Five Weeks In A Balloon Quotes
"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."
"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."
"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"; "and, should it fail, it will, at least, remain on record as one of the most daring conceptions of human genius!"
"I do not follow my route;" he often said, "it is my route that follows me."
"Perhaps this incredible proposition of his is only intended to mystify us," growled an apoplectic old admiral.
"Why, then, we’d have to invent one!" replied a facetious member of this grave Society.
"Well, then," he said, after an hour’s discussion, "if you are absolutely determined to make this trip across the African continent—if it is necessary for your happiness, why not pursue the ordinary routes?"
"But of one thing he was satisfied, that he never should have left that pleasant island, where he was as happy as a king without subjects—no, not if the inducement held out had been promotion to the first lordship in the admiralty!"
"He looked upon the proposition addressed to him by Sir Francis M—— as the simplest thing in the world, and scarcely noticed the immense effect that it produced."
"The moment’s at hand. It seems that we are to sail for the moon."
"The island is separated from the African coast only by a channel, the greatest width of which is but thirty miles."
"Those are perils and privations which we shall manage to avoid."
"Nothing is so blind as fanatical passion."
"The news of the arrival of a Christian, who was to ascend into the air, was received with rage."
"The huge animal now broke into a very rapid gallop."
"This country over which we are now passing, more fertile, richer, and fuller of vitality than the rest, will become some grand realm where more astonishing discoveries than steam and electricity will be brought to light."
"The moon made her provincial tour every thousand years, feeling the necessity of showing herself nearer at hand to her worshippers."
"A journey without danger or fatigue, your meals when you please; a swinging hammock all the time! What more could a man ask?"
"The pipes and spiral seemed to be in perfect condition, since, thanks to their india-rubber jointings, they had yielded to all the oscillations of the balloon."
"To land here would be a ticklish matter!"
"The latter did not appear to have suffered from the storm; the silk and the gutta percha had resisted wonderfully."
"He seemed already to live and breathe in the new existence."
"The surface, dotted with peaks of medium height, grew flat as it approached the lake; barley-fields took the place of rice-plantations."
"The ancients gave [the Nile] the name of an ocean, and were not far from believing that it flowed directly from the sun."
"Under present circumstances, my opinion is that we should persevere - go clear to the end."
"The sky appeared on fire. The country was evidently habitable and inhabited."
It's only an isolated cloud," remarked the doctor. "It won't do to count much upon that.
"Then, doctor, there’s to be neither rain nor wind, at least for us!"
"Well, doctor, suppose we were to go in pursuit of this cloud, since it refuses to burst upon us?"
"Doctor! Mr. Kennedy! Here’s something curious!"
"They are apes," said Joe, "imitating us."
"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."
"We are not alone, up here! There are rogues about! They’ve stolen our invention!"
"Palm-trees!" exclaimed Ferguson; "why, then there’s a spring—a well!"
"Water! water! and we are saved; for if we do move slowly, still we move, and we shall arrive at last!"
"Ah! that does one good!" said Joe; "wasn’t it fine? Barclay and Perkins never turned out ale equal to that!"
"The sand scorches me," said the hunter, "as though it had just come out of a furnace; and not a cloud in this sky of fire. It’s enough to drive one mad!"
"It’s wonderful," said Joe, who could not make up his mind to surrender, but went on repeating his gesticulations.
"Let us not alight!" said Kennedy, "let us fly from this hideous spectacle! There’s not a drop of water here!"
"But, sir, come now, let us talk seriously."
"No, Joe, we will not separate. That would only be adding sorrow to trouble."
"The simoom!" exclaimed the doctor, "for we shall live!"
"But the doctor could do nothing with them, and, therefore, set off alone, amid the starry clearness of the night."
"Wholehearted friend!" said Kennedy, extending his hand to Joe.
"It is not great, after all," retorted Kennedy; "and if I were never again to have the pleasure of drinking water, I should agree on condition that I should never be deprived of it."
"Well," said the doctor, "nothing remains for us but to make signals; take the flag, Kennedy, and show them our colors."
"Another balloon! and other passengers, like ourselves!"
"You were too bold, sir; it won’t do to run such risks. You might have been robbed," he added, laughing.
