“Iwasnowrisingrapidly，andbyseveno’clockthebarometerindicatedanaltitudeofnolessthanninemilesandahalf。Ibegantofindgreatdifficultyindrawingmybreath。Myhead，too，wasexcessivelypainful；and，havingfeltforsometimeamoistureaboutmycheeks，Iatlengthdiscoveredittobeblood，whichwasoozingquitefastfromthedrumsofmyears。Myeyes，also，gavemegreatuneasiness。Uponpassingthehandoverthemtheyseemedtohaveprotrudedfromtheirsocketsinnoinconsiderabledegree；andallobjectsinthecar，andeventheballoonitself，appeareddistortedtomyvision。ThesesymptomsweremorethanIhadexpected，andoccasionedmesomealarm。Atthisjuncture，veryimprudently，andwithoutconsideration，Ithrewoutfromthecarthreefive-poundpiecesofballast。Theacceleratedrateofascentthusobtained，carriedmetoorapidly，andwithoutsufficientgradation，intoahighlyrarefiedstratumoftheatmosphere，andtheresulthadnearlyprovedfataltomyexpeditionandtomyself。Iwassuddenlyseizedwithaspasmwhichlastedformorethanfiveminutes，andevenwhenthis，inameasure，ceased，Icouldcatchmybreathonlyatlongintervals，andinagaspingmannerbleedingallthewhilecopiouslyatthenoseandears，andevenslightlyattheeyes。Thepigeonsappeareddistressedintheextreme，andstruggledtoescape；
whilethecatmewedpiteously，and，withhertonguehangingoutofhermouth，staggeredtoandfrointhecarasifundertheinfluenceofpoison。InowtoolatediscoveredthegreatrashnessofwhichI
hadbeenguiltyindischargingtheballast，andmyagitationwasexcessive。Ianticipatednothinglessthandeath，anddeathinafewminutes。ThephysicalsufferingIunderwentcontributedalsotorendermenearlyincapableofmakinganyexertionforthepreservationofmylife。Ihad，indeed，littlepowerofreflectionleft，andtheviolenceofthepaininmyheadseemedtobegreatlyontheincrease。ThusIfoundthatmysenseswouldshortlygivewayaltogether，andIhadalreadyclutchedoneofthevalveropeswiththeviewofattemptingadescent，whentherecollectionofthetrickIhadplayedthethreecreditors，andthepossibleconsequencestomyself，shouldIreturn，operatedtodetermeforthemoment。Ilaydowninthebottomofthecar，andendeavoredtocollectmyfaculties。InthisIsofarsucceededastodetermineupontheexperimentoflosingblood。Havingnolancet，however，IwasconstrainedtoperformtheoperationinthebestmannerIwasable，andfinallysucceededinopeningaveininmyrightarm，withthebladeofmypenknife。ThebloodhadhardlycommencedflowingwhenI
experiencedasensiblerelief，andbythetimeIhadlostabouthalfamoderatebasinfull，mostoftheworstsymptomshadabandonedmeentirely。Ineverthelessdidnotthinkitexpedienttoattemptgettingonmyfeetimmediately；but，havingtiedupmyarmaswellasIcould，Ilaystillforaboutaquarterofanhour。AttheendofthistimeIarose，andfoundmyselffreerfromabsolutepainofanykindthanIhadbeenduringthelasthourandaquarterofmyascension。Thedifficultyofbreathing，however，wasdiminishedinaveryslightdegree，andIfoundthatitwouldsoonbepositivelynecessarytomakeuseofmycondenser。Inthemeantime，lookingtowardthecat，whowasagainsnuglystowedawayuponmycoat，I
discoveredtomyinfinitesurprise，thatshehadtakentheopportunityofmyindispositiontobringintolightalitterofthreelittlekittens。Thiswasanadditiontothenumberofpassengersonmypartaltogetherunexpected；butIwaspleasedattheoccurrence。
Itwouldaffordmeachanceofbringingtoakindoftestthetruthofasurmise，which，morethananythingelse，hadinfluencedmeinattemptingthisascension。Ihadimaginedthatthehabitualenduranceoftheatmosphericpressureatthesurfaceoftheearthwasthecause，ornearlyso，ofthepainattendinganimalexistenceatadistanceabovethesurface。Shouldthekittensbefoundtosufferuneasinessinanequaldegreewiththeirmother，Imustconsidermytheoryinfault，butafailuretodosoIshouldlookuponasastrongconfirmationofmyidea。
“Byeighto’clockIhadactuallyattainedanelevationofseventeenmilesabovethesurfaceoftheearth。Thusitseemedtomeevidentthatmyrateofascentwasnotonlyontheincrease，butthattheprogressionwouldhavebeenapparentinaslightdegreeevenhadI
notdischargedtheballastwhichIdid。Thepainsinmyheadandearsreturned，atintervals，withviolence，andIstillcontinuedtobleedoccasionallyatthenose；but，uponthewhole，Isufferedmuchlessthanmighthavebeenexpected。Ibreathed，however，ateverymoment，withmoreandmoredifficulty，andeachinhalationwasattendedwithatroublesomespasmodicactionofthechest。Inowunpackedthecondensingapparatus，andgotitreadyforimmediateuse。
