Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 1.djvu/233

 several months, and during that time Speke traveled northwards more than 300 miles, as far as Lake Onkéreoné, which he sighted on the 13th August, but could only see the opening of it in 2° 30′ longtitude. He then returned to Kazeh on the 25th, and with Burton retraced his steps to Zanzibar, which they reached in March of the following year. These two intrepid travelers then came back to England, and the Geographical Society of Paris bestowed upon them its annual prize.

Doctor Ferguson had also carefully noted that they had not passed either the 2° of South latitude nor the 29° longitude East.

He therefore set himself to the task of joining the discoveries of Burton and Speke to those of Doctor Barth, and to pass over a tract of country extending to more than twelve degrees.

kept pressing forward the preparations for his departure; he personally directed the construction of his balloon, following out certain modifications, respecting which he maintained an absolute silence.

For some time previously, he had been applying himself to the study of Arabic, and of various patois, and thanks to his arrangement of the dialects, he made rapid progress.

In the meantime, his friend never left him for a moment; he was doubtless apprehensive that the doctor would take flight, and he still brought to bear upon the subject his most persuasive arguments, which had no effect whatever upon Samuel Ferguson, who would endeavor to escape under cover of the most moving entreaties, by which he appeared little touched himself. Dick felt that he was slipping through his fingers.

The unfortunate Scot was really to be pitied; he could never think of the azure vault of Heaven without a fit of the "blues"; he realized, when asleep, the giddy suspension, and every night he felt as if he were falling from an immense height.

We ought to state that, while under these terrible