MR JOSIAH SMITH'S BALLOON JOURNEY.

Waikato Times, Volume XIX, Issue 1636, 30 December 1882, Page 5

MR JOSIAH SMITH'S BALLOON JOURNEY.

~lt would.,be^dhjiisticeitpi«lpsiah/td sapjp'ose;

listened with profound attention to the various speeches made, and had* thought, really, wlien he had a little more time, he would devote it to 1 the fascinating science of aeronautics. Amongst the guests of the society, and indeed the hero oi'the' evening, was Captain Mulberry, the famous guardsman who devoted much natural talent and a considerable portion of his life to the endeavour either to kill or hopelessly maim himself. ' Evil fortune had kept his sword stainless 1 , as far as regular warfare went, but there was generally 'a little fighting going on somewhere, and, the Captain's leave of absence coinciding, he from time to time managed to sniff the exhilarating smell of powder,' and r knew the music of bullet and shell. These things were .surrounded with difficulties. ;It obviously would not do for a man bearing Her Majesty's commission to lend his sword' to one or other belligerents in a conflict between nations at peace with England. In a country like Spaini for example, things naturally run a little irregularly, and the Captain being on the spot may have occasionally lapsed into battle; But these were mere episodes. Having tried most things, he had taken to ballooning, as offering the largest amount of risk in the least possible space of time. He had been up in all kinds of balloons in all possible circumstances, and had come down in various ways. He had just now achieved a great feat, making a voyage from the Grampian Hills to the Orkney Islands. The society, desiring-to do him honour, had invited him to this meeting, and Josiah had heard him describe his perilous voyage. v " A mere " nothing," he said ; " perhaps a little difficult going, but nothing at all coming back. The difficulty in going out was ' to drop on the Orkneys. The place is so small that when you are up in the air it looks as if you might as well try to drop on a pin's point. But, after all, it was a nothing — a mere nothing, Gentlemen, I assure you. Any one of you could have done the same." Everyone in the room was delighted, not less with the Captain's gallantry than with his modesty. Many moving stqries of his escapes were retailed. Josiah listened with enthralled attention to an adventure which, it seems, the Captain had had" in Spain, and which Josiah's companion (a bald-headed gentleman with spectacles) narrated with great effect. Mulberry in one of the marches of the Carlists, to whom he had attached himself, was surprised and taken prisoner by the enemy. They locked him in the kitchen of a farmhouse near, mentioning incidentally that in the morning they would shoot him. They took away his sword and pistols, and would have taken his umbrella, but the Captain pleaded hard for its society, declaring that from early boyhood he had never been able to sleep without an umbrella under his pillow. The ■ Spaniards had heard much of the eccentricity of Englishmen, and not being inclined to refuse the request of a doomed man, they left him the umbrella. ' » The next morning, when they came to take him out for shooting purposes, lo ! the Captain and the umbrella were both gone.- There was c good deal of soot about the place, and regarding this and other signs of hasty flight, the truth flashed upon the Spaniards. There had been a tire in the grate. The Captain had opened the umbrella inside the chimney, waited till it had Jbeen inflated with the warm air, and then, hanging on to the handle, had been drawn up clear to the top and, descending in a neighbouring field, had "siftJt up his umbrella and walked off. • " Dear me !" said Josiah ; " how very interesting. I suppose the chimney are wide in Spain ?" " Very wide indeed," said the bald-headed gentleman in spectacles. Josiah regarded the Captah} Avith fresh interest after the recital of this remarkable ascent, and it was not diminished by further tales he heard. One related to his reception by an Illustrious Personage. , After his journey to Orkney the I. P. had sent for him immediatelyonhisreturntotown. The Captain had put ' on his uniform and gone cheerfully. He had heard so much of , his feat that he began- to ■ think there really was something creditable in it, and fancied the Illustrions Personage might be going to bestow upon, him some recognition of the service he had done in blazoning abroad the pluck of tho British soldier. On the contrary he found the Illustrious Person almost speechless with wrath, and' stuffed with oaths like plums in a Christmas pudding. ' ■ , " What — what's the meaning of this flying by night, sir?" he cried, turning, a flaming visage upon the contrite captain. " You'll be going round with a circus next, riding five horses at a time, or walking round to show your muscle. I hope I shall hear no more of this sort of thing. Such goings-on bring disgrace upon the army and discredit upon its officers. Stop at home, sir, and get into what mischief you like. Go and idle your time at playing cards, or worse; but don't be playing these pranks any more. Did you ever see me in a balloon, sir ? Did you ever hear of vie skimming round the world in search of adventure. ?" The Illustrious Personage drew himself up to full height, and swelled visibly before the eyes of the Captain, as he angrily put these questions, garnished with many ejaculations. He knew that our army swore terribly in Flanders, and was. nothing 'if not a soldier. " Your Eoyal Highness cannot blame us if we sometimes go out of our way to get into j danger," said the Captain, saluting. "Your Eoyal Highness has much to answer for by „ inflaming us with the memory of Inkermann. How can we sit still or lounge about in our peaceful hjomes, when we think of you on that day?" " Tut, tut," said the Illustrious Personage, Spluttering down like a fire, oh which a tucket of water has been flung, " that was a different > thing^ But come and dine with me to-night ; only drive up in a hansom, don't, arrive in r ' balloon,',' /t ', v ' \,, ' , " j ,' And' the s ' lllustrious"" Personage, what with | enjoyment of t the joke, l and swhat 5 what with mus-, | .cular effort to suppress' his" laughter, nearly, jj Brought, abou,t a vacancy in the highest 'fank- | of thearmy'l', „,,,."> \ I / I All this (t wa^doubtless'as, true as the story f about the exit. from the' Spanish' farmhouse.; | But 1$ pleased the jppmpanyj and was pnly v ] one ,of a dozen stories , they .tbld .about the t | Captaui/wh^wa^.cHiefiy longing to be opt,? » wher'e : he could smoke a,cigar. ' ' ,' „ 1/1 W ( hen the v ineeting' came to an end, Jpsiah, f walked along PallMall^meditatilig.on;theße 1 thirigs, and ; pn,tlie comparative obscurity! of s 1 the, work "he had j assigried^6 Jniinself . T Whilst j i biHersWere'sqanhg'iri/ BigVJriace^.he^was! f burrowing^ underground. * Both r , were', wss search of knowledge. ' Bothdcsired^tOjbene-ij

