Page:O que eu vi, o que nós veremos (1918).pdf/24

 mechanics, I took it to the Hyppodrome of Longchamps; I began to make small circles with the airship, which was truly docile; I went to the district of Puteaux and was evolving over its innumerable plants when, suddenly, I heard a terrible noise: one by one all the plants had started to play their whistles and sirens.

I did two or three laps and arrived again at Longchamps.

I made a meeting with my friends. I intended to go around the Eiffel Tower; they wanted to dissuade me from that, because the Aero Club Committee was not present. I could not contain myself; sport attracted me; I left. Everything went well until the heights of the Trocadero, when I felt that the balloon no longer obeyed me. The cable connecting the steering wheel to the rudder of the aircraft had broken. I completely slowed down the engine and maneuvered to touch down. I was very happy, I came down right in the garden of the Trocadero, where, because it was still very early, there were very few people.

The break had occurred at a point difficult to access; a ladder was needed. Four or five people hold it upright, and with it, I was able to climb up and repair the cable.