rossed the Goomtee
river over the old stone bridge, and passed many travellers on the
road staring at the extraordinary machine, for they had heard nothing
about it, and we had no time to tell them. When we had gone about
seventeen miles, the balloon began to descend. It was in the month of
March, and the weather was hot, and I had lost three horses before it
came to the ground. The young man then began to let go his fish, and
they came fluttering down, while the oil-cloths about the balloon
made a noise like the growling of a wild beast. Seeing the enormous
machine going at this rate, followed by us at full speed, the people
along the road, who are always numerous in the morning, became so
panic-struck that a great many fell down senseless upon their faces,
and some of them could not be got to rise for some hours afterwards.

"We were not far from it when it approached the ground, and swept
along on the border of this grove, on our left. Fortunately for the
young man, it did not strike any trees. He was dressed all in black,
and a very tall, handsome young man he was. As soon as he found
himself near enough to the ground, he jumped out, holding one rope in
his hand, and tried to stop the balloon, calling out to the people on
the road, as loud as he could, _puckaro, puckaro!_--seize, seize! We
were then within two hundred yards of it, and at full speed; and,
instead of helping the young man, the people on the road, thinking
the order was to seize them, fell down flat on their faces, unable to
look upon the balloon, or utter a word. They all thought that it was
some terrible demon from above come to seize and devour them. When we
had headed it a little, we all sprang from our saddles, joined the
young man at the ropes, and lashed them round anything we could find,
as we were being dragged along. The young man took out his penknife,
and gave the balloon a gash in the side, to let out the _smoke_ that
inflated it, and it collapsed and stopped. The first thing, sir, that
the young man did was to call for fire, take a cigar from his
waistcoat pocket, and begin to smoke, while we went to the assistance
of the panic-struck travellers, many of whom were still lying
senseless on the ground. We got water, and threw it in their faces;
and when they were able to sit up, we mounted the young man upon one
of our horses, and took him back slowly to Lucknow. He told me that
it was so very cold above, that it gave him a severe headache,