I had indeed made a
narrow escape. Had the balloon remained a very short while longer
within the cloud- that is to say- had not the inconvenience of getting
wet, determined me to discharge the ballast, inevitable ruin would
have been the consequence. Such perils, although little considered,
are perhaps the greatest which must be encountered in balloons. I
had by this time, however, attained too great an elevation to be any
longer uneasy on this head.
I was now rising rapidly, and by seven o'clock the barometer
indicated an altitude of no less than nine miles and a half. I began
to find great difficulty in drawing my breath. My head, too, was
excessively painful; and, having felt for some time a moisture about
my cheeks, I at length discovered it to be blood, which was oozing
quite fast from the drums of my ears. My eyes, also, gave me great
uneasiness. Upon passing the hand over them they seemed to have
protruded from their sockets in no inconsiderable degree; and all
objects in the car, and even the balloon itself, appeared distorted to
my vision.
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