gases which we used in our flying machines. They observed, in the lofty
flights they were accustomed to make into the air, that as they ascended
the atmosphere grew lighter, and this led them to think they might go far
into the upper regions, collect large quantities of rarefied air, bring it
down, and use it for floating flying machines. Of course, they understood
that any vessel this thin air was put into must be strong enough to
prevent being collapsed by the weight of the denser atmosphere on the
surface. But they thought small spherical vessels of very thin metal could
be made that would withstand this pressure and still hold enough to float
and carry some weight besides. They had a large number of these hollow
balls made and started on a trial trip, expecting to bring down only a
small quantity each time. But, in their endeavor to obtain the very best
quality of lifting material possible, they went much higher than they
intended, although this did not cause them as much inconvenience as might
have been expected, since they were provided with the latest improved
breathing apparatus. The result of their adventure, however, was a
discovery of such magnitude that it drove from their minds all thought of
their real errand and we never again heard of that project. After
remaining at an extreme height a few hours, the surface of the planet
being hidden by clouds, they began to descend, and when they were near
enough to see the features of the country below them, everything looked
strange and unknown. They could not account for this, but continued their
fall, fully persuaded that it must be their own world and not some other
which they were approaching. But even if they had not been correct in
that, they could hardly have been more surprised than they were to find,
on landing, that they were almost exactly on the opposite side of the
globe from the place where they made the ascent. They seemed to have
traveled half way around the world in that incredibly short space of time,
when in reality they had remained stationary and the world had traveled
around them. The fact is, they had risen above all the denser portion of