Five Weeks in a Balloon | Page 4

inhabitants, the animals,
and the features of the countries the travellers pass over are described,
it is entirely accurate. It gives, in some particulars, a survey of nearly
the whole field of African discovery, and in this way will often serve to
refresh the memory of the reader. The mode of locomotion is, of course,
purely imaginary, and the incidents and adventures fictitious. The latter
are abundantly amusing, and, in view of the wonderful "travellers'
tales" with which we have been entertained by African explorers, they
can scarcely be considered extravagant; while the ingenuity and
invention of the author will be sure to excite the surprise and the
admiration of the reader, who will find M. VERNE as much at home in
voyaging through the air as in journeying "Twenty Thousand Leagues
under the Seas."

CONTENTS.
-----

CHAPTER FIRST
.
The End of a much-applauded Speech.--The Presentation of Dr. Samuel
Ferguson. --Excelsior.--Full-length Portrait of the Doctor.--A Fatalist
convinced. --A Dinner at the Travellers' Club.--Several Toasts for the
Occasion

CHAPTER SECOND
.
The Article in the Daily Telegraph.--War between the Scientific
Journals.-- Mr. Petermann backs his Friend Dr. Ferguson.--Reply of the
Savant Koner. --Bets made.--Sundry Propositions offered to the Doctor

CHAPTER THIRD
.
The Doctor's Friend.--The Origin of their Friendship.--Dick Kennedy at
London. --An unexpected but not very consoling Proposal.--A Proverb
by no means cheering.--A few Names from the African
Martyrology.--The Advantages of a Balloon.--Dr. Ferguson's Secret

CHAPTER FOURTH
.
African Explorations.--Barth, Richardson, Overweg, Werne,
Brun-Rollet, Penney, Andrea, Debono, Miani, Guillaume Lejean, Brace,
Krapf and Rebmann, Maizan, Roscher, Burton and Speke

CHAPTER FIFTH
.
Kennedy's Dreams.--Articles and Pronouns in the Plural.--Dick's
Insinuations. --A Promenade over the Map of Africa.--What is
contained between two Points of the Compass.--Expeditions now on

foot.--Speke and Grant.--Krapf, De Decken, and De Heuglin

CHAPTER SIXTH
.
A Servant--match him!--He can see the Satellites of Jupiter.--Dick and
Joe hard at it.--Doubt and Faith.--The Weighing Ceremony.--Joe and
Wellington. --He gets a Half-crown

CHAPTER SEVENTH
.
Geometrical Details.--Calculation of the Capacity of the Balloon.--The
Double Receptacle.--The Covering.--The Car.--The Mysterious
Apparatus.--The Provisions and Stores.--The Final Summing up

CHAPTER EIGHTH
.
Joe's Importance.--The Commander of the Resolute.--Kennedy's
Arsenal. --Mutual Amenities.--The Farewell Dinner.--Departure on the
21st of February.-- The Doctor's Scientific
Sessions.--Duveyrier.--Livingstone.--Details of the Aerial
Voyage.--Kennedy silenced

CHAPTER NINTH
.
They double the Cape.--The Forecastle.--A Course of Cosmography by
Professor Joe.--Concerning the Method of guiding Balloons.--How to
seek out Atmospheric Currents.--Eureka

CHAPTER TENTH
.
Former Experiments.--The Doctor's Five Receptacles.--The Gas

Cylinder.-- The Calorifere.--The System of Manoeuvring.--Success
certain

CHAPTER ELEVENTH
.
The Arrival at Zanzibar.--The English Consul.--Ill-will of the
Inhabitants.--The Island of Koumbeni.--The Rain-Makers.--Inflation of
the Balloon.--Departure on the 18th of April.--The last Good-by.--The
Victoria

CHAPTER TWELFTH
.
Crossing the Strait.--The Mrima.--Dick's Remark and Joe's
Proposition.--A Recipe for Coffee-making.--The Uzaramo.--The
Unfortunate Maizan.-- Mount Duthumi.--The Doctor's Cards.--Night
under a Nopal

CHAPTER THIRTEENTH
.
Change of Weather.--Kennedy has the Fever.--The Doctor's
Medicine.--Travels on Land.--The Basin of Imenge.--Mount
Rubeho.--Six Thousand Feet Elevation.--A Halt in the Daytime

CHAPTER FOURTEENTH
.
The Forest of Gum-Trees.--The Blue Antelope.--The
Rallying-Signal.--An Unexpected Attack.--The Kanyeme.--A Night in
the Open Air.--The Mabunguru.--Jihoue-la-Mkoa.--A Supply of
Water.--Arrival at Kazeh

CHAPTER FIFTEENTH

.
Kazeh.--The Noisy Market-place.--The Appearance of the
Balloon.--The Wangaga. --The Sons of the Moon.--The Doctor's
Walk.--The Population of the Place.--The Royal Tembe.--The Sultan's
Wives.--A Royal Drunken-Bout.-- Joe an Object of Worship.--How
they Dance in the Moon.--A Reaction.-- Two Moons in one Sky.--The
Instability of Divine Honors

CHAPTER SIXTEENTH
.
Symptoms of a Storm.--The Country of the Moon.--The Future of the
African Continent.--The Last Machine of all.--A View of the Country
at Sunset.-- Flora and Fauna.--The Tempest.--The Zone of Fire.--The
Starry Heavens.

CHAPTER SEVENTEENTH
.
The Mountains of the Moon.--An Ocean of Venture.--They cast
Anchor.--The Towing Elephant.--A Running Fire.--Death of the
Monster.--The Field Oven.--A Meal on the Grass.--A Night on the
Ground

CHAPTER EIGHTEENTH
.
The Karagwah.--Lake Ukereoue.--A Night on an Island.--The Equator.
--Crossing the Lake.--The Cascades.--A View of the Country.--The
Sources of the Nile.--The Island of Benga.--The Signature of Andrea
Debono.--The Flag with the Arms of England

CHAPTER NINETEENTH
.
The Nile.--The Trembling Mountain.--A Remembrance of the

Country.--The Narratives of the Arabs.--The Nyam-Nyams.--Joe's
Shrewd Cogitations.-- The Balloon runs the Gantlet.--Aerostatic
Ascensions.--Madame Blanchard.

CHAPTER TWENTIETH
.
The Celestial Bottle.--The Fig-Palms.--The Mammoth Trees.--The Tree
of War. --The Winged Team.--Two Native Tribes in Battle.--A
Massacre.--An Intervention from above

CHAPTER TWENTY
-FIRST.
Strange Sounds.--A Night Attack.--Kennedy and Joe in the Tree.--Two
Shots. --"Help! help!"--Reply in French.--The Morning.--The
Missionary.--The Plan of Rescue

CHAPTER TWENTY
-SECOND.
The Jet of Light.--The Missionary.--The Rescue in a Ray of
Electricity.--A Lazarist Priest.--But little Hope.--The Doctor's Care.--A
Life of Self-Denial. --Passing a Volcano

CHAPTER TWENTY
-THIRD.
Joe in a Fit of Rage.--The Death of a Good Man.--The Night of
watching by the Body.--Barrenness and Drought.--The Burial.--The
Quartz