Five Weeks in a Balloon / Or, Journeys and Discoveries in Africa by Three Englishmen

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PUBLISHERS' NOTE.

"Five Weeks in a Balloon" is, in a measure, a satire on modern books of African travel. So far as the geography, the 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."

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DETAILED CONTENTS.

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. FOURTH.

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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. TENTH.

Former Experiments.-The Doctor's Five Receptacles.-The Gas Cylinder.-The Calorifere.-The System of Manoeuvring.-Success certain

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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.

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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.

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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

CHAP. 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 Rocks.-Joe's Hallucinations.-A Precious Ballast.-A Survey of the Gold-bearing Mountains.-The Beginning of Joe's Despair

CHAP. TWENTY-FOURTH.

The Wind dies away.-The Vicinity of the Desert.-The Mistake in the Water Supply.-The Nights of the Equator.-Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.-The Situation flatly stated.-Energetic Replies of Kennedy and Joe.-One Night more

CHAP. TWENTY-FIFTH.

A Little Philosophy.-A Cloud on the Horizon.-In the Midst of a Fog.-The Strange Balloon.-An Exact View of the Victoria.-The Palm-Trees.-Traces of a Caravan.-The Well in the Midst of the Desert

CHAP. TWENTY-SIXTH.

One Hundred and Thirteen Degrees.-The Doctor's Reflections.-A Desperate Search.-The Cylinder goes out.-One Hundred and Twenty-two Degrees.-Contemplation of the Desert.-A Night Walk.-Solitude.-Debility.-Joe's Prospects.-He gives himself One Day more

CHAP. TWENTY-SEVENTH.

Terrific Heat.-Hallucinations.-The Last Drops of Water.-Nights of Despair.-An Attempt at Suicide.-The Simoom.-The Oasis.-The Lion and Lioness.

CHAP. TWENTY-EIGHTH.

An Evening of Delight.-Joe's Culinary Performances.-A Dissertation on Raw Meat.-The Narrative of James Bruce.-Camping out.-Joe's Dreams.-The Barometer begins to fall.-The Barometer rises again.-Preparations for Departure.-The Tempest

CHAP. TWENTY-NINTH.

Signs of Vegetation.-The Fantastic Notion of a French Author.-A Magnificent Country.-The Kingdom of Adamova.-The Explorations of Speke and Burton connected with those of Dr. Barth.-The Atlantika Mountains.-The River Benoue.-The City of Yola.-The Bagele.-Mount Mendif

CHAP. THIRTIETH.

Mosfeia.-The Sheik.-Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney.-Vogel.-The Capital of Loggoum.-Toole.-Becalmed above Kernak.-The Governor and his Court.-The Attack.-The Incendiary Pigeons

CHAP. THIRTY-FIRST.

Departure in the Night-time.-All Three.-Kennedy's Instincts.-Precautions.-The Course of the Shari River.-Lake Tchad.-The Water of the Lake.-The Hippopotamus.-One Bullet thrown away

CHAP. THIRTY-SECOND.

The Capital of Bornou.-The Islands of the Biddiomahs.-The Condors.-The Doctor's Anxieties.-His Precautions.-An Attack in Mid-air.-The Balloon Covering torn.-The Fall.-Sublime Self-Sacrifice.-The Northern Coast of the Lake

CHAP. THIRTY-THIRD.

Conjectures.-Reestablishment of the Victoria's Equilibrium.-Dr. Ferguson's New Calculations.-Kennedy's Hunt.-A Complete Exploration of Lake Tchad.-Tangalia.-The Return.-Lari

CHAP. THIRTY-FOURTH.

The Hurricane.-A Forced Departure.-Loss of an Anchor.-Melancholy Reflections.-The Resolution adopted.-The Sand-Storm.-The Buried Caravan.-A Contrary yet Favorable Wind.-The Return southward.-Kennedy at his Post

CHAP. THIRTY-FIFTH.

What happened to Joe.-The Island of the Biddiomahs.-The Adoration shown him.-The Island that sank.-The Shores of the Lake.-The Tree of the Serpents.-The Foot-Tramp.-Terrible Suffering.-Mosquitoes and Ants.-Hunger.-The Victoria seen.-She disappears.-The Swamp.-One Last Despairing Cry

CHAP. THIRTY-SIXTH.

A Throng of People on the Horizon.-A Troop of Arabs.-The Pursuit.-It is He.-Fall from Horseback.-The Strangled Arab.-A Ball from Kennedy.-Adroit Manoeuvres.-Caught up flying.-Joe saved at last

CHAP. THIRTY-SEVENTH.

The Western Route.-Joe wakes up.-His Obstinacy.-End of Joe's Narrative.-Tagelei.-Kennedy's Anxieties.-The Route to the North.-A Night near Aghades

CHAP. THIRTY-EIGHTH.

A Rapid Passage.-Prudent Resolves.-Caravans in Sight.-Incessant Rains.-Goa.-The Niger.-Golberry, Geoffroy, and Gray.-Mungo Park.-Laing.-Rene Caillie.-Clapperton.-John and Richard Lander

CHAP. THIRTY-NINTH.

The Country in the Elbow of the Niger.-A Fantastic View of the Hombori Mountains.-Kabra.-Timbuctoo.-The Chart of Dr. Barth.-A Decaying City.-Whither Heaven wills

CHAP. FORTIETH.

Dr. Ferguson's Anxieties.-Persistent Movement southward.-A Cloud of Grasshoppers.-A View of Jenne.-A View of Sego.-Change of the Wind.-Joe's Regrets

CHAP. FORTY-FIRST.

The Approaches to Senegal.-The Balloon sinks lower and lower.-They keep throwing out, throwing out.-The Marabout Al-Hadji.-Messrs. Pascal, Vincent, and Lambert.-A Rival of Mohammed.-The Difficult Mountains.-Kennedy's Weapons.-One of Joe's Manoeuvres.-A Halt over a Forest

CHAP. FORTY-SECOND.

A Struggle of Generosity.-The Last Sacrifice.-The Dilating Apparatus.-Joe's Adroitness.-Midnight.-The Doctor's Watch.-Kennedy's Watch.-The Latter falls asleep at his Post.-The Fire.-The Howlings of the Natives.-Out of Range

CHAP. FORTY-THIRD.

The Talabas.-The Pursuit.-A Devastated Country.-The Wind begins to fall.-The Victoria sinks.-The last of the Provisions.-The Leaps of the Balloon.-A Defence with Fire-arms.-The Wind freshens.-The Senegal River.-The Cataracts of Gouina.-The Hot Air.-The Passage of the River

CHAP. FORTY-FOURTH.

Conclusion.-The Certificate.-The French Settlements.-The Post of Medina.-The Battle.-Saint Louis.-The English Frigate.-The Return to London.

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FIVE WEEKS IN A BALLOON.