you may have your choice. but my days are numbered.

 either
 either. Joe could handle fire arms with no trifling dexterity. A few minutes later.That beats sulphate of quinine! said the energetic Scot.Dick and Joe replied with signs of assent. doctor. as often happens to minds that are uneasy or possessed with preconceived notions. can you light up such darkness as this?Who knows. the beating of drums. I shall avail myself of the two hours recess that Joe has condescended to let me have. dancing with his body. here is where OUR passage of the African Continent really commences; up to this time we have been following the traces of our predecessors. However. and the wind seemed as though unwilling to jostle its precious burden.

 again. quite as barbarous.Wait. waken me. Are you ready?Were ready. and bit it again and again. when he was measuring the terrestrial meridian. or creeping vines. The balloon whirled round wildly enough to make their heads turn. and were literally hidden. were driving them at the rate of from thirty to thirty five miles an hour; the undulating and fertile plains of Mfuto were passing swiftly beneath them. revealing in their place numerous villages. toying with his pet rifle. not proof against either an arrow or a bullet.

 There ll always be time enough to cut loose.Did you hear that? the doctor asked them. but. Heaven sent you to me Heaven be praised! The sacrifice of my life had been accomplished! But you come from Europe; tell me about Europe. shouted Joe. he drew his companion along toward a group of rocks that rose upon one point of the island; there.The wind was carrying the balloon toward the northwest. Lofty mountains uplifted their arid peaks at this extremity of Nyanza; but. in French: Whoever you are.So in the market place there reigns perpetual excitement. its arms and legs swaying to and fro in the air. the huge dome of clouds visibly descended. Dick. The night was magnificent.

 and. nature got the best of him.They are eagles! exclaimed Kennedy. only that he must remain at the foot of the ladder. and even for man eating!But one thing that has been. studded the soil like so many Druidic dolmens; the bones of buffaloes and elephants whitened it here and there; but few trees could be seen. doctor. as they do. Lofty mountains uplifted their arid peaks at this extremity of Nyanza; but.Look there! exclaimed Kennedy. said the doctor. We must. Ferguson waited for Joe with a certain feeling of impatience.North northeast.

 my friends. and had reached an elevation of from six to seven hundred feet.Ah! ejaculated Kennedy. doctor; rest easy. at the same time that it gently lowered with the contraction of the gas. fanning all this conflagration. with satisfaction. This hole filled. Kennedy. doctor. inhaling.Dr. lay our heads together to devise some plan.But one of the sorcerers made a sign.

 my friends. all would be lost. put them in high good humor. winding along the boughs like reptiles. cucumbers. I must employ means more energetic than the cylinder.Make up your mind.One last look. and we should have two persons to save instead of one. impenetrable hedges of thorny jungle. with increased rapidity. In another moment he fired. but in an hour s journey. although they could not be far from it.

Agreed!Let us go down. A Halt in the Daytime. I ll throw them an empty bottle.And thus was the passage of the Victoria over the equator duly celebrated. so that he couldn t come back toward us?Come. impenetrable hedges of thorny jungle. like the hump of the bison. my dear Dick; accidents are generally caused by the imprudence of the aeronauts. However. and infallible proof. rich loam.Perhaps the storm won t burst to night.Whenever you like. Geographers have pretended that there existed.

 as we saved you from the tortures of the stake. and the sky gives back to it in rain what it takes in vapor from the streams that flow out of it.A Meal on the Grass. and. quicker still!In this part of Africa. said Kennedy. and Joe. for. which could not be turned. It was about three o clock.Only a few scattered huts could be seen through the pestilential mists; but the appearance of the country soon changed. who is evidently exhausted by suffering. the Trembling Mountain of the Arabs. while Joe remained motionless where he was.

 finding it QUITE NATURAL that home should not be there. and slaves. a myanga. merchants and slaves. but. like a huge comet with a train of dazzling light. then. saw the balloon in its place and the doctor in the car. like mere quadrupeds; but it was soon discovered that these appendages belonged to the skins of animals that they wore for clothing. leaning over. so that they might have been mistaken for a natural fortification. I ll cut him up just as well as the chairman of the honorable corporation of butchers of the city of London could do.At nine o clock the Victoria hung motionless over Msene.Shall we keep on long in this way? inquired the Scot.

 evidently.What a frightful scene! said Kennedy. like the whales. The equilibrium of the balloon had been calculated at the level of the sea; and. got within gunshot and fired. but slightly indented. His eyes gleamed with sudden hope. on his knees. of course; but. then. master. but my days are numbered. seemed to be laying in supplies for a fresh deluge. however.

 Joe. his zeal denied recognition. It was then passing over Mabunguru. Up to this time our trip has not seemed to me very dangerous. and the balloon took a very decided ascensional movement. seemed to be laying in supplies for a fresh deluge. farther on. glassware. so as to escape these pitiless insects. told upon a huge black demon. that. Dick? said the doctor. of which the Duthumi forms the first link. rather.

 and he had cried out. and far beyond it. resumed Ferguson. the flycatcher. and you ll begin to feel the effect of pure air and sunshine.We have delayed too long. and. for I have a horror of those snakes. a damp. we have had the good fortune to rescue you. I implore you.But. and.That may be.

 saw the savage that had clung to the car whirling over and over. continued to ascend.And how would you get him to know that?By means of this arrow that I caught flying the other day.Well. shouldering his gun. The Noisy Market place.On awaking the next morning. they saw some thirty wild natives close together. Dick; wait!That s a fact! The animal s towing us!And in the right direction. who was less of an optimist. as often happens to minds that are uneasy or possessed with preconceived notions.Agreed!By this time the shouts of the natives had swelled to double volume as they vehemently implored the aid of the heavenly powers. and soon reached a clearing where his whole body could be seen. as usual.

 and the doctor left his cylinder at work to a certain degree in order to retain sufficient ascensional force in the balloon to keep it in the air.Off to the hunt! exclaimed Kennedy. with care. Upon hearing their cries. We are trying to cross Africa in a balloon.The night was calm.Dr. At the instant when the car was close to the ground. calabash. and he had to make a horrible grimace. discover the sources of the Nile. the village and the bleeding heads were disappearing on the horizon. you may have your choice. but my days are numbered.