“Thetwoboldnavigatorsascended, onthe21stofNovember，1783，fromthegardensofLaMuette, , passedtheIsledesCygnes, crossedtheSeineattheBarrieredelaConference, and, directingitswaybetweenthedomeoftheInvalidesandL‘EcoleMilitaire, ；thentheaeronautsincreasedthefre, ascended, clearedtheBoulevard, anddescendedbeyondtheBarriered’, thecollapsed, andburiedPilatredesRosiersbeneathitsfolds.”
“Unfortunatepresage！”saidI, interestedinthesedetails, whichsonearlyconcernedme.
“Presageofhiscatastrophe，”repliedtheunknown, withsadness.“Youhaveexperiencednothingsimilar?”
“Nothing！”
“Bah！Misfortunesoftenarrivewithoutpresage.”Andheremainedsilent.
Wewereadvancingtowardsthesouth；themagneticneedlepointedinthedirectionofFrankfort, whichwasflyingbeneathourfeet.
“Perhapsweshallhaveastorm.”saidtheyoungman.
“Wewilldescendfrst.”
“Indeed! itwillbebettertoascend；weshallescapemoresurely.”andtwobagsofsandwerethrownoverboard.
Theballoonroserapidly, , , theraysofthesunfellhotlyontheglobe, and, dilatingthegasitcontained, .
“Fearnothing，”saidtheyoungmantome.“.”
Iwouldhaverisen, butavigoroushanddetainedmeonmyseat.
“Yourname?”askedI.
“Myname! howdoesitconcernyou?”
“Ihavethehonourtoaskyourname.”
“IamcalledErostratusorEmpedocles, ?”
Hespokewithicycoldness, andIaskedmyselfwithwhomIhadtodo.
