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This etext was produced by Judy Boss.
FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON;
OR,
JOURNEYS AND DISCOVERIES IN AFRICA
BY THREE ENGLISHMEN.
COMPILED IN FRENCH
BY JULES VERNE,
FROM THE ORIGINAL NOTES OF DR. FERGUSON.
AND DONE INTO ENGLISH BY
"WILLIAM LACKLAND."
PUBLISHERS' NOTE.
"Five Weeks in a Balloon" is, in a measure, a satire on
modern books of African travel. So far as the geography,
the inhabitants, the animals, and the features of the countries
the travellers pass over are described, it is entirely
accurate. It gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly
the whole field of African discovery, and in this way will
often serve to refresh the memory of the reader. The mode
of locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents
and adventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly
amusing, and, in view of the wonderful "travellers' tales"
with which we have been entertained by African explorers,
they can scarcely be considered extravagant; while the ingenuity
and invention of the author will be sure to excite the
surprise and the admiration of the reader, who will find
M. VERNE as much at home in voyaging through the air as in
journeying "Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Seas."
CONTENTS.
——-
CHAPTER FIRST.
The End of a much-applauded Speech.—The Presentation of Dr. Samuel Ferguson.
—Excelsior.—Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.—A Fatalist convinced.
—A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.—Several Toasts for the Occasion
CHAPTER SECOND.
The Article in the Daily Telegraph.—War between the Scientific Journals.—
Mr. Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.—Reply of the Savant Koner.
—Bets made.—Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor
CHAPTER THIRD.
The Doctor's Friend.—The Origin of their Friendship.—Dick Kennedy at London.
—An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.—A Proverb by no
means cheering.—A few Names from the African Martyrology.—The Advantages
of a Balloon.—Dr. Ferguson's Secret
CHAPTER FOURTH.
African Explorations.—Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet, Penney,
Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace, Krapf and Rebmann,
Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke
CHAPTER FIFTH.
Kennedy's Dreams.—Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.—Dick's Insinuations.
—A Promenade over the Map of Africa.—What is contained between two
Points of the Compass.—Expeditions now on foot.—Speke and Grant.—Krapf,
De Decken, and De Heuglin
CHAPTER SIXTH.
A Servant—match him!—He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.—Dick and Joe
hard at it.—Doubt and Faith.—The Weighing Ceremony.—Joe and Wellington.
—He gets a Half-crown
CHAPTER SEVENTH.
Geometrical Details.—Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.—The Double
Receptacle.—The Covering.—The Car.—The Mysterious Apparatus.—The
Provisions and Stores.—The Final Summing up
CHAPTER EIGHTH.
Joe's Importance.—The Commander of the Resolute.—Kennedy's Arsenal.
—Mutual Amenities.—The Farewell Dinner.—Departure on the 21st of February.—
The Doctor's Scientific Sessions.—Duveyrier.—Livingstone.—Details of the
Aerial Voyage.—Kennedy silenced
CHAPTER NINTH.
They double the Cape.—The Forecastle.—A Course of Cosmography by Professor
Joe.—Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.—How to seek out
Atmospheric Currents.—Eureka
CHAPTER TENTH.
Former Experiments.—The Doctor's Five Receptacles.—The Gas Cylinder.—
The Calorifere.—The System of Manoeuvring.—Success certain
CHAPTER ELEVENTH.
The Arrival at Zanzibar.—The English Consul.—Ill-will of the Inhabitants.—The
Island of Koumbeni.—The Rain-Makers.—Inflation of the Balloon.—Departure
on the 18th of April.—The last Good-by.—The Victoria
CHAPTER TWELFTH.
Crossing the Strait.—The Mrima.—Dick's Remark and Joe's Proposition.—A
Recipe for Coffee-making.—The Uzaramo.—The Unfortunate Maizan.—
Mount Duthumi.—The Doctor's Cards.—Night under a Nopal
CHAPTER THIRTEENTH.
Change of Weather.—Kennedy has the Fever.—The Doctor's Medicine.—Travels
on Land.—The Basin of Imenge.—Mount Rubeho.—Six Thousand Feet
Elevation.—A Halt in the Daytime
CHAPTER FOURTEENTH.
The Forest of Gum-Trees.—The Blue Antelope.—The Rallying-Signal.—An
Unexpected Attack.—The Kanyeme.—A Night in the Open Air.—The
Mabunguru.—Jihoue-la-Mkoa.—A Supply of Water.—Arrival at Kazeh
CHAPTER FIFTEENTH.
Kazeh.—The Noisy Market-place.—The Appearance of the Balloon.—The Wangaga.
—The Sons of the Moon.—The Doctor's Walk.—The Population of the
Place.—The Royal Tembe.—The Sultan's Wives.—A Royal Drunken-Bout.—
Joe an Object of Worship.—How they Dance in the Moon.—A Reaction.—
Two Moons in one Sky.—The Instability of Divine Honors
CHAPTER SIXTEENTH.
