Thefirstoperationwastheerectionofawoodenshed，thematerialsforwhichtheyhadbroughtwiththem，asaprotectionfromthewind。Itwasaworkwhichentailedsomelossoftime，afterwhichthegasapparatushadtobegotintoorder，sothat，inspiteofallefforts，itwasthe27thofJulybeforetheballoonwasinflatedandinreadiness。
AmemberofanadvancepartyofaneclipseexpeditionarrivinginSpitzbergenatthisperiod，andpayingavisittoAndreeforthepurposeoftakinghimletters，wrote:——"Wewatchedhimdealouttheletterstohismen。Theyareallvolunteersandincludesevenseacaptains，alawyer，andotherpeoplesomefortyinall。Andreechaffedeachmantowhomhegavealetter，andallwereasmerryascricketsoverthebusiness……
Wespentourtimeinwatchingpreparations。Thevaseline（forsoakingtheguideropes）caughtfireto—day，but，luckilynoropewasinthepot。"
Butthewindasyetwascontrary，anddayafterdaypassedwithoutanyshifttoafavourablequarter，untilthecaptainoftheshipwhichhadconveyedthemwascompelledtobringmatterstoanissuebysayingthattheymustreturnhomewithoutdelayifhewastoavoidgettingfrozeninforthewinter。Theballoonhadnowremainedinflatedfortwenty—onedays，andDr。
Ekholm，calculatingthattheleakageofgasamountedtonearly1percent。perday，becamedistrustfulofthecapabilityofsuchavesseltocopewithsuchavoyageashadbeenaimedat。
Thepartyhadnownochoicebuttoreturnhomewiththeirballoon，leaving，however，theshedandgas—generatingapparatusforanotheroccasion。
Thisoccasioncamethefollowingsummer，whenthedauntlessexplorersreturnedtotheirtask，leavingGothenburgonMay28th，1897，inavessellentbytheKingofSweden，andreachingDane’sIslandonthe30thofthesamemonth。Dr。
Ekholmhadretiredfromtheenterprise，butinhisplaceweretwovolunteers，Messrs。FrankelandSvedenborg，thelatteras"oddman，"tofilltheplaceofanyoftheotherthreewhomightbepreventedfrommakingthefinalventure。
Itwasfoundthattheshedhadsufferedduringthewinter，andsometimewasspentinmakingtherepairsandneedfulpreparation，sothatthemonthofJunewashalfoverbeforeallwasinreadinessfortheinflation。Thisoperationwasthenaccomplishedinfourdays，andbymidnightofJune22ndtheballoonwasathermoorings，fullandinreadiness;but，asinthepreviousyear，thewindwascontrary，andremainedsofornearlythreeweeks。This，ofcourse，wasalessseriousmatter，inasmuchasthevoyagerswereamonthearlierwiththeirpreparation，butsolongadelaymustneedshavetoldprejudiciallyagainstthebuoyancyoftheballoon，andAndreeishardlytobeblamedforhaving，intheend，committedhimselftoawindthatwasnotwhollyfavourable。
Thewind，ifentirelyfromtherightdirection，shouldhavebeenduesouth，butonJuly11thithadveeredtoadirectionsomewhatwestofsouth，andAndree，toleratingnofurtherdelay，seizedthisashisbestopportunity，andwithawind"whistlingthroughthewoodworkoftheshedandflappingthecanvas，"accompaniedbyFrankelandSvedenborg，startedonhisill—fatedvoyage。
AtelegramwhichAndreewroteforthePressatthatepochranthus:——"Atthismoment，2。30p。m。，wearereadytostart。Weshallprobablybedriveninanorth—north—easterlydirection。"
OnJuly22ndacarrierpigeonwasrecoveredbythefishingboatAlkenbetweenNorthCape，Spitzbergen，andSevenIslands，bearingamessage，"July13th，12。30p。m。，82degrees2
minutesnorthlat。，15degrees5minuteseastlong。Goodjourneyeastward。Allgoeswellonboard。Andree。"
