ghten it to make it take to flight.
It moved its wings, but did not leave the spot; then I left it to
itself, and it fell perpendicularly and with great rapidity. Birds are
certainly not able to maintain themselves at such elevations.

"It is notable that the atmosphere, which was of a perfect purity near
the earth, was grey and misty above our heads, and the beautiful blue
sky seen from the surface did not exist for us, although the weather was
calm and serene, and the day the most beautiful that could be. The sun
did not seem dazzling to us, and its heat was diminished owing to our
elevation.

"At half-past eleven, the balloon was no longer visible from Hamburg.
The heavens were so pure beneath us that everything was distinctly seen
by us, though very much diminished by distance. At 11.40, the town of
Hamburg seemed only a red point in our eyes; the Elbe looked like
a straight ribbon. I wished to make use of an opera-glass, but what
surprised me was that when I lifted it up it was so cold that I had to
wrap my handkerchief around it to enable me to hold it.

"Not being able to support our position any longer, we descended, after
having used up much gas and ballast. Our descent caused that degree
of terror among the inhabitants which the size of our balloon was
calculated to inspire in a country where such machines had never before
been seen. We descended above a poor village called Radenburg, a place
amid the heaths of Hanover. Our appearance caused great alarm, and even
the beasts of the field fled from us.

"While our balloon rapidly approached the earth, we waved our hats and
flags, and shouted to the inhabitants, but our voices only increased
their terror. The villagers rushed away with cries of terror, leaving
their herds, whose bellowings increased the general alarm. When the
balloon touched the ground, every man had shut himself up in his own
house. Having appealed in vain, and fearing that the villagers might do
us some injury, we resolved to re-ascend.

"In making this second ascent, we threw over all our ballast; but in
this we were imprudent, for after sailing about at a great height, and
having lost much gas, I perceived that our descent would be very
rapid, and to provide against accident, I gathered together all the
instruments, the bread, the ropes, and even such money as we had with
us, and placed them in three sacks, to which I attached a rope of a
hundred feet in length. This precaution saved us