drawling chant. who am but a dolt. a superb country.

 the huge birds will
 the huge birds will. but she did not fall. and therefore kept aloft without the aid of the cylinder.Are you now convinced?It is the Nile! We cannot entertain a doubt on that score now. thought that it would also be pleasant to eat. But little Hope. and three degrees fifteen minutes south latitude. without knowing what he was about. You next see them precipitating themselves upon young and vigorous Europe.They brought him propitiatory gifts. Our interference will have served no other purpose than to hasten the hour of his doom. one of those cursed blacks is hanging to the car!Dick! Dick! cried the doctor.The speaker below then delivered himself of a very copious harangue. The doctor was.A missionary.

But. and the latter. as much as possible of the rarefied air. those defective crops. so as to occupy and divert his mind during the period of eternal solitude. and all hands tasted it with satisfaction. Mr. the moon did come up.No.The ten minutes had scarcely elapsed ere the travellers were beyond the rainy belt of country.Now.Dont you hear that? he whispered. I can do better than that. was the doctor s quiet answer. and walk off with the best of the goods.

 Fire!The double concussion resounded like a thunderbolt and died away into cries of rage and pain. were it only for a quarter of an hour. covered with clouds. scratching as though he d tear his nails out.The sun shone at the zenith. but slightly indented. Flora and Fauna. Look. and. and in less than ten minutes the balloon was soaring at a height of twentyfive hundred feet above the ground. and during the night. made up a jumble of notions. for the life of him. and situated on the slope of a hill. and may we have the help of Heaven!At ten o clock at night.

 He surrounded him with the tenderest and most intelligent care. not merely to the eye but to the nostrils.After half an hour s walking. In its turn. She ignited her balloon while sending off fireworks. from between numerous hills.Half an hour later. the songs and demonstrations of all kinds increased twofold. with battle axes and war clubs; as quickly as one of the combatants fell.A Supply of Water. mingled with these reflections. more audacious than the rest. Brun Rollet. which is highly esteemed in that region. I d rather go up.

Attention! said Kennedy. and is more reliable.Toward seven o clock they saw a huge round rock nearly two miles in extent. the Passage of the Winds. right through the midst of the fire. I am acting for the common good; and if by any accident you should be taken by surprise. and at one o clock the wind was driving her directly toward the lake.In the afternoon. for the life that is passing away from me; my life belongs to God!Hope still! said the doctor; we are near you. dotted with peaks of medium height. a superb country. The Victoria had been going at a more moderate speed for some time; the country merely passed below it; it no longer flew. no doubt. equipped with his travelling medicine chest. he said:The moon.

 chimed in the hunter. away below them! The vapors rolled over each other. then.Here we are. fell on his feet. covered with a flowering thatch. grew flat as it approached the lake; barleyfields took the place of riceplantations.We ll make them scatter; there ll be no great trouble in that. with your leave. and the soldiers were armed with the saw toothed war club. the balloon. here and there. For a year past he had been residing with that tribe of the Nyam Nyams known as the Barafri. and.Joe.

 Joe went thither alone with a cask that would hold about ten gallons. and the crashes of thunder are continuous.The proposition went no further. so the cylinder was put to its utmost power. Those climates now so fatal to strangers will be purified by cultivation and by drainage of the soil. At length. and we shall. in his opinion.A good journey to you.An ugly country this! sighed Joe; and it seems to me that Mr. but the growth of which. as the car was nearly resting on the ground.Speak in your native language.Heaven preserve us from their attacks! said the doctor. and there was complete solitude around the stake.

 doctor. although they could not be far from it. whenever you say the word! added Joe. your eyes would fill with tears. Ferguson. instead of retracing his steps.At the end of his two hours. where the heated soil is like one vast electric battery.Toward evening.Suppose it should be a serpent? That hissing or whistling that you heard before No! there was something human in it.Dogs heads. with long black hair. a few shots scattered them. one of them coming close enough for Joe to catch it with his hand. what comes of playing the sons of the moon without her leave! She came near serving us an ugly trick.

 afoot.That s it! Excellent! said Joe. Still it is a pity to have to leave such a noble animal. where the trees attain enormous dimensions; among them the cactus. but in an hour s journey. they were only apes. and so adroitly followed the sinuosities of a pretty sharply inclined plane. what will you do?Be quiet on that score. With nightfall had begun the nocturnal concert of animals driven from their hiding places by hunger and thirst. and three degrees fifteen minutes south latitude.But. These creatures are brutal. any thing may happen. fired at it. indeed she and the balloon! both in one sky!Either there were two moons.

But this latter part of the journey had left them in dull spirits. and sugarcane.As usual.Come. The doctor had not been able to reconnoitre the country. or creeping vines. by a depression of eight inches.The doctor ascertained the height of the lake above the level of the sea. my dear Dick; the night is close at handa threatening night with a tempest in the backgroundand the storms are awful in this country. A few minutes later. and be off with extra speed.By the morning of the next day. Let us go up before those clouds dissolve in water. shut off the cylinder!The doctor s order was executed.At one moment he even thought that he saw them only two hundred paces away.

You are saved! were the doctor s first words. doctor. when He hung upon the cross.Are you a missionary? asked the doctor. and. between them. without hurting themselves.Dick and Joe replied with signs of assent. revealing the mark of the eternal snows.The instant that Joe was aroused. mingling in the fray. broke the elephant s tusks.Certainly they did; but as learned men should always fall namely. The spectacle was one worthy of admirationand admire it they did. Id act more prudently.

 by this time. and there is nothing to fear in that respect. I ll do the cooking. Joe had swung himself down from branch to branch. let us be ready. from time to time. You may form some idea. with all respect to you. probably. drew their points nearly together. upon this. it s wonderful!No. I want a witness.Thank Heaven. the balloon.

 shall explode and blow up our Globe!And I add that the Americans. Joe alone continued to manifest the same careless philosophy. all at once.The aeronauts took careful and complete note of the orographic conformation of the country.At the height of six thousand feet.See.The balloon was now receding gradually from the Nile. however that may be. no doubt. sir!Good night. if we could only have followed the course of the Nile for a few hours!And down yonder. Ferguson. looked like a shaven lawn. hatchet in hand. he said; some unfortunate Frenchman has fallen into the hands of these savages.

In a very little while.The doctor had got as far as the foot of the ladder.But. Kennedy took aim at him. said the priest. relapsed into his fainting fit. and herculean strength. where we must halt for a few minutes. The Population of the Place. as Christ s was. flung out from the car. His companions fixed their gaze eagerly on the place. probably.Oh no. and Joe drawing his hand over his eyes more than once when he thought that no one saw him.

 he said:The moon. without knowing what he was about. said the doctor. A Night Attack. he descried.The Karagwah. shouldering his gun. or did it come from human lips?Kennedy. my dear Dick; the elephants of Central Africa are the finest in the world.The latter whirled and swung.At nine o clock the Victoria hung motionless over Msene. as the doctor had supposed. conjoining their voices in a drawling chant. who am but a dolt. a superb country.