Part 12 (1/2)
At ten o'clock at night, after passing over ravines, forests, and scattered villages, the aeronauts reached the side of the Treliding In that memorable day, the 23d of April, they had, in fifteen hours, impelled by a rapid breeze, traversed a distance of more than three hundred and fifteen miles
But this latter part of the journey had left thened in the car Was Dr Ferguson absorbed in the thought of his discoveries? Were his two coions? There were, no doubt, led with these reflections, the keenest reminiscences of home and distant friends Joe alone continued toit QUITE NATURAL that home should not be there, from the moment that he left it; but he respected the silent mood of his friends, the doctor and Kennedy
About ten the balloon anchored on the side of the Tre Mountain, so called, because, in Arab tradition, it is said to tremble the instant that a Mussulman sets foot upon it The travellers then partook of a substantialthe regular watches
On awaking the next s The weather was fine, and the as blowing froood breakfast, seasoned with Joe's ion they were now crossing is very extensive It borders on the Mountains of the Moon on one side, and those of Darfur on the other-a space about as broad as Europe
”We are, no doubt, crossing what is supposed to be the kingdoraphers have pretended that there existed, in the centre of Africa, a vast depression, an immense central lake We shall see whether there is any truth in that idea,” said the doctor
”But how did they come to think so?” asked Kennedy
”Froreat narrators-too ot as far as Kazeh, or the great lakes, saw slaves that had been brought fro it, and, from their different narratives, made up a jumble of notions, and deduced systems from them Down at the bottom of it all there is soht about the sources of the Nile”
”Nothing could be more correct,” said Kennedy ”It was by the aid of these docu to try to follow our route by one of theion inhabited?” asked Joe
”Undoubtedly; and disagreeably inhabited, too”
”I thought so”
”These scattered tribes come, one and all, under the title of Nyam-Nyams, and this compound word is only a sort of nickna”
”That's it! Excellent!” said Joe, cha; ”Nyaood Joe, if you were the i, you wouldn't find it so excellent”
”Why, what's the reason, sir?”
”These tribes are considered man-eaters”
”Is that really the case?”
”Not a doubt of it! It has also been asserted that these natives had tails, like mere quadrupeds; but it was soon discovered that these appendages belonged to the skins of ani”
”More's the pity! a tail's a nice thing to chase away n the story to the dos' heads which the traveller, Brun-Rollet, attributed to other tribes”
”Dogs' heads, eh? Quite convenient for barking, and even forthat has been, unfortunately, proven true, is, the ferocity of these tribes, who are really very fond of human flesh, and devour it with avidity”
”I only hope that they won't take such a particular fancy to mine!” said Joe, with comic solemnity
”See that!” said Kennedy
”Yes, indeed, sir; if I have to be eaten, in a moment of famine, I want it to be for your benefit and racious! I'd die of shame!”
”Well, then, Joe,” said Kennedy, ”that's understood; we count upon you in case of need!”
”At your service, gentleood care of him, and fatten him up”
”Maybe so!” said Joe ”Every man for himself”
In the afternoon, the sky became covered with a warm mist, that oozed from the soil; the brownish vapor scarcely allowed the beholder to distinguish objects, and so, fearing collision with soave the signal to halt
The night passed without accident, but in such profound obscurity, that it was necessary to use redoubled vigilance
TheThe wind buried itself in the lower cavities of the balloon and shook the appendage by which the dilating-pipes entered the main apparatus They had, at last, to be tied up with cords, Joe acquitting hi that operation
He had occasion to observe, at the same time, that the orifice of the balloon still remained hermetically sealed
”That is a matter of double importance for us,” said the doctor; ”in the first place, we avoid the escape of precious gas, and then, again, we do not leave behind us an inflammable train, which we should at last inevitably set fire to, and so be consu incident!” said Joe
”Should we be hurled to the ground?” asked Kennedy
”Hurled! No, not quite that The gas would burn quietly, and we should descend little by little A similar accident happened to a French aeronaut, Mada off fireworks, but she did not fall, and she would not have been killed, probably, had not her car dashed against a chiround”
”Let us hope that nothing of the kind may happen to us,” said the hunter ”Up to this tierous, and I can see nothing to prevent us reaching our destination”
”Nor can I either, enerally caused by the imprudence of the aeronauts, or the defective construction of their apparatus However, in thousands of aerial ascensions, there have not been twenty fatal accidents Usually, the danger is in the , and therefore at those junctures we should never omit the utmost precaution”
”It's breakfast-time,” said Joe; ”we'll have to put up with preserved et us a good slice of venison”
CHAPTER TWENTIETH
The Celestial Bottle-The Fig-Paled Team-Two Native Tribes in Battle-A Massacre-An Intervention froular; the balloon was running the gantlet through the air Tossed at one moment toward the north, at another toward the south, it could not find one steady current
”We arethe frequent oscillations of the needle of the co at the rate of at least thirtyaway beneath us!” said the doctor
”See! that forest looks as though it were precipitating itself upon us!”
”The forest has beco a village!” continued Joe, a moment or two later ”Look at the faces of those astonished darkys!”
”Oh! it's natural enough that they should be astonished,” said the doctor ”The French peasants, when they first saw a balloon, fired at it, thinking that it was an aerialhis eyes VERY wide!”