It had fallen in the Rue de Rivoli, opposite No. 200, when the street
was deserted. In the morning it was picked up by an honest sweeper,
who took it to the prefecture of police. There it was at first
supposed to be an infernal machine. And it was untied, examined, and
opened with care.

Suddenly a sort of explosion took place. It was a terrific sneeze on
the part of the inspector.

The document was then extracted from the snuff-box, and to the
general surprise, read as follows:

""Messrs. Prudent and Evans, president and secretary of the Weldon
Institute, Philadelphia, have been carried off in the aeronef
Albatross belonging to Robur the engineer.""

""Please inform our friends and acquaintances.""

""P. and P. E.""

Thus was the strange phenomenon at last explained to the people of
the two worlds. Thus was peace given to the scientists of the
numerous observatories on the surface of the terrestrial globe.





Chapter XV