“Theviewoftheearth，atthisperiodofmyascension，wasbeautifulindeed。Tothewestward，thenorthward，andthesouthward，asfarasIcouldsee，layaboundlesssheetofapparentlyunruffledocean，whicheverymomentgainedadeeperandadeepertintofblueandbeganalreadytoassumeaslightappearanceofconvexity。Atavastdistancetotheeastward，althoughperfectlydiscernible，extendedtheislandsofGreatBritain，theentireAtlanticcoastsofFranceandSpain，withasmallportionofthenorthernpartofthecontinentofAfrica。Ofindividualedificesnotatracecouldbediscovered，andtheproudestcitiesofmankindhadutterlyfadedawayfromthefaceoftheearth。FromtherockofGibraltar，nowdwindledintoadimspeck，thedarkMediterraneansea，dottedwithshiningislandsastheheavenisdottedwithstars，spreaditselfouttotheeastwardasfarasmyvisionextended，untilitsentiremassofwatersseemedatlengthtotumbleheadlongovertheabyssofthehorizon，andIfoundmyselflisteningontiptoefortheechoesofthemightycataract。
Overhead，theskywasofajettyblack，andthestarswerebrilliantlyvisible。
“Thepigeonsaboutthistimeseemingtoundergomuchsuffering，I
determinedupongivingthemtheirliberty。Ifirstuntiedoneofthem，abeautifulgray-mottledpigeon，andplacedhimupontherimofthewicker-work。Heappearedextremelyuneasy，lookinganxiouslyaroundhim，flutteringhiswings，andmakingaloudcooingnoise，butcouldnotbepersuadedtotrusthimselffromoffthecar。Itookhimupatlast，andthrewhimtoabouthalfadozenyardsfromtheballoon。Hemade，however，noattempttodescendasIhadexpected，butstruggledwithgreatvehemencetogetback，utteringatthesametimeveryshrillandpiercingcries。Heatlengthsucceededinregaininghisformerstationontherim，buthadhardlydonesowhenhisheaddroppeduponhisbreast，andbefelldeadwithinthecar。
Theotheronedidnotprovesounfortunate。Topreventhisfollowingtheexampleofhiscompanion，andaccomplishingareturn，Ithrewhimdownwardwithallmyforce，andwaspleasedtofindhimcontinuehisdescent，withgreatvelocity，makinguseofhiswingswithease，andinaperfectlynaturalmanner。Inaveryshorttimehewasoutofsight，andIhavenodoubthereachedhomeinsafety。Puss，whoseemedinagreatmeasurerecoveredfromherillness，nowmadeaheartymealofthedeadbirdandthenwenttosleepwithmuchapparentsatisfaction。Herkittenswerequitelively，andsofarevincednottheslightestsignofanyuneasinesswhatever。
“Ataquarter-pasteight，beingnolongerabletodrawbreathwithoutthemostintolerablepain，Iproceededforthwithtoadjustaroundthecartheapparatusbelongingtothecondenser。Thisapparatuswillrequiresomelittleexplanation，andyourExcellencieswillpleasetobearinmindthatmyobject，inthefirstplace，wastosurroundmyselfandcatentirelywithabarricadeagainstthehighlyrarefiedatmosphereinwhichIwasexisting，withtheintentionofintroducingwithinthisbarricade，bymeansofmycondenser，aquantityofthissameatmospheresufficientlycondensedforthepurposesofrespiration。WiththisobjectinviewIhadpreparedaverystrongperfectlyair-tight，butflexiblegum-elasticbag。Inthisbag，whichwasofsufficientdimensions，theentirecarwasinamannerplaced。
Thatistosay，itthebagwasdrawnoverthewholebottomofthecar，upitssides，andsoon，alongtheoutsideoftheropes，totheupperrimorhoopwherethenet-workisattached。Havingpulledthebagupinthisway，andformedacompleteenclosureonallsides，andatbotttom，itwasnownecessarytofastenupitstopormouth，bypassingitsmaterialoverthehoopofthenet-workinotherwords，betweenthenet-workandthehoop。Butifthenet-workwereseparatedfromthehooptoadmitthispassage，whatwastosustainthecarinthemeantime？Nowthenet-workwasnotpermanentlyfastenedtothehoop，butattachedbyaseriesofrunningloopsornooses。I
thereforeundidonlyafewoftheseloopsatonetime，leavingthecarsuspendedbytheremainder。Havingthusinsertedaportionoftheclothformingtheupperpartofthebag，Irefastenedtheloops
