HUNTING AND SHOOTING 117 



We drifted for an hour or more in the quiet dim 

 night, learning our course by watching what could be 

 seen of the country below, for of course there is 

 nothiner in the balloon itself to tell whether it is 

 moving backwards, forwards, or sideways. It drifts 

 with the air, so relatively to the air it is perfectly still. 

 When it was time to descend, the valve was opened 

 and bits of torn-up paper thrown out, which dashed 

 upwards, as it were. In other words, we dashed 

 downwards through them. At length we approached 

 what the aeronaut thought would be a suitable field to 

 descend upon, and let go the grapnel, which is a light 

 but strong steel anchor with four pointed arms. It failed 

 to catch hold, and we went drifting on towards a large 

 decorous family mansion, with hothouses by the side 

 and a lawn in front ; sheep were placidly lying in the 

 field. The horrid grapnel bobbed and scratched the 

 ground among the sheep, fortunately without hooking 

 one, and caught in the fence round the lawn. Then 

 the valve was opened wide, letting out volumes of 

 stinking gas ; the rooks in a neighbouring rookery 

 which we had brushed on our way, were vociferous, 

 the dogs everywhere about barked furiously, and the 

 natives in the neighbouring village were awakened 

 and ran to the scene. 



In the midst of the hubbub the hall door opened 

 wide and let out a glare of light, in which a portly 

 butler with two man-servants in livery appeared to be 

 framed, looking horrified, as well they might be, by 

 the sudden disorderly invasion of visitants from the 

 sky. After some delay, we were invited to enter, and 

 found the unhappy owner of the mansion in his dining- 

 room by his uncleared late dessert, with decanters of 



