Part 27 (1/2)
He took from his pocket some paper and began tearing it into little pieces. When he had a handful he tossed them over the side of the basket. They seemed pulled down by some unseen force.
”We're going up,” announced Bart in a strange voice. ”Those papers practically stood still. It was us shooting past them that made it look as though they fell.”
”How far up are we I wonder?” said Fenn.
A moment later a damp mist appeared to settle down over the balloon. So dense was it that they could no longer make out the big bag over their heads.
”We're above the clouds,” came from Bart in solemn tones.
CHAPTER XXIV
INTO THE RIVER
For a moment the announcement struck such a chill of terror to the hearts of the boys that they did not know what to say. The thought of being more than a mile above the earth was fearful to the lads who had never been even on a high mountain. Now they were far up in the air, with only the frail willow basket, and the lifting power of the gas in the silken bag, between them and death.
”Maybe it's a fog from the river. Perhaps we've dropped down,” said Fenn, anxious to derive some consolation from their perilous position.
”We haven't come down a foot,” said Bart. ”Might as well admit it.”
He tossed some more pieces of the torn paper over the side. This time they remained stationary.
”At any rate we've stopped going up,” he called out. ”We're standing still!”
His companions watched the sc.r.a.ps of paper anxiously. Slowly they began to settle toward the earth.
”That proves it,” said Bart. ”We're standing still.”
”Lot of good it will do us,” came from Ned. ”How long will we have to stay here?”
”Hard to say,” Bart replied. ”But you wanted this to happen so you ought to be satisfied.”
”If I'd known it was like this I'd never wished for it even in fun,”
spoke Ned. ”Don't you s'pose we can get down?”
”Sure; sometime. The gas can't stay in the bag forever. Some is bound to leak out and we'll descend. Besides, as it gets colder we'll drop some.”
”How?” asked Frank.
”Why the man told me the cold sort of condenses the gas. Makes it so there isn't so much of it, and it hasn't the same lifting power. But there's one disadvantage to that.”
”How?” inquired Fenn.
”Why as soon as it gets warm again, when the sun comes out, it expands the gas and we'll rise.”
”Keep on going back and forth, eh?” asked Ned.
”That's about it,” said Bart.