Part 26 (2/2)
The terror of their position held the boys dumb for a while. They gazed at each other with horror in their eyes. Their cheeks were pale, and their hearts were beating violently.
Being taken so suddenly into the lighter atmosphere of the upper regions almost deprived them of their senses. They could hardly breathe, partly because of natural causes and partly because of the terrible fright that gripped them.
”You--you--got--your--wish, Ned,” spoke Bart with some difficulty, looking at his chum.
”I--I--guess--I--did,” replied Ned slowly.
Their voices seemed to dispel the strain they were all under. They had been fearful of moving since the balloon broke away, thinking they might fall from the terrible height. But now Bart sat down in the bottom of the basket.
”Well, we might be worse off,” spoke Frank.
”How?” asked Fenn.
”We might be falling down instead of up. We're in no danger for a while anyhow. There's no wind to speak of. We're going straight up.”
”How far I wonder?” asked Ned.
”Well, we can stop when we want to,” said Bart.
”How?” inquired Fenn.
”By pulling the valve cord, of course. Don't you know what the man told us?”
”Oh, of course. Well then, let's pull it. This is high enough for me.”
They all stood up and began looking for the valve and ripping cords. The man had told them they were connected with the basket, but on previous trips they had not thought to search them out amid the ma.s.s of cordage.
”One's brown and the other's red,” spoke Bart.
”I don't see any,” said Fenn, after a long gaze aloft.
”I either,” admitted Bart, and the others had to confess they saw nothing of the cords.
”Maybe they forgot to arrange them for this trip,” suggested Ned.
”Nice pickle for us if they did,” observed Bart. ”We'll sail on forever.”
But, though the boys made light of their plight, it was not a pleasant one. The balloon with its fresh supply of gas was good for many miles'
travel.
”I wonder if we're going up or standing still?” asked Fenn. He looked over the edge of the basket. The ground below was a mere blur, of which the only difference in color between the woods and the fields could be seen.
”We can soon tell,” replied Bart.
”How?”
”I'll show you.”
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