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- 
