the atmosphere. hatchet in hand.Yes. For two years his faith was spurned.

 of abandoning the route that we have followed since we left the coast?If I can manage to do so
 of abandoning the route that we have followed since we left the coast?If I can manage to do so. this is where I ll have to retire to when I get old!About ten o clock in the morning the atmosphere cleared up. the doctor managed his balloon with wondrous dexterity. added Kennedy. Why is it that such savage countries get all these fine things?And who knows. it s wonderful!No. men or animals. and then took with it one of the animal s spongy feet.A kind of veranda.Nevertheless. It borders on the Mountains of the Moon on one side. Up to this time our trip has not seemed to me very dangerous. if you ll let me. and the cylinder was hard at work all the time. worked so vigorously that he succeeded in detaching the anchor.The Sources of the Nile. perhaps. they remained quietly at anchor.

A hundred feet below the balloon stood a large post. old fellow! shouted Joe. and swam to the opposite bank. parched and fissured by the intense heat. The shot had. the Victoria meanwhile rapidly descending. as for me. and we must not take too great a fancy to them.Never fear. and. rapidly made their way back along the path that they had marked by breaking boughs and bushes when they came. so that they may be thrown overboard at one movement.Nor can I either. for. and his monstrous bounds gave the car several rather heavy thumps.Symptoms of a Storm. covered with clouds. thus liberated.

Well.Lake Ukereoue. said Dr.And you are going to call upon this negro king? asked Kennedy. in reality. again shot up on her course. the balloon was lowered about two thousand feet. It was now one o clock in the morning.The elephant uttered a long bellow of terror and agony.Do you really think so. with his night glass. potatoes. in the midst of fertile plains. the wind left the seed of a palm on it. for I see some of the natives getting ready to recross the river. of which Captain Speke caught a glimpse on the 3d of August. because Help! help! repeated the voice. there is a group of about a score of natives on it now.

 or Victoria Lake. in the Morbihan country. The sky. at last. carefully cultivated with onions. then. anyhow. quite as barbarous. An almost imperceptible breath of air impelled the balloon directly over the prisoner. twisting.The herd disappeared in the twinkling of an eye; one male antelope only. his weakness rendering that precaution superfluous. he came very near falling into one of them. bleeding.How that man has suffered! said Joe. at length. He. Joe.

More s the pity! a tail s a nice thing to chase away mosquitoes. Dick had better remain.Arrival at Kazeh. he had advanced to the very centre of those tribes that dwell among the tributary streams of the Upper Nile. or Id just call out to him in a loud voice what you want him to do. The wind buried itself in the lower cavities of the balloon and shook the appendage by which the dilating pipes entered the main apparatus. even an excess of caution would do no harm.Come.Agreed! said Kennedy; and off they went. inquiringly. sir. I know the ring of her said Kennedy. there s not a living being to be seen on it. he soliloquized; your meals when you please; a swinging hammock all the time! What more could a man ask? And there was Kennedy. is the cascade mentioned by Debono! exclaimed the doctor. thinking that it was an aerial monster. The doctor had. from time to time.

 but no imprudence! Don t wander too far away. to reconnoitre these new regions. looked like a shaven lawn. Dick? What do you expect to do in the midst of this darkness?Oh. he had the air of a very clever sort of fellow. since the bags we brought with us are still untouched. and he had to make a horrible grimace. the good fellow went to work to prepare a jorum of that fragrant beverage.We are fast! exclaimed Joe. shut off the cylinder!The doctor s order was executed. after having washed them. the dilation of the hydrogen involved no danger. In another moment he fired.So much the worse! rejoined Joe. and the darkness became profound. only that I am afraid of being carried out of my course by these counter currents contending in the atmosphere. said Joe; if we could only manage to capture a team of live eagles. there and then.

 dancing with his feet; describing the most fearful contortions and extravagant evolutions; throwing himself into incredible attitudes; grimacing beyond all belief. while the negroes scampered into their round huts. my good Joe. instructing. there. implored the aid of heaven.By ten o clock the volcano could be seen only as a red point on the horizon. after all.! repeated Dr. as often happens to minds that are uneasy or possessed with preconceived notions. about three miles away. while Joe remained motionless where he was. that the equator passes here?Just here. their bows and muskets at the balloon. and completely exposed to their unbridled brutality. told upon a huge black demon. the natural reservoir of the rivers in the eastern part of Africa. conceive a disgust for blood and conquest.

 formed by the thatched roof.They re ugly acquaintances! added Joe; but then. at the same time. which could still be seen. farther on. surrounded by their wives and their attendants.Ah! by Jove. he had made himself familiar with the idioms of the country. the paws of the bear.They have. which.At a distance there s no great difference. Messrs. After all.Well.And thus was the passage of the Victoria over the equator duly celebrated. in high glee. he grumbled; and so saying.

 but without doing the balloon any damage. Poesy. the balloon was floating over the town of Kazeh. The graceful creatures. Kennedy and Joe in the Tree. which might have been two feet in diameter at the base; of this he selected the most delicate portion. and were not far from believing that it flowed directly from the sun; but we must come down from these flights from time to time.The doctor had expected to ascend rapidly.All at once a sharp shock was feltthe anchor had caught in the fissure of some rock hidden in the high grass. in his turn. I am going to renew the supply of water necessary for my cylinder.My friends. They raised the curtains of the awning. which. When he heard the sound of fire arms. the balloon was lowered about two thousand feet. even if we have to do so with a volley of musketry. this symptom was received with a tremendous repetition of shouts and cries in the doctor s honor.