nottothehoop，forthatwouldhavebeenimpossible，sincetheclothnowintervenedbuttoaseriesoflargebuttons，affixedtotheclothitself，aboutthreefeetbelowthemouthofthebag，theintervalsbetweenthebuttonshavingbeenmadetocorrespondtotheintervalsbetweentheloops。Thisdone，afewmoreoftheloopswereunfastenedfromtherim，afartherportionoftheclothintroduced，andthedisengagedloopsthenconnectedwiththeirproperbuttons。Inthiswayitwaspossibletoinsertthewholeupperpartofthebagbetweenthenet-workandthehoop。Itisevidentthatthehoopwouldnowdropdownwithinthecar，whilethewholeweightofthecaritself，withallitscontents，wouldbeheldupmerelybythestrengthofthebuttons。This，atfirstsight，wouldseemaninadequatedependence；butitwasbynomeansso，forthebuttonswerenotonlyverystronginthemselves，butsoclosetogetherthataveryslightportionofthewholeweightwassupportedbyanyoneofthem。Indeed，hadthecarandcontentsbeenthreetimesheavierthantheywere，Ishouldnothavebeenatalluneasy。Inowraisedupthehoopagainwithinthecoveringofgum-elastic，andproppeditatnearlyitsformerheightbymeansofthreelightpolespreparedfortheoccasion。Thiswasdone，ofcourse，tokeepthebagdistendedatthetop，andtopreservethelowerpartofthenet-workinitspropersituation。Allthatnowremainedwastofastenupthemouthoftheenclosure；andthiswasreadilyaccomplishedbygatheringthefoldsofthematerialtogether，andtwistingthemupverytightlyontheinsidebymeansofakindofstationarytourniquet。
“Inthesidesofthecoveringthusadjustedroundthecar，hadbeeninsertedthreecircularpanesofthickbutclearglass，throughwhichIcouldseewithoutdifficultyaroundmeineveryhorizontaldirection。Inthatportionoftheclothformingthebottom，waslikewise，afourthwindow，ofthesamekind，andcorrespondingwithasmallapertureinthefloorofthecaritself。Thisenabledmetoseeperpendicularlydown，buthavingfounditimpossibletoplaceanysimilarcontrivanceoverhead，onaccountofthepeculiarmannerofclosinguptheopeningthere，andtheconsequentwrinklesinthecloth，Icouldexpecttoseenoobjectssituateddirectlyinmyzenith。This，ofcourse，wasamatteroflittleconsequence；forhadIevenbeenabletoplaceawindowattop，theballoonitselfwouldhavepreventedmymakinganyuseofit。
“Aboutafootbelowoneofthesidewindowswasacircularopening，eightinchesindiameter，andfittedwithabrassrimadaptedinitsinneredgetothewindingsofascrew。Inthisrimwasscrewedthelargetubeofthecondenser，thebodyofthemachinebeing，ofcourse，withinthechamberofgum-elastic。Throughthistubeaquantityoftherareatmospherecircumjacentbeingdrawnbymeansofavacuumcreatedinthebodyofthemachine，wasthencedischarged，inastateofcondensation，tominglewiththethinairalreadyinthechamber。Thisoperationbeingrepeatedseveraltimes，atlengthfilledthechamberwithatmosphereproperforallthepurposesofrespiration。Butinsoconfinedaspaceitwould，inashorttime，necessarilybecomefoul，andunfitforusefromfrequentcontactwiththelungs。Itwasthenejectedbyasmallvalveatthebottomofthecarthedenseairreadilysinkingintothethinneratmospherebelow。Toavoidtheinconvenienceofmakingatotalvacuumatanymomentwithinthechamber，thispurificationwasneveraccomplishedallatonce，butinagradualmannerthevalvebeingopenedonlyforafewseconds，thenclosedagain，untiloneortwostrokesfromthepumpofthecondenserhadsuppliedtheplaceoftheatmosphereejected。ForthesakeofexperimentIhadputthecatandkittensinasmallbasket，andsuspendeditoutsidethecartoabuttonatthebottom，closebythevalve，throughwhichIcouldfeedthematanymomentwhennecessary。Ididthisatsomelittlerisk，andbeforeclosingthemouthofthechamber，byreachingunderthecarwithoneofthepolesbeforementionedtowhichahookhadbeenattached。
“BythetimeIhadfullycompletedthesearrangementsandfilledthechamberasexplained，itwantedonlytenminutesofnineo’clock。
Duringthewholeperiodofmybeingthusemployed，Ienduredthemostterribledistressfromdifficultyofrespiration，andbitterlydidI
repentthenegligenceorratherfool-hardiness，ofwhichIhadbeenguilty，ofputtingofftothelastmomentamatterofsomuchimportance。Buthavingatlengthaccomplishedit，Isoonbegantoreapthebenefitofmyinvention。OnceagainIbreathedwithperfectfreedomandeaseandindeedwhyshouldInot？Iwasalsoagreeablysurprisedtofindmyself，inagreatmeasure，relievedfromtheviolentpainswhichhadhithertotormentedme。Aslightheadache，accompaniedwithasensationoffulnessordistentionaboutthewrists，theankles，andthethroat，wasnearlyallofwhichIhadnowtocomplain。Thusitseemedevidentthatagreaterpartoftheuneasinessattendingtheremovalofatmosphericpressurehadactuallywornoff，asIhadexpected，andthatmuchofthepainenduredforthelasttwohoursshouldhavebeenattributedaltogethertotheeffectsofadeficientrespiration。