Project Gutenberg's The Land of the Changing Sun, by William N. Harben

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Title: The Land of the Changing Sun

Author: William N. Harben

Posting Date: February 9, 2009 [EBook #3046]
Release Date: January, 2002

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE LAND OF THE CHANGING SUN ***

Produced by Judith Boss

THE LAND OF THE CHANGING SUN

By Will. N. Harben

Chapter I.

The balloon seemed scarcely to move, though it was slowly sinking toward
the ocean of white clouds which hung between it and the earth.

The two inmates of the car were insensible; their faces were bloodless,
their cheeks sunken. They were both young and handsome. Harry Johnston,
an American, was as dark and sallow as a Spaniard. Charles Thorndyke,
an English gentleman, had yellow hair and mustache, blue eyes and a
fine intellectual face. Both were tall, athletic in build and
well-proportioned.

Johnston was the first to come to consciousness as the balloon sank
into less rarefied atmosphere. He opened his eyes dreamily and looked
curiously at the white face of his friend in his lap. Then he shook him
and tried to call his name, but his lips made no sound. Drawing himself
up a little with a hand on the edge of the basket, he reached for a
water-jug and sprinkled Thorndyke's face. In a moment he was rewarded by
seeing the eyes of the latter slowly open.

"Where are we?" asked Thorndyke in a whisper.

"I don't know;" Johnston answered, "getting nearer to the earth, for we
can breathe more easily. I can't remember much after the professor fell
from the car. My God, old man! I shall never forget the horror in the
poor fellow's eyes as he clung to the rope down there and begged us
to save him. I tried to get you to look, but you were dozing off. I
attempted to draw him up, but the rope on the edge of the basket was
tipping it, and both you and I came near following him. I tried to keep
from seeing his horrible face as the rope began to slip through his
fingers. I knew the instant he let go by our shooting upward."

"I came to myself and looked over when the basket tipped," replied the
Englishman, "I thought I was going