第2章

There was not a continent, nor even an island, visible beneath them.The watery expanse did not present a single speck of land, not a solid surface upon which their anchor could hold.

It was the open sea, whose waves were still dashing with tremendous violence! It was the ocean, without any visible limits, even for those whose gaze, from their commanding position, extended over a radius of forty miles.The vast liquid plain, lashed without mercy by the storm, appeared as if covered with herds of furious chargers, whose white and disheveled crests were streaming in the wind.No land was in sight, not a solitary ship could be seen.It was necessary at any cost to arrest their downward course, and to prevent the balloon from being engulfed in the waves.The voyagers directed all their energies to this urgent work.But, notwithstanding their efforts, the balloon still fell, and at the same time shifted with the greatest rapidity, following the direction of the wind, that is to say, from the northeast to the southwest.

Frightful indeed was the situation of these unfortunate men.They were evidently no longer masters of the machine.All their attempts were useless.The case of the balloon collapsed more and more.The gas escaped without any possibility of retaining it.Their descent was visibly accelerated, and soon after midday the car hung within 600 feet of the ocean.

It was impossible to prevent the escape of gas, which rushed through a large rent in the silk.By lightening the car of all the articles which it contained, the passengers had been able to prolong their suspension in the air for a few hours.But the inevitable catastrophe could only be retarded, and if land did not appear before night, voyagers, car, and balloon must to a certainty vanish beneath the waves.

They now resorted to the only remaining expedient.They were truly dauntless men, who knew how to look death in the face.Not a single murmur escaped from their lips.They were determined to struggle to the last minute, to do anything to retard their fall.The car was only a sort of willow basket, unable to float, and there was not the slightest possibility of maintaining it on the surface of the sea.

Two more hours passed and the balloon was scarcely 400 feet above the water.

At that moment a loud voice, the voice of a man whose heart was inaccessible to fear, was heard.To this voice responded others not less determined."Is everything thrown out?" "No, here are still 2,000 dollars in gold." A heavy bag immediately plunged into the sea."Does the balloon rise?" "A little, but it will not be long before it falls again." "What still remains to be thrown out?" "Nothing." "Yes! the car!" "Let us catch hold of the net, and into the sea with the car."This was, in fact, the last and only mode of lightening the balloon.The ropes which held the car were cut, and the balloon, after its fall, mounted 2,000 feet.The five voyagers had hoisted themselves into the net, and clung to the meshes, gazing at the abyss.