, in fact, from that day until the arrival at Zanzibar, dick never opened hiselse He kept absolutely silent
CHAPTER NINTH
They double the Cape-The Forecastle-A Course of Cos Balloons-How to seek out At rapidly toward the Cape of Good Hope, the weather continuing fine, although the sea ran heavier
On the 30th of March, twenty-seven days after the departure from London, the Table Mountain loo at the foot of an ah the shi+p's glasses, and soon the Resolute cast anchor in the port But the captain touched there only to replenish his coal bunkers, and that was but a day's job On the morrow, he steered away to the south'ard, so as to double the southernmost point of Africa, and enter the Mozae, and so, for his part, he soon found himself at hoood-humor A considerable share of his master's renoas reflected upon him He was listened to as an oracle, and he made no more mistakes than the next one
So, while the doctor was pursuing his descriptive course of lecturing in the officers'forth in his own peculiarhistory to suit hireatest historians of all ages and nations
The topic of discourse was, naturally, the aerial voyage Joe had experienced so the rebellious spirits to believe in it; but, once accepted by theer an iinations of the sea narrator persuaded his hearers that, after this trip, many others still more wonderful would be undertaken In fact, it was to be but the first of a long series of superhuman expeditions
”You see, my friends, when a et along afterith any other; so, on our next expedition, instead of going off to one side, we'll go right ahead, going up, too, all the tio to the moon!” said one of the croith a stare of amazement
”To the moon!” exclaiht go to the moon, that way Besides, there's no water there, and you have to carry such a lot of it along with you Then you have to take air along in bottles, so as to breathe”
”Ay! ay! that's all right! But can a et a drop of the real stuff there?” said a sailor who liked his toddy
”Not a drop!” was Joe's answer ”No! old fellow, not in thethose little twinklers up there-the stars-and the splendid planets that my old man so often talks about For instance, we'll co?” asked the boatswain
”Yes! the wedding-ring-only no one knohat's becoh up as that?” said one of the shi+p-boys, gaping onder ”Why, your ood for that”
”But, after Saturn-what then?” was the next inquiry of his impatient audience
”After Saturn? Well, we'll visit Jupiter A funny place that is, too, where the days are only nine hours and a half long-a good thing for the lazy fellows-and the years, would you believe it-last twelve of ours, which is fine for folks who have only six er by that”
”Twelve years!” ejaculated the boy
”Yes,after your mammy yet, and that old chap yonder, who looks about fifty, would only be a little shaver of four and a half”
”Blazes! that's a good 'un!” shouted the whole forecastle together
”Solemn truth!” said Joe, stoutly
”But what can you expect? When people will stay in this world, they learn nothing and keep as ignorant as bears But just co to Jupiter and you'll see But they have to look out up there, for he's got satellites that are not just the easiest things to pass”
All the hed, but they more than half believed hi et the best of the sidewalk to such an extent that folks can hardly stand it Finally, he drew thehts of Venus
”And e get back froable narrator, ”they'll decorate us with the Southern Cross that shi+nes up there in the Creator's button-hole”