NottillAugust31stwastherepickedupintheArcticzoneabuoy，whichispreservedintheMuseumofStockholm。Itbearsthemessage，"BuoyNo。4。Firsttobethrownout。11thJuly，10p。m。，Greenwichmeantime。Allwelluptillnow。Wearepursuingourcourseatanaltitudeofabout250metresDirectionatfirstnortherly10degreeseast;later;northerly45degreeseast。Fourcarrierpigeonsweredespatchedat5。40
p。m。Theyflewwestwards。Wearenowabovetheice，whichisverycutupinalldirections。Weathersplendid。Inexcellentspirits。——Andree，Svedenborg，Frankel。（Postscriptlateron。）
Abovetheclouds，7。45，Greenwichmeantime。"
AccordingtoReuter，theAnthropologicalandGeologicalSocietyatStockholmreceivedthefollowingtelegramfromashipowneratMandal:——"CaptainHueland，ofthesteamshipVaagenwhoarrivedthereonMondaymorning，reportsthatwhenoffKolaFjord，Iceland，in65degrees34minutesnorthlat。，21degrees28minuteswestlong。，onMay14thhefoundadriftingbuoy，marked’No。7。’Insidethebuoywasacapsulemarked’Andree’sPolarExpedition，’containingaslipofpaper，onwhichwasgiventhefollowing:’DriftingBuoyNo。7。ThisbuoywasthrownoutfromAndree’sballoononJuly11th1897，10。55p。m。，Greenwichmeantime，82degreesnorthlat。，25degreeseastlon。Weareatanaltitudeof600metres。Allwell。——Andree，Svedenborg，Frankel。’"
Commentingonthefirstmessage，Mr。PercivalSpencersays:——"I
cannotplacerelianceupontheaccuracyofeitherthedateorelsethelat。andlong。given，asIamconfidentthattheballoonwouldhavetravelledagreaterdistanceintwodays。"
ItshouldbenotedthatDane’sIslandliesin79degrees30
minutesnorthlat。and10degrees10minuteseastlong。
Mr。Spencer’sopinion，carefullyconsideredandexpressedeighteenmonthsafterwards，willbereadwithrealinterest:——
"ThedistancefromDane’sIslandtothePoleisabout750
miles，andtoAlaskaontheothersideabout1，500miles。Thecourseoftheballoon，however，wasnotdirecttothePole，buttowardsFranzJosefLand（about600miles）andtotheSiberiancoast（another800miles）。Judgingfromthedescriptionofthewindatthestart，andcomparingitwithmyownballooningexperience，Iestimateitsspeedas40milesperhour，anditwill，therefore，beevidentthatadistanceof2，000mileswouldbecoveredin50hours，thatistwodaysandtwohoursafterthestart。Iregardalltheoriesastotheballoonbeingcapableofremainingintheairforamonthasillusory。Nofreeballoonhaseverremainedaloftformorethan36hours，butwiththefavourableconditionsatthenorthernregions（wherethesundoesnotsetandwherethetemperatureremainsequable）aballoonmightremainintheairfordoublethelengthoftimewhichIconsiderampleforthepurposeofPolarexploration。"
ArecordofthedirectionofthewindwasmadeafterAndree’sdeparture，andprovedthattherewasafluctuationindirectionfromS。W。toN。W。，indicatingthatthevoyagersmayhavebeenborneacrosstowardsSiberia。This，however，canbebutsurmise。Allaeronautsofexperienceknowthatitisanexceedinglydifficultmanoeuvretokeepatrailropedraggingonthegroundifitisdesirabletopreventcontactwiththeearthontheonehand，orontheothertoavoidlossofgas。A
slightincreaseoftemperatureordryingoffofcondensedmoisturemay——indeed，issuretoafterawhile——lifttheropeofftheground，inwhichcasetheballoon，risingintoupperlevels，maybeborneawayoncurrentswhichmaybeofalmostanydirection，andofwhichtheobserverbelowmayknownothing。Astotheactualdivergencefromthewind’sdirectionwhichatrailropeandsidesailmightbehopedtoeffect，itmaybeconfidentlystatedthat，notwithstandingsomewonderfulaccountsthathavegoneabroad，itmustnotbereliedonascommonlyamountingtomuchmorethanoneor，atthemost，twopoints。
