balloon inside the larger one and so make up for the compression of the
hydrogen gas caused by the denser, lower atmosphere. He started this
pump, but it proved too small, and as the gas was compressed more and
more, and the flabbiness of the balloon increased, the whole thing
became unmanageable. The great ship dropped and dropped through the air,
while the aeronaut, no longer in control of his ship, but controlled by
it, worked at the pump and threw out ballast in a vain endeavour to
escape the inevitable. He was descending directly over the greensward in
the centre of the Longchamps race-course, when he caught sight of some
boys flying kites in the open space. He shouted to them to take hold of
his trailing guide-rope and run with it against the wind. They
understood at once and as instantly obeyed. The wind had the same effect
on the air-ship as it has on a kite when one runs with it, and the speed
of the fall was checked. Man and air-ship landed with a thud that
smashed almost everything but the man. The smart boys that had saved
Santos-Dumont's life helped him pack what was left of "Santos-Dumont No. 1"
into its basket, and a cab took inventor and invention back to Paris.

In spite of the narrow escape and the discouraging ending of his first
flight, Santos-Dumont launched his second air-ship the following May.
Number 2 was slightly larger than the first, and the fault that was
dangerous in it was corrected, its inventor thought, by a ventilator
connecting the inner bag with the outer air, which was designed to
compensate for the contraction of the gas and keep the skin of the
balloon taut. But No. 2 doubled up as had No. 1, while she was still
held captive by a line; falling into a tree hurt the balloon, but the
aeronaut escaped unscratched. Santos-Dumont, in spite of his quiet ways
and almost effeminate speech, his diminutive body, and wealth that
permitted him to enjoy every luxury, persisted in his work with rare
courage and determination. The difficulties were great and the available