Cinq semaines en ballon. English Read online

  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 ofAfrican travel. So far as the geography, the inhabitants, the animals,and the features of the countries the travellers pass over aredescribed, it is entirely accurate. It gives, in some particulars, asurvey of nearly the whole field of African discovery, and in thisway will often serve to refresh the memory of the reader. The modeof locomotion is, of course, purely imaginary, and the incidents andadventures fictitious. The latter are abundantly amusing, and, in viewof the wonderful "travellers' tales" with which we have been entertainedby African explorers, they can scarcely be considered extravagant; whilethe ingenuity and invention of the author will be sure to excite thesurprise and the admiration of the reader, who will find M. VERNEas much at home in voyaging through the air as in journeying "TwentyThousand Leagues under the Seas."

  DETAILED CONTENTS.

  CHAP. FIRST.

  The End of a much-applauded Speech.--The Presentation of Dr. SamuelFerguson.--Excelsior.--Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.--A Fatalistconvinced.--A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.--Several Toasts for theOccasion

  CHAP. SECOND.

  The Article in the Daily Telegraph.--War between the ScientificJournals.--Mr. Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.--Reply of theSavant Koner.--Bets made.--Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor

  CHAP. THIRD.

  The Doctor's Friend.--The Origin of their Friendship.--Dick Kennedy atLondon.--An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.--A Proverb byno means cheering.--A few Names from the African Martyrology.--TheAdvantages of a Balloon.--Dr. Ferguson's Secret

  CHAP. FOURTH.

  African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne, Brun-Rollet,Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace, Krapf andRebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke

  CHAP. FIFTH.

  Kennedy's Dreams.--Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.--Dick'sInsinuations.--A Promenade over the Map of Africa.--What is containedbetween two Points of the Compass.--Expeditions now on foot.--Speke andGrant.--Krapf, De Decken, and De Heuglin

  CHAP. SIXTH.

  A Servant--match him!--He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.--Dickand Joe hard at it.--Doubt and Faith.--The Weighing Ceremony.--Joe andWellington.--He gets a Half-crown

  CHAP. SEVENTH.

  Geometrical Details.--Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.--TheDouble Receptacle.--The Covering.--The Car.--The MysteriousApparatus.--The Provisions and Stores.--The Final Summing up

  CHAP. EIGHTH.

  Joe's Importance.--The Commander of the Resolute.--Kennedy'sArsenal.--Mutual Amenities.--The Farewell Dinner.--Departure on the21st of February.--The Doctor's ScientificSessions.--Duveyrier.--Livingstone.--Details of the AerialVoyage.--Kennedy silenced

  CHAP. NINTH.

  They double the Cape.--The Forecastle.--A Course of Cosmography byProfessor Joe.--Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.--How to seekout Atmospheric Currents.--Eureka

  CHAP. TENTH.

  Former Experiments.--The Doctor's Five Receptacles.--The GasCylinder.--The Calorifere.--The System of Manoeuvring.--Success certain

  CHAP. ELEVENTH.

  The Arrival at Zanzibar.--The English Consul.--Ill-will of theInhabitants.--The Island of Koumbeni.--The Rain-Makers.--Inflation ofthe Balloon.--Departure on the 18th of April.--The last Good-by.--TheVictoria

  CHAP. TWELFTH.

  Crossing the Strait.--The Mrima.--Dick's Remark and Joe'sProposition.--A Recipe for Coffee-making.--The Uzaramo.--The UnfortunateMaizan.--Mount Duthumi.--The Doctor's Cards.--Night under a Nopal

  CHAP. THIRTEENTH.

  Change of Weather.--Kennedy has the Fever.--The Doctor'sMedicine.--Travels on Land.--The Basin of Imenge.--Mount Rubeho.--SixThousand Feet Elevation.--A Halt in the Daytime

  CHAP. FOURTEENTH.

  The Forest of Gum-Trees.--The Blue Antelope.--The Rallying-Signal.--AnUnexpected Attack.--The Kanyeme.--A Night in the Open Air.--TheMabunguru.--Jihoue-la-Mkoa.--A Supply of Water.--Arrival at Kazeh

  CHAP. FIFTEENTH.