Symptoms of a Storm.—The Country of the Moon.—The Future of the African
Continent.—The Last Machine of all.—A View of the Country at Sunset.—
Flora and Fauna.—The Tempest.—The Zone of Fire.—The Starry Heavens.
CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH.
The Mountains of the Moon.—An Ocean of Venture.—They cast Anchor.—The
Towing Elephant.—A Running Fire.—Death of the Monster.—The Field
Oven.—A Meal on the Grass.—A Night on the Ground
CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH.
The Karagwah.—Lake Ukereoue.—A Night on an Island.—The Equator.
—Crossing the Lake.—The Cascades.—A View of the Country.—The Sources
of the Nile.—The Island of Benga.—The Signature of Andrea Debono.—The
Flag with the Arms of England
CHAPTER NINETEENTH.
The Nile.—The Trembling Mountain.—A Remembrance of the Country.—The
Narratives of the Arabs.—The Nyam-Nyams.—Joe's Shrewd Cogitations.—
The Balloon runs the Gantlet.—Aerostatic Ascensions.—Madame Blanchard.
CHAPTER TWENTIETH.
The Celestial Bottle.—The Fig-Palms.—The Mammoth Trees.—The Tree of War.
—The Winged Team.—Two Native Tribes in Battle.—A Massacre.—An
Intervention from above
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIRST.
Strange Sounds.—A Night Attack.—Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.—Two Shots.
—"Help! help!"—Reply in French.—The Morning.—The Missionary.—The
Plan of Rescue
CHAPTER TWENTY-SECOND.
The Jet of Light.—The Missionary.—The Rescue in a Ray of Electricity.—A
Lazarist Priest.—But little Hope.—The Doctor's Care.—A Life of Self-Denial.
—Passing a Volcano
CHAPTER TWENTY-THIRD.
Joe in a Fit of Rage.—The Death of a Good Man.—The Night of watching by the
Body.—Barrenness and Drought.—The Burial.—The Quartz Rocks.—Joe's
Hallucinations.—A Precious Ballast.—A Survey of the Gold-bearing Mountains.
—The Beginning of Joe's Despair
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOURTH.
The Wind dies away.—The Vicinity of the Desert.—The Mistake in the
WaterSupply.—The Nights of the Equator.—Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.
—The Situation flatly stated.—Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe.
—One Night more
CHAPTER TWENTY-FIFTH.
A Little Philosophy.—A Cloud on the Horizon.—In the Midst of a Fog.—The
Strange Balloon.—An Exact View of the Victoria.—The Palm-Trees.—Traces
of a Caravan.—The Well in the Midst of the Desert
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIXTH.
One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.—The Doctor's Reflections.—A Desperate
Search.—The Cylinder goes out.—One Hundred and Twenty-two Degrees.—
Contemplation of the Desert.—A Night Walk.—Solitude.—Debility.—Joe's
Prospects.—He gives himself One Day more
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVENTH.
Terrific Heat.—Hallucinations.—The Last Drops of Water.—Nights of Despair.
—An Attempt at Suicide.—The Simoom.—The Oasis.—The Lion and Lioness.
CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHTH.
An Evening of Delight.—Joe's Culinary Performances.—A Dissertation on Raw
Meat.—The Narrative of James Bruce.—Camping out.—Joe's Dreams.—The
Barometer begins to fall.—The Barometer rises again.—Preparations for
Departure.—The Tempest
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINTH.
Signs of Vegetation.—The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.—A Magnificent
Country.—The Kingdom of Adamova.—The Explorations of Speke and Burton
connected with those of Dr. Barth.—The Atlantika Mountains.—The
River Benoue.—The City of Yola.—The Bagele.—Mount Mendif
CHAPTER THIRTIETH.
Mosfeia.—The Sheik.—Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.—Vogel.—The Capital
of Loggoum.—Toole.—Becalmed above Kernak.—The Governor and his Court.
—The Attack.—The Incendiary Pigeons
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIRST.
Departure in the Night-time.—All Three.—Kennedy's Instincts.—Precautions.—
The Course of the Shari River.—Lake Tchad.—The Water of the Lake.—The
Hippopotamus.—One Bullet thrown away
CHAPTER THIRTY-SECOND.
The Capital of Bornou.—The Islands of the Biddiomahs.—The Condors.—The
Doctor's Anxieties.—His Precautions.—An Attack in Mid-air.—The Balloon
Covering torn.—The Fall.—Sublime Self-Sacrifice.—The Northern Coast of
the Lake
CHAPTER THIRTY-THIRD.
Conjectures.—Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.—Dr.
Ferguson's New Calculations.—Kennedy's Hunt.—A Complete Exploration
of Lake Tchad.—Tangalia.—The Return.—Lari
CHAPTER THIRTY-FOURTH.
