Happy Days: A Paper for Young Americans — page 13: what you’re looking at

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ing vessel. Figure 4 shows us one of the - @aricatures flung about among _ the -_ erowd, which represents the zronaut hard at work propelling his machine, and ac- _ companied by a man in the dress of a fcol, - tooting away on the French horn. _ The idea of oars was soon abandoned, Indeed, the Montgolfiers had already de- ~ monstrated its fallacy ; for, in 1783, we find Joseph Montgolfier writing to his brother Stephen in the following sfrain : . For my sake, my good friend, reflect ; calculate well before you employ oars, Oars must either be great or ‘small; if : great, they will be heavy; if small, it will necessary to move them with great rapidity. I know no sufficient means of idance except in a knowledge of the dif- foront currents of air, of which it is neces- gary to make a study; and these are gen- erally regulated by the elevation.” a Ke >= "VA" NBS eS Se ee 7) | Fig. 5,—LE FLESSELLES, ~~ ' Balloons in the last century were most laborate affairs. Figure 5 represents Le Flesselles, in which Montgolfier and his companions made their first ascent in the ay ae of 100,000 spectators, on January S , > _ The form of the balloon was that of a globe, rising from a reversed or truncated cone, to which a gallery for the aeronaut > stand upon Sehr erg The upper ee ., PS gg re Te we mY * fferent colors. On of the b loon were two paintings, one representing history, the other fame, The flag bore the arms of the Director of the Royal Acad- - emy, and above it were inscribed the words * Le Flesselles,” . Probably the only apparatus in which man has ever succeeded in flying through the air, outside of the gas balloon, is the parachute, in its varied forms, di Pa = Fig. 6.—GARNERIN’s DESCENT IN A PAR- ACHUTE, At the present day parachutes are chief- ly used to exhibit how a man can descend m great heights unharmed, Neverthe- less, parachutes are often of great actual use, and aeronauts frequently attach them to their balloons, to be employed in case of accident. The shape of a parachute closely resem- bles an umbrella, The strips of silk of which it is formed are sewn together, and are bound at the top around a circular piece of wood. A number of cords, stretching - . away from this piece of wood, support the : car in which the aeronaut is carried. At | the top is an opening to permit the air, compressed by the rapidity of the descent, to escape without appt danger to the achute from the strain to which it would be otherwise subjected. The rapidity of the descent is arrested by the large surface which the parachute pre- sents to the air. When the aeronaut wishes to descend by the parachute, he slips down from the car ’ ’ a) bee. eee ee of the balloon to that of the parachute, 13 The comrades of Little Lariat listened | ‘Amen to that, boy,’ said Matt, heart- loosens the rope which holds it to the bal-| with eager interest to the reading of the| ily. loon, and in an instant is launched out | letter, and many were the exclamations of into space, In a few moments the air rushing into | tered. the folds of the parachute forces them open like an umbrella, and immediately the!soon as the reading of the letter was con- Then he and the others watched old surprise and indignation which they ut-| Jack until his solitary figure faded from their sight upon the deserted plains far ‘‘T reckon men,” said Mustang Matt, as | away in the distance. Although the wild horse hunters had violence of the descent is arrested, and the | cluded, ‘‘we may be pretty certain that | thus far vainly searched the country in the aeronaut falls gently to the ground, Figure 6 illustrates Garnerin’s remark- | that Burton Rodgers is held a prisoner,” able descent in a parachute performed itis at the lone ranch of Julian Torrez| neighborhood without discovering the white mustang, or indeed seeing any wild ‘‘Yes, That is almost a foregone con-| horses, Mustang Matt still adhered to his from a height of 1,200 feet in the year 1802, | clusion, I should say, and yet there is, of | idea thatit was probable the white mus- When Garnerin reached this height, he | course, a bare chance that such is not the | tang would range over some certain area cut the rope which connected the para- | fact. At first the fall | ear to the appeal of my father’s poor com-| ing to the known habits of the wild mus- chute with the balloon. was terribly rapid, but as soon as the para- | rade,” answered the boy. chute spread out, the rapidity was con- But anyhow, we cannot turn a deaf|in the vicinity, which would not, accord- tang, exceed fifteen or twenty miles in di- ‘‘No. That we cannot! But I reckon, | ameter, as he hadalreadysaid. But when siderably diminished. The machine, how- | boy, if we leave off hunting for the white | old Jack had passed out of sight the mus- ever, made enormous oscillations. The air | mustang, with the surcingle of gold now, | tanger chief said to his companions: gathering and compressed under it, would | the chances are Torrez, who is undoubt- ‘ ‘|sometimes escape on one side and some- | edly on the ‘same hunt, will stand a good | the white mustang may have made for the ‘*In course the thing is possible that times on the other, thus shaking and |chance to beat us and capture the white | stamping grounds from which he came in whirling the parachute about with great | mustang,” rejoined Matt. violence, but fortunately with no ill effect. The origin of the very remote. Itis one appeared amon chines at Venice, in the year 1617. Another species of parachute, less per- | ther fect, Fperhaps, than that of Garnerin’s, | his ranch,” but still a practical machine, was described 189 years before the great aeronaut’s feat | not now give up the hunt for the white | at thesametime, in course, keepin’ a sharp at Paris. We read also in the narrative of the| in behalf of Burton Rodgers, French Ambassador to the court of Siam, | it be?’ said Little Lariat. at the end of the seventeenthcentury, how a certain montebank attached to the court | ter me we ‘depp first to make sure, beyond was accustomed fo climb to the top of a/|any possible high bamboo tree and throw himself into | at the Torrez’s ranch, and then maybe by the air without any other support than|cunnin’ an’ stratagem we can get him off. ' Thus equipped, he would | But a couple of us would do better at such | close and certain without the necessity for two parasols, aba arachute is said to be | trail hunter, : nown that a figure of | Rodgers are really at Torrez’s ranch, we| the RioGrande, But, even if he. set out a collection of ma-|can’t hope to rescue him by goin’ at the|for his old home, bein’ a _ stallion, the on himself to the winds, which car- | sly work than more. the fust place, an’ as you know he has ‘‘That’s so, pard,” put in old Jack, the | the look of a mustang from old Mexico, he ‘*An’ anyhow, I reckon, if | may not stop for long until he gets across job openly. You kin make up yer mind | chances are if he should fall in with a herd ex has left a strong force ter guard | o’ mares he’d jine them, an’ so travel with | them over the range. Now I propose we | ‘You are, no doubt, right. We must | put in theday scouting hereabouts fer him, mustang, and yet something must be done | lookout fer the greasers and the redskins What shall| Ofcourse all agreed that this was the proper thing to do, and accordingly they ‘Yes, That's the question. It seems ldap the captured mustang in the tim- er beside the stream, and also left some oubt, that Rodgers is really | of their camping outfit there, meaning to make their camp there again that night, In order to make the quest the more I reckon it ain’t no| all hands to go over the same territory, it ried him sometimes to the earth, some-| use ter try to raid the Mexican’s ranch | was agreed they should ride in couples, times on trees and houses or even into the | openly. river, but always without harm to himself, | a Of course this is precisely the principle of the parachute. Men are still working away on the prob- lem of a flying machine,and by and by will no doubt solve it. This was forcibly brought to our atten- est house in a retired street of the City of tion the other day by seeing upon a mod- | pard,” Matt answered, The chances are, if wedidso, we’d| And each couple was to take a given | be wiped out,” Matt replied, part of the territory to be searched, ‘*T’ll tell ye what I have in mind, pards,| By the departure of old Jack the orig- and if so be you are of my way o’ thinkin’, | inal party was reduced to eight men, in- the question o’ whether it are Torrez’s | cluding Little Lariat. ranch that Rodgers is at or not, kin be} And sothere were four couples to ride settled,” said old Jack. in quest of the white etang: that day, ‘‘ What's yer pian, Jack? Le’s hear it,| Little Lariat and Mustang Matt rode in company, and the day was well nigh spent ‘“‘ It's jist this ere: I hev been ter Torrez’s | when they struck the trail of a small herd Brooklyn the following somewhat start- | ranch onct er twict, an’ I kin find the place | of mustangs, where the earth was nude ling sign: ** Petersen’s Aerial Navigation Com- | alone ter the greaser’s place, i 9 Limited,” e have been watching ARE YOU TRYING FOR ONE OF THOSE TEN PARLOR ORCANS WE ARE CIVINC| reckon you're the party,” said Matt. AWAY? SEE [6th PACE. [This story commenced in No. 126.] LITTLE LARIAT, — THE — BOY WILD HORSE HUNTER The Dashing Riders of the Staked Plains. A THRILLING STORY OF THE WILD SOUTHWEST, By R. T. EMMET, Author of *' The Rise of Eddy Dunn,” * Steel | You understand ?” old Jack went on. Blade, the Boy Scout of Fort Ridgely,” Boss of the Messenger Boys,” . _ rough India on Bicycles,” ete, CHAPTER X. OLD JACK GOES ON A DANGEROUS Mission, | Sharp, old pard, fer you can give all of us THE letter, which Little Lariat found in the holster on the saddle of the riderless mustang, and which he read aloud to his companions, was as follows: **To ANYONE WHO MAY FIND THis: ‘*T, Burton Rodgers, believe myself to be the only ae member of the party of prospect- ors led by en Marvel. We discovered rich ote caves in the mountains of Mexico, and, hay- ng gathered much wealth, we were on our way in, so, if you say so, I'll make a scout | and soft beside a stream at which the herd an’ make sure | had evidently stopped to drink, by spyin’ about there, if Rodgersarethere.