were passing into the troposphere. Below us twilight flowed through 

 the valley of the River Inn. On the ground, we found out later, people 

 saw an unusual sight. The balloon, still in the sun's rays, appeared to 

 the earth-people brilliantly illuminated against the dark sky. Until 

 today, only the planets and the moon have been seen lighted up in this 

 fashion. So they took us for another heavenly body. To the observers 

 nearest at hand, the illuminated part of the balloon appeared in the 

 form of a crescent. Had a little moon been born ? Nothing was missing, 

 it even had a halo. This was produced by the light reflected by the 

 balloon and diffused in the fogs of the already obscured troposphere. 

 (On the 1 8th August 1932 the reverse took place : our friends who were 

 following us in a car were speeding in the direction of Venus, which 

 they took for our balloon.) 



The sun disappeared beneath the horizon. We descended more and 

 more rapidly. Now it is known that if more ballast is thrown over- 

 board than is necessary to stabilize a descending balloon, and the 

 valve is not opened, the balloon will generally climb again to its earlier 

 position of equilibrium. We had to be very careful then, when throw- 

 ing out ballast, not to go back at one jump to 10 miles up. It was just 

 unfortunate if the landing proved a little rough. 



By means of the tap which communicated with the open air, we 

 slowly decreased the pressure in the cabin, so that we could open our 

 manholes as soon as possible. 



Kipfer watched the barometers. At 15,000 ft. he announced equal 

 pressures within and without. We opened the manholes immediately 

 and put out our heads. After having been shut up seventeen hours, 

 we were at last in the open air. Above us, the starry sky. Beneath, the 

 high mountains, snow and rocks. The moonlight was magnificent. 

 Two little clouds were lighted up from second to second by stormy 

 discharges : but we saw no lightning nor heard any thunder. To be 

 ready for anything, we prepared our parachutes, but the balloon very 

 luckily left the stormy zone. 



A glance towards the horizon: it still formed a straight line. But 

 soon gloomy silhouettes emerged : mountains. We were already lower 

 then than the highest peaks. Things were going to happen fast. We 

 were in the high mountains near a pass covered with ice. On the south 

 side it appeared to lead rapidly down towards the plain, but we were 

 drifting northwards. Because of the danger of cHmbing again to 10 

 miles with the manholes open, we dared not cast out any ballast, and 



[14] 