"The mirage," said the doctor, "a simple optical phenomenon due to the unequal refraction of light by different layers of the atmosphere."
"Kennedy!" shouted Joe, throwing himself upon his friend.
"Let go, or I’ll kill you!" repeated Kennedy.
"Let go, hands off!" moaned the Scot, in a hoarse, grating voice—and then the two struggled desperately for the rifle.
"Thanks!" he murmured hoarsely, but Joe did not hear him, for both alike had dropped fainting on the sand.
"We are still falling! Empty the water-tanks! Do you hear me, Joe? We are pitching into the lake!"
"The provisions! the provisions!" cried the doctor.
"There is nothing more to throw!" was Kennedy’s despairing response.
"There! lean upon me, and let us get back to the balloon."
"We had to do so," replied the doctor, gravely.
"We must absolutely come to a halt," said he, "and even alight. For Joe’s sake, particularly, we ought to go back to the lake; but, to begin with, let us endeavor to find an opposite current."
"We can see nothing," said Kennedy, after two hours of search.
"We must wait a little longer, Dick, and not lose heart. We cannot be far away from the scene of our accident."
"That fish, as you call it, Joe, is really a mammiferous animal of the pachydermal species. Its flesh is said to be excellent and is an article of important trade between the tribes living along the borders of the lake."
"The lake seemed to come up toward him like a rising tide. Every object around grew rapidly in size while they were looking at it. The car was not two hundred feet from the surface of Lake Tchad."
"Throw out something—something more!" cried the doctor.
"Yes, there is!" called Joe, and with a wave of the hand he disappeared like a flash, over the edge of the car.
"Joe! Joe!" exclaimed the doctor, horror-stricken.
"We must be off, Dick, we cannot remain in this situation."
"I am not likely to abandon him. No, indeed! and should the hurricane carry me a thousand miles to the northward, I will return!"
"Do you think, then, that my heart does not bleed like your own? Am I not merely obeying an imperious necessity?"
"We have, perhaps, been tempting Providence. It does not belong to man to undertake such a journey!"
"Poor Joe! kindly and excellent disposition! brave and candid heart!"
"Come back, Dick? Yes, if we have to abandon the balloon! if we should be forced to return to Lake Tchad on foot, and put ourselves in communication with the Sultan of Bornou!"
"He saw the Victoria already risen far above the water, still rapidly ascending and growing smaller and smaller."
"We shall have some trouble in crossing them."
"We must absolutely come to a halt, and even alight. For Joe's sake, particularly, we ought to go back to the lake; but, to begin with, let us endeavor to find an opposite current."
"The wind has a slight tendency to veer a little more to the eastward, and we must not lose such an opportunity."
"I'll take the first watch; at two o'clock I'll waken Kennedy; at four, Kennedy will waken Joe, and at six we'll start."
"The doctor no longer counted implicitly on his balloon; the time had gone by when he manoeuvred it boldly because he felt sure of it."
"Under the influence of these impressions, the doctor, from time to time, thought that he heard vague sounds in the vast forests around him."
"He had, no doubt, been under the dominion of a mere hallucination."
"The most absolute silence reigned around him; a light wind shook the treetops and gently rocked the car."
"An intense glare half-blinded him and heated his cheek—the forest was in flames!"
"His two companions started up in alarm."
"See what’s gained by doing things at the right time!"
"He led his friends quickly back to where they had left the covering of the balloon."
"The savages! They have set fire to the forest so as to be the more certain of burning us up."
"The eye took in nothing but one vast ocean of flame."
"The Victoria, released from her fastenings, spun upward a thousand feet into the air."
"The balloon, losing its inflation little by little, settled with the daring travellers still clinging to its network."
"The Victoria touched the ground several times, and rose again, but her rebound was diminishing in height and length."
"We have at least an hour’s start of those banditti."
"The Victoria was getting empty and exhausted, and assuming a more and more elongated form every instant."
"The rascals follow us at their leisure."
"He rubbed his eyes and sprang to his feet. An intense glare half-blinded him and heated his cheek—the forest was in flames!"
"The Talabas! Al-Hadji’s marabouts, no doubt."
"The entire conflagration was reflected on the clouds, and the travellers could fancy themselves enveloped in a hollow globe of fire."