Page:Works of Jules Verne - Parke - Vol 1.djvu/287

 "Look there!" replied the doctor, pointing towards the horizon.

"Well?" asked the Scot.

"Well! it's the moon!"

In fact the moon, red and glorious as a globe of fire upon an azure background, was then rising—she and the "Victoria" together.

Either, therefore, there were two moons, or the strangers were nothing but impostors and false gods. Such were the natural thoughts of the crowd. Hence the change. Joe could not help laughing heartily. The people of Kazeh, beginning to understand that their prey would escape, gave vent to prolonged howls, and bows and guns were directed towards the balloon. But at a sign from one of the sorcerers the weapons were lowered, he jumped into the tree with the intention to seize the rope of the grapnel and bring the balloon to the ground.

Joe leaned over with a hatchet in his hand.

"Shall I cut it?" he asked.

"Wait a little," said the doctor.

"But that nigger"

"We may perhaps save our grapnel, and I think so. We can cut it at any time."

The sorcerer, having gained the tree, went to work so vigorously in the branches that he detached the grapnel, which, being violently dragged by the balloon, caught the sorcerer between the legs, and so he, astride on this unexpected steed, set out for the region of the sky.

The crowd were stupefied to perceive one of their Waganga launched into space.

"Hurrah!" cried Joe, as the "Victoria" mounted very rapidly.

"He holds tight," said Kennedy; "a little journey will do him good."

"Shall we let him go altogether?" suggested Joe.

"For shame!" replied the doctor. "We will put him gently down presently, and I believe that after such an adventure his magical power will be singularly increased in his companions' estimation."

"I daresay they will make a god of him," said Joe.

The "Victoria" had now arrived at an elevation of about 1,000 feet. The negro held on to the cord with tre-