AlthoughitistobefearedthattrustworthyinformationastotheultimatedestinationofAndree’sballoonmayneverbegained，yetwemaysafelystatethathiseverfamous，thoughregrettable，voyagewasthelongestindurationeverattained。
Attheendof48hourshisvesselwouldseemtohavebeenstillwellupandgoingstrong。TheonlyotherpreviousvoyagethathadindurationoftravelapproachedthisrecordwasthatmadebyM。Mallet，in1892，andmaintainedfor36hours。NextwemaymentionthatofM。Herve，in1886，occupying241/2hours，whichfeat，however，wasalmostequalledbythegreatLeipzigballoonin1897，which，witheightpeopleinthecar，remainedupfor241/4hours，anddidnottouchearthtill1，032mileshadbeentraversed。
ThefabricofAndree’sballoonmaynotbeconsideredtohavebeenthebestforsuchanexceptionalpurpose。Dismissingconsiderationsofcost，goldbeaters’skinwoulddoubtlesshavebeenmoresuitable。ThemilitaryballoonsatAldershotaremadeofthis，andonesuchballoonhasbeenknowntoremaininflatedforthreemonthswithverylittleloss。Itisconceivable，therefore，thatthechancesofthevoyagers，whoseultimatesafetydependedsolargelyuponthestayingpoweroftheiraerialvessel，mighthavebeenconsiderablyincreased。
Oneotherexpedient，whollyimpracticable，butoftenseriouslydiscussed，maybebrieflyreferredto，namely，theideaoftakingupapparatusforpumpinggasintometalreceiversasthevoyageproceeds，inordertoraiseorloweraballoon，andinthiswaytoprolongitslife。Mr。Wenhamhasinvestigatedthepointwithhisusualpainstakingcare，andreduceditsabsurditytoasimplecalculation，whichshouldservetobanishforgoodsuchamereextravaganttheory。
Suppose，hesays，thegaswerecompressedtoone—twentiethpartofitsbulk，whichwouldmeanapressurewithinitsreceiverof300lbs。persquareinch，andthateachreceiverhadacapacityof1cubicfoot，whileforsafetysakeitwasmadeofsteelplatesone—twentiethofaninchthick，theneachreceiverwouldweigh10lbs。，andtoliberate1，000feetclearlyaweightof500lbs。wouldhavetobetakenup。Now，whenitisconsideredthat1，000cubicfeetofhydrogenwillonlylift72lbs。，theschemebeginstolookhopelessenough。Butwhenthequestionofthepumpingapparatus，tobeworkedbyhand，iscontemplatedthedifficultiesintroducedbecomeyetmoreinsuperable。Theonlyfeasiblesuggestionwithrespecttheuseofcompressedgasisthatoftakingonboardchargedcylindersunderhighpressure，which，afterbeingdischargedtosupplytheleakageoftheballooncould，inanuninhabitedcountry，becastoutasballastlast。Itwillneednopointingout，however，thatsuchanideawouldbepracticallyasfutileasanotherwhichhasgravelybeenrecommended，namely，thatofheatingthegasoftheballoonbyaDavylamp，soastoincreaseitsbuoyancyatwill。MajorBaden—Powellhasaptlydescribedthisasresembling"anattempttowarmalargehallwithasmallspiritlamp。’
InanyfutureattempttoreachthePolebyballoonitisnotunreasonabletosupposethatwirelesstelegraphywillbeputinpracticetomaintaincommunicationwiththebase。Thewriter’spersonalexperienceofthepossibilitiesaffordedbythismodeofcommunication，yetinitsinfancy，willbegiven。
CHAPTERXXV。THEMODERNAIRSHIP——INSEARCHOFTHELEONIDS。
Intheautumnof1898theaeronauticalworldwasinterestedtohearthatayoungBrazilian，M。SantosDumont，hadcompletedasomewhatnoveldirigibleballoon，cylindricalinshape，withconicalends，83feetlongby12feetindiameter，holding6，500cubicfeetofgas，andhavingasmallcompensatingballoonof880cubicfeetcapacity。Foranetwassubstitutedasimplecontrivance，consistingoftwosidepockets，runningthelengthoftheballoon，andcontainingbattensofwood，towhichwereaffixedthesuspensioncords，bandsbeingalsosewnovertheupperpartoftheballoonconnectingthetwopockets。