  Kazeh.--The Noisy Market-place.--The Appearance of the Balloon.--TheWangaga.--The Sons of the Moon.--The Doctor's Walk.--The Populationof the Place.--The Royal Tembe.--The Sultan's Wives.--A RoyalDrunken-Bout.--Joe an Object of Worship.--How they Dance in the Moon.--AReaction.--Two Moons in one Sky.--The Instability of Divine Honors

  CHAP. SIXTEENTH.

  Symptoms of a Storm.--The Country of the Moon.--The Future of theAfrican Continent.--The Last Machine of all.--A View of the Country atSunset.--Flora and Fauna.--The Tempest.--The Zone of Fire.--The StarryHeavens.

  CHAP. SEVENTEENTH.

  The Mountains of the Moon.--An Ocean of Venture.--They cast Anchor.--TheTowing Elephant.--A Running Fire.--Death of the Monster.--The FieldOven.--A Meal on the Grass.--A Night on the Ground

  CHAP. EIGHTEENTH.

  The Karagwah.--Lake Ukereoue.--A Night on an Island.--TheEquator.--Crossing the Lake.--The Cascades.--A View of the Country.--TheSources of the Nile.--The Island of Benga.--The Signature of AndreaDebono.--The Flag with the Arms of England

  CHAP. NINETEENTH.

  The Nile.--The Trembling Mountain.--A Remembrance of theCountry.--The Narratives of the Arabs.--The Nyam-Nyams.--Joe'sShrewd Cogitations.--The Balloon runs the Gantlet.--AerostaticAscensions.--Madame Blanchard.

  CHAP. TWENTIETH.

  The Celestial Bottle.--The Fig-Palms.--The Mammoth Trees.--The Tree ofWar.--The Winged Team.--Two Native Tribes in Battle.--A Massacre.--AnIntervention from above

  CHAP. TWENTY-FIRST.

  Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--TwoShots.--"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--TheMissionary.--The Plan of Rescue

  CHAP. TWENTY-SECOND.

  The Jet of Light.--The Missionary.--The Rescue in a Ray ofElectricity.--A Lazarist Priest.--But little Hope.--The Doctor'sCare.--A Life of Self-Denial.--Passing a Volcano

  CHAP. TWENTY-THIRD.

  Joe in a Fit of Rage.--The Death of a Good Man.--The Night of watchingby the Body.--Barrenness and Drought.--The Burial.--The QuartzRocks.--Joe's Hallucinations.--A Precious Ballast.--A Survey of theGold-bearing Mountains.--The Beginning of Joe's Despair

  CHAP. TWENTY-FOURTH.

  The Wind dies away.--The Vicinity of the Desert.--The Mistake inthe Water Supply.--The Nights of the Equator.--Dr. Ferguson'sAnxieties.--The Situation flatly stated.--Energetic Replies of Kennedyand Joe.--One Night more

  CHAP. TWENTY-FIFTH.

  A Little Philosophy.--A Cloud on the Horizon.--In the Midst of aFog.--The Strange Balloon.--An Exact View of the Victoria.--ThePalm-Trees.--Traces of a Caravan.--The Well in the Midst of the Desert

  CHAP. TWENTY-SIXTH.

  One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.--The Doctor's Reflections.--ADesperate Search.--The Cylinder goes out.--One Hundred andTwenty-two Degrees.--Contemplation of the Desert.--A NightWalk.--Solitude.--Debility.--Joe's Prospects.--He gives himself One Daymore

  CHAP. TWENTY-SEVENTH.

  Terrific Heat.--Hallucinations.--The Last Drops of Water.--Nights ofDespair.--An Attempt at Suicide.--The Simoom.--The Oasis.--The Lion andLioness.

  CHAP. TWENTY-EIGHTH.

  An Evening of Delight.--Joe's Culinary Performances.--A Dissertationon Raw Meat.--The Narrative of James Bruce.--Camping out.--Joe'sDreams.--The Barometer begins to fall.--The Baromet
er risesagain.--Preparations for Departure.--The Tempest

  CHAP. TWENTY-NINTH.

  Signs of Vegetation.--The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.--AMagnificent Country.--The Kingdom of Adamova.--The Explorations ofSpeke and Burton connected with those of Dr. Barth.--The AtlantikaMountains.--The River Benoue.--The City of Yola.--The Bagele.--MountMendif

  CHAP. THIRTIETH.

