But he still had his wits about him, though his
perilous position was enough to make any one lose his mind, and he
swung from side to side on the bar, shifting skillfully with his
hands and dodging the larger particles of blazing canvas. When
some small sparks fell on his clothing he beat them out with one
hand, while with the other he clung to the trapeze.
There was scarcely any wind or the man's plight might have been
more bearable, for the current of air would have carried the smoke
and fire to one side. As it was, most of the smoke and flames
went straight up, save now and then, when a draught created by the
heat would swirl the black clouds down on the performer, hiding
him from sight for a second or two. A breeze would have carried
the sparks away instead of letting them fall on him.
Nearer and nearer to the surface of the lake sank the balloon. By
this time the crowd on the bank had increased and there were
excited opinions as to what was best to do. But the trouble was
that little could be done. If the man could hold out until he got
near enough to the water to let go he might yet be saved, but this
would not be for some time at the present rate the balloon was
falling. The performer realized this, and, as the fire was
getting hotter, he made another desperate attempt to reach the
parachute.
Pages:
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171