Themostimportantnovelty，however，wastheintroductionofasmallpetroleummotorsimilartothoseusedformotortricycles。
Theinventorascendedinthisballoon，inflatedwithpurehydrogen，fromtheJardind’Acclimatation，Paris，andcircledseveraltimesroundthelargecaptiveballoonintheGardens，afterwhich，movingtowardstheBoisdeBoulogne，hemadeseveralsweepsof100yardsradius。Thenthepumpofthecompensatorcausedtheenginetostop，andthemachine，partiallycollapsing，felltotheground。SantosDumontwassomewhatshaken，butannouncedhisintentionofmakingothertrials。Inthisboldandsuccessfulattempttherewasclearindicationofafreshphaseintheconstructionoftheairship，consistinginthehappyadoptionofthemoderntypeofpetroleummotor。Twootherhyingmachineswereheardofaboutthisdate，onebyProfessorGiampietre，ofPavia，cigar—shaped，drivenbyscrews，andriggedwithmastsandsails。Theother，whichhadbeenconstructedandtestedinstrictprivacy，wastheinventionofaFrenchengineer，M。Ader，andwasimaginedtoimitatetheessentialstructureofabird。Twosteammotorsof20—horsepowersuppliedthepower。Itwasstartedbybeingrunonthegroundonsmallwheelsattachedtoit，anditwasclaimedthatbeforeabreakdownoccurredthemachinehadactuallyraiseditselfintotheair。
OfSantosDumonttheworldwaspresentlytoknowmore，andthesamemustbesaidofanotherinventor，Dr。Barton，ofBeckenham，whoshortlycompletedanairshipmodelcarryingaeroplanesandoperatedbyclockwork。Inanearlyexperimentthismodeltravelledfourmilesintwenty—threeminutes。
Butanotherairship，atrueleviathan，hadbeengrowingintostatelyandgracefulproportionsontheshoresoftheBodenzeeinWurtemberg，andwasalreadyontheeveofcompletion。CountZeppelin，alieut。—generalintheGermanArmy，whohadseenserviceintheFranco—GermanWar，hadforsomeyearsdevotedhisfortuneandenergytothepracticalstudyofaerialnavigation，andhadprosecutedexperimentsonalargescale。
Eventually，havingformedacompanywithalargecapital，hewasenabledtoconstructanairshipwhichinsizehasbeencomparedtoaBritishman—of—war。Cigar—shaped，itslengthwasnolessthan420feet，anddiameter40feet，whileitsweightamountedtonomorethan7，250lbs。Theframework，whichforlightnesshadbeenmadeofaluminium，was，withtheobjectofpreventingallthegascollectingatoneendofitselongatedform，subdividedintoseventeencompartments，eachofthesecompartmentscontainingacompletelyfittedgasballoon，madeofoiledcottonandmarvellouslygastight。Asteeringapparatuswasplacedbothforeandaft，andatasafedistancebelowthemainstructurewerefixed，alsoforwardandaft，onaluminiumplatforms，twoDaimlermotorenginesof16—horsepower，workingaluminiumpropellersoffourbladesattherateof1，000revolutionsaminute。Finally，firmlyattachedtotheinnerframeworkbyrodsofaluminium，weretwocarsofthesamemetal，furnishedwithbufferspringstobreaktheforceofafall。Thetrialtripwasnotmadetillthesummerfollowing——June，1900——and，inthemeanwhile，experimentshadgoneforwardwithanothermodeofflight，terminating，unhappily，inthedeathofoneofthemostexpertandingeniousofmechanicalaeronauts。
Mr。PercyS。Pilcher，nowthirty—threeyearsofage，havingreceivedhisearlytrainingintheNavy，retiredfromtheServicetobecomeacivilengineer，andhadbeenforsometimeapartnerinthefirmofWilsonandPilcher。Forfourorfiveyearshehadbeenexperimentinginsoaringflight，usingaLilienthalmachine，whichheimprovedtosuithisownmethods。