The Hurricane.—A Forced Departure.—Loss of an Anchor.—Melancholy
Reflections.—The Resolution adopted.—The Sand-Storm.—The Buried Caravan.—
A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.—The Return southward.—Kennedy at his Post
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIFTH.
What happened to Joe.—The Island of the Biddiomahs.—The Adoration shown
him.—The Island that sank.—The Shores of the Lake.—The Tree of the
Serpents.—The Foot-Tramp.—Terrible Suffering.—Mosquitoes and Ants.—
Hunger.—The Victoria seen.—She disappears.—The Swamp.—One Last
Despairing Cry
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIXTH.
A Throng of People on the Horizon.—A Troop of Arabs.—The Pursuit.—It is
He.—Fall from Horseback.—The Strangled Arab.—A Ball from Kennedy.—
Adroit Manoeuvres.—Caught up flying.—Joe saved at last
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVENTH.
The Western Route.—Joe wakes up.—His Obstinacy.—End of Joe's Narrative.
—Tagelei.—Kennedy's Anxieties.—The Route to the North.—A Night near
Aghades
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHTH.
A Rapid Passage.—Prudent Resolves.—Caravans in Sight.—Incessant Rains.—
Goa.—The Niger.—Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.—Mungo Park.—Laing.—
Rene Caillie.—Clapperton.—John and Richard Lander
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINTH.
The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.—A Fantastic View of the Hombori
Mountains.—Kabra.—Timbuctoo.—The Chart of Dr. Barth.—A Decaying City.—
Whither Heaven wills
CHAPTER FORTIETH.
Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.—Persistent Movement southward.—A Cloud of
Grasshoppers.—A View of Jenne.—A View of Sego.—Change of the Wind.—
Joe's Regrets
CHAPTER FORTY-FIRST.
The Approaches to Senegal.—The Balloon sinks lower and lower.—They
keep throwing out, throwing out.—The Marabout Al-Hadji.—Messrs. Pascal,
Vincent, and Lambert.—A Rival of Mohammed.—The Difficult Mountains.
—Kennedy's Weapons.—One of Joe's Manoeuvres.—A Halt over a Forest
CHAPTER FORTY-SECOND.
A Struggle of Generosity.—The Last Sacrifice.—The Dilating Apparatus.—Joe's
Adroitness.—Midnight.—The Doctor's Watch.—Kennedy's Watch.—The Latter
falls asleep at his Post.—The Fire.—The Howlings of the Natives.—Out
of Range
CHAPTER FORTY-THIRD.
The Talabas.—The Pursuit.—A Devastated Country.—The Wind begins to
fall.—The Victoria sinks.—The last of the Provisions.—The Leaps of
the Balloon.—A Defence with Fire-arms.—The Wind freshens.—The Senegal
River.—The Cataracts of Gouina.—The Hot Air.—The Passage of the River
CHAPTER FORTY-FOURTH.
Conclusion.—The Certificate.—The French Settlements.—The Post of Medina.—
The Battle.—Saint Louis.—The English Frigate.—The Return to London.
FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON.
———
CHAPTER FIRST.
The End of a much-applauded Speech.—The Presentation of Dr. Samuel
Ferguson.—Excelsior.—Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.—A Fatalist
convinced.—A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.—Several Toasts for the
Occasion.
There was a large audience assembled on the 14th of
January, 1862, at the session of the Royal Geographical
Society, No. 3 Waterloo Place, London. The president,
Sir Francis M——, made an important communication to
his colleagues, in an address that was frequently
interrupted by applause.
This rare specimen of eloquence terminated with the
following sonorous phrases bubbling over with patriotism:
"England has always marched at the head of nations"
(for, the reader will observe, the nations always march
at the head of each other), "by the intrepidity of her
explorers in the line of geographical discovery." (General
assent). "Dr. Samuel Ferguson, one of her most glorious
sons, will not reflect discredit on his origin." ("No,
indeed!" from all parts of the hall.)
"This attempt, should it succeed" ("It will succeed!"),
"will complete and link together the notions, as yet
disjointed, which the world entertains of African cartology"
(vehement applause); "and, should it fail, it will,
at least, remain on record as one of the most daring
conceptions of human genius!" (Tremendous cheering.)
"Huzza! huzza!" shouted the immense audience,
completely electrified by these inspiring words.
"Huzza for the intrepid Ferguson!" cried one of the
most excitable of the enthusiastic crowd.
The wildest cheering resounded on all sides; the name
of Ferguson was in every mouth, and we may safely believe
that it lost nothing in passing through English
throats. Indeed, the hall fairly shook with it.
And there were present, also, those fearless travellers
and explorers whose energetic temperaments had borne
them through every quarter of the globe, many of them
grown old and worn out in the service of science. All
had, in some degree, physically or morally, undergone the
sorest trials. They had escaped shipwreck; conflagration;
Indian tomahawks and war-clubs; the fagot and the
stake; nay, even the cannibal maws of the South Sea
Islanders.
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