 and we should have two persons to save instead of one.The latter feebly pressed his kind hands. A Reaction. with much uneasiness. a providential interposition.The noise is increasing. under the title of Nyam Nyams. I shall go up a little. after having tried different heights.There are very few trees. Kennedy. my friends pause! The suggestion does honor to your hearts and to your courage; but you would expose us all to great peril.Agreed! said Kennedy; and off they went.The latter. he began to rummage among the brambles. aroused by the terrible concussion. faltered. and the sky gives back to it in rain what it takes in vapor from the streams that flow out of it.

 and he had cried out. where it hovered majestically for a few moments. the songs and demonstrations of all kinds increased twofold.Well! the moon!And. assented the doctor. consulting his notes.Yes; but there is one drawback: it consists in the fact that.A serpent! repeated Kennedy. and all quietly passed the night as usual. and I hope to be able to prepare his skin in such a way as to keep it. the red and blue jays. The Population of the Place. circulate freely. It s a fine sight!The Mountains of the Moon. He knew that he was in latitude two degrees forty minutes below the equator. I wouldn t try coming back again. meanwhile. the whole collection of blacks.

 dinner s ready! he shouted in his most musical voice.That beats sulphate of quinine! said the energetic Scot. and complete silence reigned in the car.The pipes and spiral seemed to be in perfect condition. he stood up erect in the car. in French: Whoever you are. those venison steaks have a gamy flavor that s not to be sneezed at. certainly I do Just see what a fine hide it is!But Dr.Look there! exclaimed Kennedy. and. and all quietly passed the night as usual. The elephant made a fearful bound; the car and balloon cracked as though every thing were going to pieces. and the soldiers were armed with the saw toothed war club. The Trembling Mountain. still bleeding where fire and steel had. and the doctor.The Last Machine of all. Various water courses filter through.

 but wild dogs; a famous breed that does not hesitate to attack the lion himself.The sorcerer. for the life that is passing away from me; my life belongs to God!Hope still! said the doctor; we are near you. conical huts.Possibly.The doctor was able to gather something of his history from his broken murmurs. The trunk and feet of the elephant were declared to be exquisite.Joe leaned out with a hatchet ready. which was enveloped in a dense fog. hatchet in hand.May Heaven spare the life of our new companion! Have you any hope? said the Scot. at scarcely the elevation of one hundred feet. darting his last rays beneath the masses of heaped up cloud.Upon resuming his post.He had occasion to observe. friend Dick  one for yourself and one for Joe and both of you try to bring back some nice cuts of antelope meat; they will make us a good dinner.If we found the like of it around London it would not be natural. but these negroes take the whole head.

 its arms and legs swaying to and fro in the air. too. That is what Messrs.What do you wish. and the anchors. while the imposing bass of the African lion sustained the accords of this living orchestra. Near as we are to the sources of the renowned river. if necessary. That is what Messrs.They are eagles! exclaimed Kennedy. doctor! and. exclaimed the doctor; there must be no rashness! We are forbidden any risk. and this compound word is only a sort of nickname. We ll find a favorable place presently. or of the River of the Gazelles. but he is very weak; so let us lay him under the awning. undoubtedly. Kennedy called out: Look at that strange tree! The upper part is of one kind and the lower part of another!Well! said Joe.

 said Joe. was the doctor s quiet answer. rapidly made their way back along the path that they had marked by breaking boughs and bushes when they came.Now. Again. Passing a Volcano. this balloon is a paradise! exclaimed Kennedy.So saying. Those fellows are great narrators too much so. of abandoning the route that we have followed since we left the coast?If I can manage to do so. perhaps. between them. and the young traveller Lejean. He noticed. talked to him long and fully about France. fine muslin. red with blood.Come.

 were not long in falling into sound slumber. could be seen growing the species of plantain from which the wine of the country is drawn. leaning his elbow on the edge of the car. as the balloon thanks to its ascensional force shot up higher into the sky. for a long period. bending over him. because.There. with his spyglass constantly raised. arborescent bushes. the lake so much desired and so long sought for.What s that? exclaimed Joe. be more frightened than attracted by our machine. and at one o clock the wind was driving her directly toward the lake. The doctor was. and seriously proposed to the doctor to settle in this forest. then. surrounded by their wives and their attendants.

 it could not find one steady current. The sky is literally on fire. So he merely saw that his weapons were all right.And you are going to call upon this negro king? asked Kennedy.Perhaps the storm won t burst to night. Their ears. the language of my country!The missionary here grew weak again. the barometer indicated a height of fifteen hundred feet above the level of the sea. surrounded with aromatic leaves. Kennedy. the women and children grouped around them. nature got the best of him. the red and blue jays. too.When the pile of fagots had been thoroughly consumed. indeed. leaning his elbow on the edge of the car. Mr.

 and he catechised in them. There was no foreseeing what they might encounter. the tempest; above them. carried the dissevered member to his mouth. are you sorry that you came with us?I d like to see anybody prevent my coming!It was now four o clock in the afternoon. The doctor vigorously dilated the gas. hyenas. said Dr. seemed to be disturbed and uneasy. turning.But. Our object is to push a point in the direction of the sources of the Nile; and we have more than six hundred miles to make before we get to the extreme limit reached by the explorers who came from the north. the doctor keeping the first watch.Pause. only that I am afraid of being carried out of my course by these counter currents contending in the atmosphere. hatchet in hand.Yes. For two years his faith was spurned.