Amongthesewasthedeviceofrisingoffthegroundbybeingrapidlytowedbyalineagainstthewind。
AttheendofSeptemberhegaveanexhibitionatStamfordParkbeforeLordBrayandaselectpartyoffriends——thisinspiteofanunsuitableafternoonofunsteadywindandoccasionalshowers。Alongtowinglinewasprovided，which，beingpassedroundpulleyblocksanddraggedbyacoupleofhorses，wascapableofbeinghauledinathighspeed。Thefirsttrial，thoughendinginanaccident，waseminentlysatisfactory。Theapparatus，runningagainstthewind，hadrisensomedistance，whenthelinebroke，yettheinventordescendedslowlyandsafelywithoutstretchedwings。Thenexttrialalsocommencedwell，withaneasyrisetoaheightofsomethirtyfeet。Atthatpoint，however，thetailbrokewithasnap，andthemachine，pitchingover，fellacompletewreck。Mr。Pilcherwasfoundinsensible，withhisthighbroken，andthoughnootherseriousinjurywasapparent，hesuccumbedtwodaysafterwardswithoutrecoveringconsciousness。Itwassurmisedthatshrinkageofthecanvasofthetail，throughgettingwet，hadstrainedandbrokenitsbamboostretcher。
ThisautumndiedGastonTissandier，attheageoffifty—six;
andinthemonthofDecember，ataripeoldage，whilestillinfullpossessionofintellectualvigour，Mr。Coxwellsomewhatsuddenlypassedaway。Alwayskeenlyinterestedintheprogressofaeronautics;hehadbutrecently，inalettertotheStandard，proposedawell—consideredandpracticalmethodofemployingMontgolfierreconnoitringballoons，portable，readilyinflated，andespeciallysuitedtothewarinSouthAfrica。
PerhapsthelastlettersofaprivatenaturepennedbyMr。
Coxwellweretothewriterandhisdaughter，fulloffriendlyandvaluablesuggestion，andmoreparticularlycommentingonarecentscientificaerialvoyage，whichprovedtobenotonlysensational，butestablishedarecordinEnglishballooning。
ThegreattrainoftheNovembermeteors，knownastheLeonids，whichatregularperiodsofthirty—threeyearshadinthepastencounteredtheearth’satmosphere，wasdue，andover—due。Thecauseofthis，andoftheirfinallyeludingobservation，needonlybeverybrieflytouchedonhere。Theactualmeteorictrainisknowntotravelinanelongatedellipse，thefarendofwhichliesneartheconfinesofthesolarsystem，whileatapointnearthehitherendtheearth’sorbitrunsslantinglyathwartit，forming，asitwere，alevelcrossingcommontothetwoorbits，theearthtakingsomefiveorsixhoursintransit。
Calculationshowsthatthemeteortrainistobeexpectedatthiscrossingeverythirty—threeandathirdyears，whilethetrainisextendedtosuchanenormouslength——takingmorethanayeartodrawclear——thattheearthmustneedsencounteritereitgetsby，possiblyeventwoyearsrunning。Therecouldbenoabsolutecertaintyabouttheexactyear，northeexactnightwhentheearthandthemeteorswouldforegather，owingtotheuncertaindisturbancewhichthelattermustsufferfromthepulloftheplanetarybodiesinthelongjourneyoutandhomeagainamongthem。Asisnowknown，thisdisturbingeffecthadactuallydispersedthetrain。
Theshower，whichwaswellseenin1866，wasprettyconfidentlyexpectedin1899，andtoguardagainstthemischanceofcloudyweather，itwasarrangedthatthewritershould，onbehalfoftheTimesnewspaper，makeanascentontherightnighttosecureobservations。Moreover，itwasarrangedthatheshouldhave，aschiefassistant，hisowndaughter，anenthusiasticladyaeronaut，whohadalsotakenpartinpreviousastronomicalwork。
