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Strange Adventures.
1: THE LOST
BALLOON.
AERONAUTS have had many strange
adventures, but one of the most
terrifying was that which befell Mr.
Green ain Mr. Griffiths, when making
an ascent from Cheltenhani in the
days before aeroplanes.
They had only risen a few feet into
the air when they felt the basket giv
ing way beneath their feet, and they
had only just time to grasp the cords
of the network before the basket broke
away and hhng by a half-severed rope.
It was then apparent that some
criminal or madman had partly sev
ered all the ropes holding the basket
to the car.
Hanging thus, they could do noth
ing but wait until the balloon should
land of its own accord, perhaps many
hours later. But their position was
made all.the more terrible by the bal
loon's efforts to break through the net
work. Unable to control the gas, the
two men watch the balloon swelling
to a fearful size as it rose, and as it
got bigger and bigger, cord after cord
of the network burst.
At last the balloon began to descend.
It was by now being kept back by only
a few cords. At any moment it might
free itself from the net and fly away,
leaving the net and the two men cling
ing desperately to the hoop below It,
to plunge to the earth.
When they were about 100 feet from
the ground, this fearful thing hap
pened. The last cord burst; the bal
loon leapt through the hole in the
net and ascended at terrific speed into
the sky. Meanwhile the two aero
nauts crashed down to the ground.
Luckily neither was killed, but they
were in hospital for many months with
broken limbs and ribs. A reward of a
hundred guineas for information lead
ing to the arrest of the man who cut
the cords brought no result; it was
never learnt who had perpetrated such
a fiendish act.
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