loud-ship and the fire which was
to fill it with the power of flight. Never had the brothers Montgolfier
had a busier morning; never had the good people of Annonay seen such
excitement in their quiet village. The crowd had gathered from far and
near, and watched the busy workers round the mysterious platform with
widely different thoughts. Some were silent with expectation, some
jeered noisily; but, unconscious of praise or laughter, the two brothers
directed their little band of workmen, confident of coming triumph.

At last the specially invited guests had all arrived, and when they were
accommodated with seats, one of the brothers made a little speech of
explanation, ending with the remark that he would apply a torch to the
heap of chopped straw and wool beneath the platform. The smoke arising
from these different kinds of fuel formed, when combined, he said, the
most suitable gas for raising a substance into the air. These diligent
brothers, however, had only partly learned the truth as yet, or they
would have known that it was the _heat_, and not the _smoke_, which
lifted the paper bag.

The torch was put to the straw, the yellow flames leapt up, and the
smoke, passing through a hole in the platform, entered the open end of
the globe-shaped bag, which up to the present had, of course, been lying
flat and empty. Instantly a paper dome seemed to rise from the platform.
This continued to grow in size, while the workmen stood round in a ring,
each holding a rope which passed to the top of the dome. The ropes grew
longer and longer as the balloon filled, and it soon became hard work to
hold them. But on no account were the men to let go until the word was
given.

When at last the paper walls were extended to their uttermost size, the
wondering spectators saw a huge ball of some one hundred and ten feet in
circumference, swaying uneasily to and fro with every breath of air, as
though straining at its fetters. At last came the word. The ropes were
released, and the great body rose rapidly into the air, followed by a
thunder of applause. With straining eyes the crowd followed that
wondrous flight. Higher and higher, nearer and nearer to the clouds,
till what a few moments before was so very imposing in size seemed no
bigger than a child's plaything. Then, caught in a current of air, it
drifted out of sight for ever.

Such was the launching of the first ship in the new navigation of the
clouds. On the place from which i