Unfortunatelythereweretwonights，thoseofNovember14thand15th，whentheexpectedshowerseemedequallyprobable，and，takingcounselwiththebestauthoritiesintheastronomicalworld，itseemedthattheonlycoursetoavoiddisappointmentwouldbetohaveaballoonfilledandmooredinreadinessforanimmediatestart，eitheronthefirstnightoronthesecond。
Thissettledthematterfromtheastronomicalside，buttherewastheaeronauticalsidealsotobeconsidered。Aballoonof56，000cubicfeetcapacitywasthelargestavailablefortheoccasion，andanightascentwiththreepassengersandinstrumentswouldneedplentyofliftingpowertomeetchanceemergencies。Thusitseemedthatapossibledelayofforty—eighthoursmightentailagreaterleakageofgasthancouldbeafforded。
Theleakagemightbeexpectedchieflytooccuratthevalveintheheadoftheballoon，itbeingextremelydifficulttorenderanyformofmechanicalvalvegastight，howevercarefullyitsjointsbestoppedwithluting。Onthisaccount，therefore，itwasdeterminedthattheballoonshouldbefittedwithwhatisknownasasolidorrendingvalve，consistingsimplyofballoonfabrictiedhardandfastovertheentireupperoutlet，afterthefashionofajampotcover。Theoutletitselfwasagapingholeofover2feetacross;butbythetimeitscoveringhadbeencarefullyvarnishedoverallleakagewassufficientlyprevented，theonedrawbacktothismethodbeingthefactthattheliberationofgasnowadmittedofnoregulation。Pullingthevalvelinewouldsimplymeanopeningtheentirewideaperture，whichcouldinnowaybeclosedagain。
Themanagementofsuchavalveconsistsinallowingtheballoontosinkspontaneouslyearthwards，andwhenithassettledneartheground，havingchosenadesirablelandingplace，totearopentheso—calledvalveonceandforall。
Thisexpedient，dictatedbynecessity，seemingsufficientforthepurposeathand，preparationswereproceededwith，and，underthemanagementofMr。StanleySpencer，whoagreedtoactasaeronaut，alargeballoon，withsolidvalve，wasbroughtdowntoNewburygasworksonNovember14th，and，beinginflatedduringtheafternoon，wasfullandmadesnugbysundown。Butasthemeteorradiantwouldnotbewellabovethehorizontillaftermidnight，theaeronauticalpartyretiredforrefreshment，andsubsequentlyforrest，when，asthenightworeon，itbecameevidentthat，thoughtheskyremainedclear，therewouldbenometeordisplaythatnight。Thenextdaywasovercast，andbynightfallhopelesslyso，thecloudseverthickening，withabsenceofwindoranyindicationwhichmightgivepromiseofachange。Thusbymidnightitbecameimpossibletotellwhetheranydisplaywereinprogressornot。Underthesecircumstances，itmighthavebeendifficulttodecidewhentomakethestartwiththebestshowofreason。Clearlytooearlyastartcouldnotsubsequentlyberectified;theballoon，onceoff，couldnotcomebackagain;while，onceliberated，itwouldbehighlyunwiseforittoremainaloftandhiddenbycloudsformorethansometwohours，lestitshouldbecarriedouttosea。
Happilytherightdecisionunderthesecircumstanceswasperfectlyclear。Otherthingsbeingequal，thebesttimewouldbeabout4a。m。，bywhichperiodthemoon，thennearthefull，wouldbegettinglow，andthetwohoursofdarknessleftwouldaffordthebestseeing。Leaving，then，anefficientoutlookontheballoonground，thepartyenjoyedforsomehourstheentertainmentofferedthembytheNewburyGuildhallClub，andat4a。m。takingtheirseatsinthecar，sailedupintothecalmchillyairoftheNovembernight。
Butthechillinessdidnotlastforlong。Aheightof1，500
