NAVIGATING THE AIR 



the enthusiastic voyager was not given in vain, for most 

 of the despatches eventually reached their destination. 



Although, as has been seen, the balloons sent out of 

 Paris were not of the dirigible kind, and were entirely 

 dependent upon the caprice of the winds, they fulfilled 

 their missions quite as well as could be expected under 

 the circumstances. In fact, there was small chance of 

 failure, starting as they did from a central point, and 

 being almost certain of success no matter what direction 

 was taken, except, indeed, the one that would blow them 

 over the German frontier. But the other part of the 

 problem — the sending of balloons from the outside into 

 Paris — was an entirely different proposition. So differ- 

 ent, and so difficult, in fact, that it was never accom- 

 plished, although attempted several times. 



But the millions of people in Paris, shut off com- 

 pletely from the outside world, were just as anxious to 

 receive news as to send it. In attempting to establish 

 communication from without, therefore, one balloon leav- 

 ing the city in the early days of the siege, carried with it 

 some trained dogs in the hope that they would make their 

 way back to the city through the German lines. But 

 either they lost their way, or were captured by the enemy, 

 for nothing was ever heard of them after starting on the 

 return trip. In this extremity the members of the 

 "Soci^t^ Colombophile " came forward with the offer 

 of the use of their homing-pigeons. The society had a 

 large number of these birds, trained to return to their 

 cotes from long distances, and the experiment of send- 

 ing return despatches with them was tried at once. Three 

 birds were first sent out in one of the despatch-balloons, 



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