A Voyage in a Balloon | Page 5

"You are certain that it is Darmstadt?"
"Undoubtedly; we are six leagues from Frankfort."
"Then we must descend."
"Descend! you would not alight upon the steeples!" said the unknown,
mockingly.
"No; but in the environs of the city."
"Well, it is too warm; let us remount a little."
As he spoke thus, he seized some bags of ballast. I precipitated myself
upon him; but, with one hand, he overthrew me, and the lightened
balloon rose to a height of 1500 metres.
"Sit down," said he, "and do not forget that Brioschi, Biot, and
Gay-Lussac, ascended to a height of seven thousand metres, in order to
establish some new scientific laws."
"We must descend;" resumed I, with an attempt at gentleness. "The

storm is gathering beneath our feet and around us; it would not be
prudent."
"We will ascend above it, and shall have nothing to fear from it. What
more beautiful than to reign in heaven, and look down upon the clouds
which hover upon the earth! Is it not an honour to navigate these aerial
waves? The greatest personages have travelled like ourselves. The
Marquise and Comtesse de Montalembert, the Comtesse de Potteries,
Mlle. La Garde, the Marquis of Montalembert, set out from the
Faubourg St. Antoine for these unknown regions. The Duc de Chartres
displayed much address and presence of mind in his ascension of the
15th of July, 1784; at Lyons, the Comtes de Laurencin and de
Dampierre; at Nantes, M. de Luynes; at Bordeaux, D'Arbelet des
Granges; in Italy, the Chevalier Andreani; in our days, the Duke of
Brunswick; have left in the air the track of their glory. In order to equal
these great personages, we must ascend into the celestial regions higher
than they. To approach the infinite is to comprehend it."
The rarefaction of the air considerably dilated the hydrogen, and I saw
the lower part of the aerostat, designedly left empty, become by degrees
inflated, rendering the opening of the valve indispensable; but my
fearful companion seemed determined not to allow me to direct our
movements. I resolved to pull secretly the cord attached to the valve,
while he was talking with animation. I feared to guess with whom I had
to do; it would have been too horrible! It was about three-quarters of an
hour since we had left Frankfort, and from the south thick clouds were
arising and threatening to engulf us.
"Have you lost all hope of making your plans succeed?" said I, with
great apparent interest.
"All hope!" replied the unknown, despairingly. "Wounded by refusals,
caricatures, those blows with the foot of an ass, have finished me. It is
the eternal punishment reserved for innovators. See these caricatures of
every age with which my portfolio is filled."
I had secured the cord of the valve, and stooping over his works,
concealed my movements from him. It was to be feared, nevertheless,
that he would notice that rushing sound, like a waterfall, which the gas
produces in escaping.
"How many jests at the expense of the Abbé Miolan! He was about to
ascend with Janninet and Bredin. During the operation, their balloon

took fire, and an ignorant populace tore it to pieces. Then the caricature
of The Curious Animals called them _Maulant, Jean Mind, and
Gredin_."
The barometer had began to rise; it was time! A distant muttering of
thunder was heard towards the south.
"See this other engraving," continued he, without seeming to suspect
my manoeuvres. "It is an immense balloon, containing a ship, large
castles, houses, &c. The caricaturists little thought that their absurdities
would one day become verities. It is a large vessel; at the left is the
helm with the pilot's box; at the prow, maisons de plaisance, a gigantic
organ, and cannon to call the attention of the inhabitants of earth or of
the moon; above the stern the observatory and pilot-balloon; at the
equatorial circle, the barracks of the army; on the left the lantern; then
upper galleries for promenades, the sails, the wings; beneath, the cafés
and general store-houses of provisions. Admire this magnificent
announcement. 'Invented for the good of the human race, this globe
will depart immediately for the seaports in the Levant, and on its return
will announce its voyages for the two poles and the extremities of the
Occident. Every provision is made; there will be an exact rate of fare
for each place of destination; but the prices for distant voyages will be
the same, 1000 louis. And it must be confessed that this is a moderate
sum, considering the celerity, convenience, and pleasure of this mode
of travelling above all others. While in this balloon, every one can
divert himself as he pleases, dancing, playing, or conversing with
people of talent. Pleasure will be the soul of the aerial