tmosphere, and intent only upon the purloiner of my property, I
suddenly perceived that my feet rested no longer upon _terra-firma_;
the fact is, I had thrown myself over a precipice, and should inevitably
have been dashed to pieces but for my good fortune in grasping the end
of a long guide-rope, which depended from a passing balloon.

As soon as I sufficiently recovered my senses to comprehend the terrific
predicament in which I stood or rather hung, I exerted all the power of
my lungs to make that predicament known to the aeronaut overhead. But for
a long time I exerted myself in vain. Either the fool could not, or
the villain would not perceive me. Meantime the machine rapidly soared,
while my strength even more rapidly failed. I was soon upon the point of
resigning myself to my fate, and dropping quietly into the sea, when
my spirits were suddenly revived by hearing a hollow voice from above,
which seemed to be lazily humming an opera air. Looking up, I perceived
the Angel of the Odd. He was leaning with his arms folded, over the rim
of the car; and with a pipe in his mouth, at which he puffed leisurely,
seemed to be upon excellent terms with himself and the universe. I was
too much exhausted to speak, so I merely regarded him with an imploring
air.

For several minutes, although he looked me full in the face, he said
nothing. At length removing carefully his meerschaum from the right to
the left corner of his mouth, he condescended to speak.

"Who pe you," he asked, "und what der teuffel you pe do dare?"

To this piece of impudence, cruelty and affectation, I could reply only
by ejaculating the monosyllable "Help!"

"Elp!" echoed the ruffian--"not I. Dare iz te pottle--elp yourself, und
pe tam'd!"

With these words he let fall a heavy bottle of Kirschenwasser which,
dropping precisely upon the crown of my head, caused me to imagine that
my brains were entirely knocked out. Impressed with this idea, I was
about to relinquish my hold and give up the ghost with a good grace,
when I was arrested by the cry of the Angel, who bade me hold on.

"Old on!" he said; "don't pe in te urry--don't. Will you pe take de
odder pottle, or ave you pe got zober yet and come to your zenzes?"

I made haste, hereupon, to nod my head twice--once in the negative,
meaning thereby that I would prefer not taking the other bottle at
present--and once in the affirmative, intending thus to imply that I
_was_ sober and _had_ positively c