The doctor gloomily recognized what trifling success
he had obtained from his manoeuvre, and was relapsing
into deep meditation, when he heard Joe exclaim, in tones
of most intense astonishment:
"Ah! by all that's beautiful!"
"What's the matter, Joe?"
"Doctor! Mr. Kennedy! Here's something curious!"
"What is it, then?"
"We are not alone, up here! There are rogues about!
They've stolen our invention!"
"Has he gone crazy?" asked Kennedy.
Joe stood there, perfectly motionless, the very picture
of amazement.
"Can the hot sun have really affected the poor fellow's
brain?" said the doctor, turning toward him.
"Will you tell me?--"
"Look!" said Joe, pointing to a certain quarter of
the sky.
"By St. James!" exclaimed Kennedy, in turn, "why,
who would have believed it? Look, look! doctor!"
"I see it!" said the doctor, very quietly.
"Another balloon! and other passengers, like ourselves!"
And, sure enough, there was another balloon about
two hundred paces from them, floating in the air with its
car and its aeronauts. It was following exactly the same
route as the Victoria.
"Well," said the doctor, "nothing remains for us but
to make signals; take the flag, Kennedy, and show them
our colors.
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