feetwasreadbytheDavylamp，andthenweenteredfog——warm，wettingfog，throughwhichtheballoonwouldmakenoprogressinspiteofaprodigaldischargeofsand。Thefactwasthattheballoon，whichhadbecomechilledthroughthenighthours，wasgatheringagreatweightofmoisturefromcondensationonitssurface，andwhen，atlast，thewholedepthofthecloud，1，500feet，hadbeenpenetrated，thechilloftheupperaircrippledtheballoonandsentherplungingdownagainintothemist，necessitatingyetfurtherexpenditureofsand，whichbythistimehadamountedtonolessthan31/2cwt。intwentyminutes。Andthenatlastwereachedourlevel，aregionontheuppermarginofthecloudfloor，whereevaporationreducedthetemperature，thathadrecentlybeenthatofgreenhousewarmth，tointensecold。
Thatevaporationwasgoingonaroundusonagiganticscalewasmadeverymanifest。Thesurfaceofthevastcloudfloorbelowuswasinaperfectturmoil，likethatofatroubledsea。Ifthecloudsurfacecouldbecomparedtoanythingonearthitmostresembledseawherewavesarerunningmountainshigh。Atonemomentweshouldbesailingoveratrough，wideanddeepbelowus，thenextamightybillowwouldtossitselfaloftandvanishutterlyintospace。Everywherewreathsofmistwithraggedfringeswerewitheringawayintoemptyair，and，moreremarkableyet，wastheconflictofwindwhichsentthecloudwrackflyingsimplyinalldirections。
Fortwohoursnowtherewasopportunityforobservingatleisureallthatcouldbemadeofthefallingmeteors。Therewereafew，andthese，owingtoourclear，elevatedregion，wereexceptionallybright。Themajority，too，weretrueLeonids，issuingfromtheradiantpointinthe"Sickle，"butthesewerenotmorenumerousthanmaybecountedonthatnightinanyyear，andservedtoemphasisethefactthatnorealdisplaywasinprogress。Theoutlookwasmaintained，andcarefulnotesmadefortwohours，attheendofwhichtimethedawnbegantobreak，thestarswentin，andwewerereadytopackupandcomedown。
Butthepointwasthatwewerenotcomingdown。Wewereatthattime，6a。m。，4，000feethigh，anditneedsnopointingoutthatatsuchanaltitudeitwouldhavebeenmadnesstotearopenourhugerendingvalve，thusemptyingtheballoonofgas。
Itmayalsobeunnecessarytopointoutthatinanordinaryafternoonascentsuchavalvewouldbeperfectlysatisfactory，forunderthesecircumstancesthesunpresentlymustgodown，theairmustgrowchill，andtheballoonmustcomeearthward，allowingofaneasydescentuntilasafeandsuitableopportunityforrendingthevalveoccurred;butnowweknewthatconditionswerereversed，andthatthesunwasjustgoingtorise。
Andthenitwaswerealisedthatwewerecaughtinatrap。
Fromthatmomentitwaspainfullyevidentthatwewerepowerlesstoact，andwereatthemercyofcircumstances。Bythistimethelightwasstrong，and，beingwellabovethetossingbillowsofmist，wecommandedanextendedviewoneveryside，whichrevealed，however，onlytheupperunbrokensurfaceofthedensecloudcanopythatlayoveralltheBritishIsles。
Wecouldonlymakearoughguessastoourprobablelocality。
Weknewthatourcourseatstartinglaytowardsthewest，andifweweremaintainingthatcourseatravelofscarcelymorethansixtymileswouldcarryusouttotheopensea。Wehadalreadybeenaloftfortwohours，andaswewereatanaltitudeatwhichfastuppercurrentsarecommonlymetwith，itwashightimethat，forsafety，weshouldbecomingdown;yetitwasmorallycertainthatitwouldbenowmanyhoursbeforeourballoonwouldcommencetodescendofitsownaccordbysheerslowleakageofgas，bywhichtime，beyondallreasonabledoubt，wemustbecarriedfaroutovertheAtlantic。Allwecoulddowastolistenintentlyforanysoundsthatmightreachusfromearth，andassureusthatwewerestillovertheland;