roots of HiHTQsSr had been. "'I am sore I feel it a Ereafsigß|fur.!,' * l ' , 1 "If youj3ra^t jnlnd. m& saying so, I think ybu'retneyi^icentest-looldng old boy I'have seen in $$$$y' s rids. I like innocericeVparticularmj|E|p combined with middle age. It is the $«*|*p thing in the. world. I hope you'll oofiiSlfoid. <line with me some night at my club. 1 """ - ' - ' "I should like it' very much indeed," said • Josiah.J' "We are close at my rooms — just here in JKing^|reeTi?E live— and if you would step in, you|Mffi|^light your cigar." ' '' " Tbjmj|i||j£l" will. You won't mind me niakin^jS^^jrou in this way ;' but, 'pon my honoup^ilrowi'su'oh" a liking to your face,* seeing it j«nprig*that mass of humbug where' we were japnjbjey that I was going to speak to you the^jrajjy I could not get near you." ' ' Josi|ifp^|a|-m a tremor of delight^ which presently 'subsided into a soft glow' of contentment, as 1 thetCapfiain, stretching himself out oVer as'muoh^of the couch as'he could-findin the litile^room, riot only lit his cigar^but praised Josiah's claret,' and told 'him a good deal mpftjf qfihis balloon" adventures than he had communicated to the eminent society in whose rbo&if 'they had met. "By^ the [way," he said, "I am going to make 'a- Bklloon excursion to-morrow. I didn't mention it to the society because those fellows? gab so. There'd be v a great crowd round, I ' and' 1 J'd onl^Jhaye^ been hampered. When yjou^fean w^jfEe'less you say about it beforeEaMHhe tetter. fn That is what I have alway^fotutd. Ever)up^in n a balloon?" "No.'^^jCid Josiah/f'^but I should very much like%"go."j «, V";: - He hUd,drunk J alwTOle l tumbler of claret in honour^ ofvhjs company, and, being koous'#>m'ed to'mbre moderate measure, had begun to think; going up in a balloon was, after all, a meife^prdinary performance. " What do you ride?"- 5 asked the Captain', looking 1 him; up andfdown, as if either about to me'as.ure him for alsilttpf clothes, or considering where he could most advantageously plant a'b'lofo from 'hid 'o v x-hoof -like fist. " A'pon£— atleast,-;l^used jjp ride a pony when'Fwas'at home^'biilthat is a long time ago, and I 'have nolmddeii much since." " Fifteant^hat^you weigh," said the Captain,- la#hing! f '> fiJ > » ,T> " A little 1 qyer ten stone;*' " IsHt possible 1" why ,%'i pull the scales at seventeen/ stun. I'd"; .give something to be your weight-. • Thirik of«the ballast you might takeup w^'you l ''*^ "*$ "ISUha'tylan impoftSht thing?" 'Josiah asked, his^old instinbtr'of' gaining knowledge manifesting itself, ffi ! . IX - '~& "It's 1 siniply evSiytHiig. That's how I managed to get oveMo^tfie Orkneys. These fellows' ( that go|^up%*in balloons which they fit up like fipt-flpbr rooms, and take everything with tM&yflfcept a feather bed, don't know" any thnWaißSui;' it. They go f umbling-;. around wittfHa $?w,Apounds of ballast, and.wtien currentthere they stick.' Now^Dft^lh 1 you and me, ' Mr. Smith, I don't mMd'%lling you my secret of successful ballooning;' 'Take as much ballaßt as you 'ean 1 carry ,^anft when you get stuck in a calm 'orcarried 'ofE-by4 wrong current, out goes you* ballast, tip 