  Mosfeia.--The Sheik.--Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.--Vogel.--TheCapital of Loggoum.--Toole.--Becalmed above Kernak.--The Governor andhis Court.--The Attack.--The Incendiary Pigeons

  CHAP. THIRTY-FIRST.

  Departure in the Night-time.--All Three.--Kennedy'sInstincts.--Precautions.--The Course of the Shari River.--LakeTchad.--The Water of the Lake.--The Hippopotamus.--One Bullet thrownaway

  CHAP. THIRTY-SECOND.

  The Capital of Bornou.--The Islands of the Biddiomahs.--TheCondors.--The Doctor's Anxieties.--His Precautions.--An Attackin Mid-air.--The Balloon Covering torn.--The Fall.--SublimeSelf-Sacrifice.--The Northern Coast of the Lake

  CHAP. THIRTY-THIRD.

  Conjectures.--Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.--Dr.Ferguson's New Calculations.--Kennedy's Hunt.--A Complete Exploration ofLake Tchad.--Tangalia.--The Return.--Lari

  CHAP. THIRTY-FOURTH.

  The Hurricane.--A Forced Departure.--Loss of an Anchor.--MelancholyReflections.--The Resolution adopted.--The Sand-Storm.--The BuriedCaravan.--A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.--The Return southward.--Kennedyat his Post

  CHAP. THIRTY-FIFTH.

  What happened to Joe.--The Island of the Biddiomahs.--The Adorationshown him.--The Island that sank.--The Shores of the Lake.--The Treeof the Serpents.--The Foot-Tramp.--Terrible Suffering.--Mosquitoes andAnts.--Hunger.--The Victoria seen.--She disappears.--The Swamp.--OneLast Despairing Cry

  CHAP. THIRTY-SIXTH.

  A Throng of People on the Horizon.--A Troop of Arabs.--The Pursuit.--Itis He.--Fall from Horseback.--The Strangled Arab.--A Ball fromKennedy.--Adroit Manoeuvres.--Caught up flying.--Joe saved at last

  CHAP. THIRTY-SEVENTH.

  The Western Route.--Joe wakes up.--His Obstinacy.--End of Joe'sNarrative.--Tagelei.--Kennedy's Anxieties.--The Route to the North.--ANight near Aghades

  CHAP. THIRTY-EIGHTH.

  A Rapid Passage.--Prudent Resolves.--Caravans in Sight.--IncessantRains.--Goa.--The Niger.--Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.--MungoPark.--Laing.--Rene Caillie.--Clapperton.--John and Richard Lander

  CHAP. THIRTY-NINTH.

  The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.--A Fantastic View of the HomboriMountains.--Kabra.--Timbuctoo.--The Chart of Dr. Barth.--A DecayingCity.--Whither Heaven wills

  CHAP. FORTIETH.

  Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.--Persistent Movement southward.--A Cloudof Grasshoppers.--A View of Jenne.--A View of Sego.--Change of theWind.--Joe's Regrets

  CHAP. FORTY-FIRST.

  The Approaches to Senegal.--The Balloon sinks lower and lower.--Theykeep throwing out, throwing out.--The Marabout Al-Hadji.--Messrs.Pascal, Vincent, and Lambert.--A Rival of Mohammed.--The DifficultMountains.--Kennedy's Weapons.--One of Joe's Manoeuvres.--A Halt over aForest

  CHAP. FORTY-SECOND.

  A Struggle of Generosity.--The Last Sacrifice.--The DilatingApparatus.--Joe's Adroitness.--Midnight.--The Doctor's Watch.--Kennedy'sWatch.--The Latter falls asleep at his Post.--The Fire.--The Howlings ofthe Natives.--Out of Range

  CHAP. FORTY-THIRD.

  The Talabas.--The Pursuit.--A Devastated Country.--The Wind begins tofall.--The Victoria sinks.--The last of the Provisions.--The Leaps ofthe Balloon.--A Defence with Fire-arms.--The Wind freshens.--The SenegalRiver.--The Cataracts of Gouina.--The Hot Air.--The Passage of the River

  CHAP. FORTY-FOURTH.

  Conclusion.--The Certificate.--The French Settlements.--The Post ofMedina.--The Battle.--Saint Louis.--The English Frigate.--The Return toLondon.