EARLY AIRSHIP MAKERS 



you can imagine a Frenchman listening to Lancashire 

 patter, perhaps you can appreciate the difficulty I 

 had to follow what my amiable friend had to tell me. 

 He was imaginative too. We would be walking along 

 on the gardens side of the Rue de Rivoli and he would 

 point to the stars on a clear night saying : " Ah ! in six 

 months you and I will not be fanning ourselves down 

 here, but taking a run of fifty miles and back to get the 

 air, filling our lungs with heaven's breath. We shall 

 sleep properly then, camarade." In his moments of 

 ecstasy he would speak deliberately. 



On occasions the banquier would join him. He was 

 not so imaginative. He would want introductions 

 to rich racing men in order to place founders' shares. 

 It was quite easy to put him off by saying that I would 

 consider it. Needless to say, it never went beyond 

 that stage. 



I will pass over the various trials to one day when 

 it was to be the real flight. Arrived out at the place, 

 in a large field was the mammoth machine with its 

 big sails and flapping wings, all to be controlled by 

 the sixteen-horse-power motor. Above, not quite in- 

 flated, was a large egg-shaped balloon, which was to 

 raise the mass of machinery, car, etc., from the ground. 

 Slowly wrinkles smoothed out and the envelope be- 

 came full. The inventor ran round, telling us to keep 

 clear, only those in charge of the heavy sandbags 

 being left by the machine. Little children ran away 

 — peeping from behind trees. They were scared by 

 the combination of elephant, whale and crocodile, 

 whether of the air or earth they did not know. Talk 

 about the " Birdless Grove " at Goodwood — ^there was 

 not a winged creature within a league. 



At last the balloon was filled, and we all waited with 

 bated breath. The inventor and the financier got into 



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