'you shoot, get into another current, and' there you are. Ten stun!" he murmur^cl,' passing wistfully upon the spare figure of ''his "host. "There' oughtjto«tbe l af*'good deal done with that.'" TellVyou what, 'old chappie, you ( shall come with^me to-morrow"' Josiah had been a few moments ago possessed' witb/a burning 1 desire to go up in'a balloon, but at these words the fire went out and he felt a 'cold chill 'steal*bver hi 3 body. Still, he wbuldjlike to go to-morrow. If it were, next month" qr next* week it would be different? J'But to.Worrbw was so sudden. engagement tomorrow," the said-,ip"roducing his pocket' diary and [anxiously gazing bn> it in the month of December. ' *'* " l ' ' * '/^Nonsense!" said. the Captain, laying his large Mnd on Josiah's'shoulder, conveying to him ian 1 impression that' if he pleased lie could take>him- up, put him itt his coat-tail .pocket, walk" bss and think' no" more about him till he landed-him in a balloon. " You've no engagenient, and if 'you" had, you couldn't find'it'» l by holdin'g' your book upside down. Yod'conle along with me. There's not the slightest danger, and it's not every man who has crossed the Channel in a balloon." "<The Channel !" Josiah feebly. He had -thought of some little excursion. Perhaps, in the fields ten, or- twenty miles off. " I don't think I would.; like to start with the Channel. ' Suppose we begin somewhere else, and try, the Channel later on. It will be betfepr-Trif anything?happened, you know — to have the water watm;", *■ m Nonsense," ig&id»jihe Captain cheerily! "we shall nevef/sJSe.ffearer the water than' 2,000-ieet. We^ditie'in Paris to-morrow night, and I'll take'ybti to the Closerie after dinner 1 . It will &o*them good to see you there Now that's settled, and 'you'd better go to bed straight off. We'll have to be up early in the morning to catch the mail train for Dover. I've, gqt my balloon there all ready, and we'll star.t about noon.". vChig was perfectly horrible. Josiah felt as it'it wks a hideousfnightmare, and he had a dim ho^e that presently he would wake up. But th'ejfe was thaiburjy form of the, Captain beforehim, with -his third cigar .sticking in the; side of his mouth',! and a pleased smile ujrimjlfis face, in -anticipation of this v new adjv^ntpye. *v, 4i *, Thp t se who have^lieayned something of the s character of Josiah by .reading earlier chaptersoi his history, -will not need to be told how jsis ended. #, Jf fie, had been in the comga%y^f Shadraoh', Meshach, and Abed-nego, jwti'eiisthey started pn^tbeir progress through the '.fiery' furnace, 4^n.d if they had insisted upbnjiis accompanying them, he would have jsmilMfeebly, atii'gon^— thatis, if he could M\w some meSiisioit other t sUnk away out iPpght. Now, |E^ a i^ould hava^one out of - ttbe'idoor on son\&p|gtence, andjfun. off down i' l HMvf 13 Captain, have been up with |i mi Kfive stridep^',' Jo he determined to make WjMlf, see yq^^p^'t .oversleep yourself," twer&lhe last (Wpr&ijOf the Captain as he went v in^|y] hansom. You needn't ' jffiJljSxjL had ichenibed even whilst He drank jpfflf «", and wffljflui 3b 'sufficient vto ■ carry, his