clier was most anxious to get on, and as Percy was quite
done up, Ralph was glad to seize the excuse, and to make his
apologies for leaving at once. The Sous Prefect, all the breakfast
party, and a large proportion of the population of the little place
accompanied them thence to the landing place; and then, amidst
hearty cheering, the little steamer--carrying the voyagers, the
dispatches, and the remains of the balloon--started for the
mainland.

Chapter 18: A Day Of Victory.

After traveling all night, the Barclays arrived at Tours at ten
o'clock, on the morning of the day after that upon which they had
left Belle Isle. At the station they said adieu to Monsieur
Teclier; who went at once to Gambetta, with the dispatches; while
the Barclays turned away to Colonel Tempe's lodgings and, to their
great surprise as well as delight, found him in.

The colonel gave quite a shout of joy, when he saw them.

"Ah, my brave boys, my brave boys, I am glad to see you," and he
took them in his arms, and kissed them as heartily and as earnestly
as if he had been their father.

"I am glad to see you," he repeated, wiping his eyes with his
handkerchief. "I was sure you would do it. I never really
doubted--I told Gambetta it was as good as done--but I could not
help being nervous, horribly nervous; and when the news came, five
days ago, by the balloon which left three days after you got in, I
almost lost my head. I laughed, I cheered, I shook everyone by the
hand--ma foi, I don't know what I did, I was so pleased.

"Your Irishman was the funniest thing. He was not surprised, or
pleased, or even interested. I explained to him over and over
again, thinking he did not understand; but he only shook his head
and said, in his strange English:

"'Sure, colonel, I never doubted them for a moment. Aren't they
clever enough to decaive the ould gintleman, himself? It was as
sartin as peas is peas that they would slip in, somehow; and if
they did get into a scrape, that they were the boys for getting
themselves out of it. It's the coming out I am afraid of.'

"I looked surprised, naturally enough, and he went on:

"'And doesn't your honor know that they are talking of coming out
in a balloon? Only to think of it, colonel, flying through the
clouds, shut up in a big ball of silk! It's just flying in the face
of Providence. What's the use of scheming, or of courage? You can't
decaive a cloud, though it's as aisy as dancing to take in