it vigorously with stones, flails, and pitchforks. The
cure of the parish was obliged to walk up to the balloon to reassure his
terrified flock. They finally attached the burst envelope to a horse's
tail, and dragged it far across the fields.

Many drawings and engravings of the period represent the peasants armed
with pitchforks, flails, and scythes, assailing it, a dog snapping at
it, a garde-champetre firing at it, a fat priest preaching at it, and a
troop of young people throwing stones at the unfortunate machine.

The news of this fiasco came to Paris, but too late. When search was
made for the covering, scarcely a fragment could be found.

A somewhat humorous result of all this was the issue of a communication
from government to the people, entitled, "Warning to the People on
kidnapping Air-balloons." This document, duly signed and approved of,
describes the ascents at Annonay and at Paris, explains the nature and
the causes of the phenomena, and warns the people not to be alarmed when
they see something like a "black moon" in the sky, nor to give way to
fear, as the seeming monster is nothing more than a bag of silk filled
with gas.

This first ascent in Paris was an important event. Every one, from the
smallest to the greatest, was deeply interested in it, while to the man
of science it was one of the most exciting of incidents. For the purpose
of observing the altitude to which the balloon rose, and the course it
took, Le Gentil was on the observatory, Prevost was on one of the towers
of Notre Dame, Jeaurat was on La Place Louis XV., and d'Agelet was on
the Champ de Mars. It was only Lalande that frowned as he witnessed
the success of the experiment. He had predicted the year before that
air-navigation was impossible.

Chapter VI. Third Experiment.

(Montgolfier's Balloon, Paris, Faubourg St. Antoine.)

As we have seen, the triumph of aerostation was sudden and complete. The
young Montgolfier had arrived in Paris prior to the experiment of the
27th of August, and was present as a simple spectator on that occasion.
immediately afterwards he set to work upon a balloon, which was to
be made use of when the Academy should investigate the phenomenon at
Versailles in presence of the king, Louis XVI.

It was at this time (September, 1783) that those small balloons, made
of gold-beaters' skin, which are used as children's toys to the present
day, were first made. The whole of Paris amused itself with them,