62 IN AFRICA 



the handicap of two hundred and thirty pounds, 

 and so the balloon was reeled down to the earth 

 again. It was not a great ascension, but the ama- 

 teur aeronaut had gained the distinction of mak- 

 ing the first balloon ascension ever made in East 

 Africa. He would have gone higher if his shoes 

 had been heavier. 



To me fell the next chance, and I knew that my 

 one hundred and forty pounds would not seriously 

 handicap the balloon. Once more there was a long 

 wait until the wind died down, and all of a sudden 

 the cylinder of wire was released and the ground 

 sank hundreds of feet below me. The horizon wid- 

 ened and the whole vast plain of the African high- 

 lands stretched out with an ever-widening horizon. 

 New mountain peaks rose far away and native vil- 

 lages with ant-like people moving about appeared 

 in unexpected quarters. Away below, the crowd of 

 people looked like little insects as they gazed up at 

 the balloon. Grasping the ropes that led from the 

 basket to the balloon, I stood and waved at them 

 and could hear the shouts come up from a thousand 

 feet below. 



I was not frightened. There was no sensation of 

 motion as long as the balloon was ascending. Aside 

 from looking at the wonderful scene that opened 

 out before me, I believe I thought chiefly about 

 where I should land in case the wire broke. The 

 balloon would undoubtedly go many miles before 

 descending, and five miles in any direction would 

 lead me into a primitive jungle or veldt. A hun- 



