Five Weeks in a Balloon [76]
suspended at that elevation; but it did not meet with the least breath of wind. This fog seemed even destitute of humidity, and the articles brought in contact with it were scarcely dampened in the slightest degree. The balloon, completely enveloped in the vapor, gained a little increase of speed, perhaps, and that was all. The doctor gloomily recognized what trifling success he had obtained from his manoeuvre, and was relapsing into deep meditation, when he heard Joe exclaim, in tones of most intense astonishment: "Ah! by all that's beautiful!" "What's the matter, Joe?" "Doctor! Mr. Kennedy! Here's something curious!" "What is it, then?" "We are not alone, up here! There are rogues about! They've stolen our invention!" "Has he gone crazy?" asked Kennedy. Joe stood there, perfectly motionless, the very picture of amazement. "Can the hot sun have really affected the poor fellow's brain?" said the doctor, turning toward him. "Will you tell me?--" "Look!" said Joe, pointing to a certain quarter of the sky. "By St. James!" exclaimed Kennedy, in turn, "why, who would have believed it? Look, look! doctor!" "I see it!" said the doctor, very quietly. "Another balloon! and other passengers, like ourselves!" And, sure enough, there was another balloon about two hundred paces from them, floating in the air with its car and its aeronauts. It was following exactly the same route as the Victoria. "Well," said the doctor, "nothing remains for us but to make signals; take the flag, Kennedy, and show them our colors." It seemed that the travellers by the other balloon had just the same idea, at the same moment, for the same kind of flag repeated precisely the same salute with a hand that moved in just the same manner. "What does that mean?" asked Kennedy. "They are apes," said Joe, "imitating us." "It means," said the doctor, laughing, "that it is you, Dick, yourself, making that signal to yourself; or, in other words, that we see ourselves in the second balloon, which is no other than the Victoria." "As to that, master, with all respect to you," said Joe, "you'll never make me believe it." "Climb up on the edge of the car, Joe; wave your arms, and then you'll see." Joe obeyed, and all his gestures were instantaneously and exactly repeated. "It is merely the effect of the MIRAGE," said the doctor, "and nothing else--a simple optical phenomenon due to the unequal refraction of light by different layers of the atmosphere, and that is all. "It's wonderful," said Joe, who could not make up his mind to surrender, but went on repeating his gesticulations. "What a curious sight! Do you know," said Kennedy, "that it's a real pleasure to have a view of our noble balloon in that style? She's a beauty, isn't she?-- and how stately her movements as she sweeps along!" "You may explain the matter as you like," continued Joe, "it's a strange thing, anyhow!" But ere long this picture began to fade away; the clouds rose higher, leaving the balloon, which made no further attempt to follow them, and in about an hour they disappeared in the open sky. The wind, which had been scarcely perceptible, seemed still to diminish, and the doctor in perfect desperation descended toward the ground, and all three of the travellers, whom the incident just recorded had, for a few moments, diverted from their anxieties, relapsed into gloomy meditation, sweltering the while beneath the scorching heat. About four o'clock, Joe descried some object standing out against the vast background of sand, and soon was able to declare positively that there were two palm-trees at no great distance. "Palm-trees!" exclaimed Ferguson; "why, then there's a spring--a well!" He took up his glass and satisfied himself that Joe's eyes had not been mistaken. "At length!" he said, over and over again, "water! water! and we are saved; for if we do move slowly, still we move, and we shall arrive at last!" "Good, master! but suppose we were to drink a mouthful in the mean time, for this air is stifling?" "Let us drink then, my boy!" No one waited to be coaxed. A whole pint was swallowed then and there,