| The finding of this evidence of a herd of immediately made a note of it and |Ifso, maybe I kin work some game to git | wild mustangs was joyfully received by the papers expecting | him off, ¥: to read of Petersen's discovery electrifying | back and le myself, But if I can’t I'll come | Little Lariat. t ye know what I find out, an’| As soon as the trail was sighted he and* then we kin lay our plans pect ol Mustang Matt drew rein, _ **Good!l Tiike yer plan, Jack, old pard,| And the latter at once dismounted, say- an’ if any man among us kin succeed in ing: finding out what we want to know, I , : ! must have a close look at these rac s.” ‘*Yes, Jack has hit upon a good plan,| The experienced wild horse hunters pro- and while he is away we'll keep on looking | ceeded to examine the hoof marks of the for the white mustang,” Little Lariat coin-| mustangs attentively, and Little Lariat cided, watched him anxiously, ‘* It will be two days, at the least, aforeI| ‘*‘ What do you make out?” the lad cried, kin git back from the greaser’s ranch, if so| while Matt was still regarding the tracks be I git back at all, an’ I've got to know | closely, where to find ye then,” old Jack answered.|. ‘‘ That the mustangs hev been here since ‘‘ That’s so, and suppose we say we'll be| noon. If they had been here earlier the at the ledge, where we buried the remains | tracks would have been dry. As it is, some o’ poor Allen Marvel, the day after to-mor-/} of them are quite moist. Now, if the wild row,” said Matt. horses had only left a trail on the thick “That will do, If I ain’t there day after} turf, we should know, of course, which ter-morrer, do ye leave at least one man/ way to go afierthem, But as there is no there, to wait two days longer fer me, an’| trail ter foller, we hev got to fall back on in course he’ll know where to find the rest| what we know about the habits o’ the o’ ye,” replied old Jack, critters, Because they always look fer “Allright! It shall be as you say,” as-| water in the cool of the evening, I take it sented Matt. the herd that has been here will strike this ‘But when four days from this mornin’ | same stream ag’in at along about sunset or have gone by, an’ I ain’t come back, you! later. Now, on the bare ground here we kin make up your minds I ain’t comin’,| see the tracks o’ the animals point south as they left the creek. So we'll take it for ‘‘Yes, If you have not come back when} granted they went south. Then it follers four days have elapsed, then we are to| they will come to the stream fer a drink conclude you have either been slain or| somewhere south of here. An’ so we'll go captured;” Little Lariat replied. down stream until nightfall,” explained ‘That's it, boy.” Mustang Matt, and heand Little Lariat / “Wel, it’s no use o’ tellin’ you to look | rode on without further delay, ts on scoutin’ an’ spyin’ in an enemy's > couhtry, an’ I reckon you'll come back ail CHAPTER XI, right, if any man alive kin,” said Matt. THE WHITE MUSTANG SIGHTED AGAIN, **T hope so, pard, fer though I ain’t qu:ite| ‘ THERE’s little use of riding fast, for the as young as I mought be, I hev got a good | mustangs travel slowly, feeding as they go deal o’ longin’ to stick to this here lower| when they are not pursued, an’ I reckon world yit awhile, an’ when I hev to go to| the herd we hope to sight will not git far the happy huntin’ grounds, I'd a heap| away from the stream before night,” re- rather not be sent there by a greaser or a| marked Matt, as they rode on. skin. Howsomever, there’s no need o'|\ ‘* Not unless they should be sighted and to our homes, on the northeastern borders of the | more talk, the thing are decided on, and I| chased by the Mexicans or the Indians, Staked Plains, when we were attacked on the lains named by a large forceof Indians and | ojq trail hunter. exicans, and I was the only one of the party captured, The others, I believe, were all mas- sacred. A Mexican, who had oined our party some days previously, deser us the day be- fore the attack, and I think he led the Indians | his journey, han ev- | rades all round, and bidding them a cheer- and Mexicans to attack us. The fellow had idently learned our secret that we were laden with gold from mines which we had discovered, and lam helda prisoner at alone ranch near the southern end of the Staked Plains because my captors hope to com cation of the mine wh succeeded i girl, who lives at this ranch, to try to send this etter tothe settlements to the north or to the home of Allen Marvel, and I beg that in case this letter should reach friends they will come to my rescue, * Hastil r, x BURTON RODGERs.” 1 me to reveal the Jo- | CUNN ch we found. I have | ever stood in shoe leather, n inducing a beautiful half-breed | for it, boy, we might have searched the | that, as the shadows began to deepen up= es, they rode reckon I might as well be off,” replied the | I'm in a fever of fear on that account,” re- sponded Little Lariat, He then tightened the girths of hismus-| ‘* We've got to risk that, in course,” an- tang, examined his weapons carefully,and | swered the mustanger, having packed a knapsack with food for; And while they continued to converse he shook hands with his com- | they rode leisurely along down the stream. But they were both Vigilant and con- ful good-bye, rode away in a southerly | stantly on the lookout to discover the herd course, of mustangs, and also watchful to make “There goes one 0’ the bravest an’ most | sure Torrez’s band did not surprise them, in’ Indian fighters an’ scouts that} At last the declining sun reached the Take my word | rim of the far western horison. and after whole State of Texas over an’ not found | on the illimitable prairi another man 80 well fitted for the danger- ous task which he.has set out upon,” said Matt, turning to Little Lariat. ‘“‘Heaven grant he may succeed,” swered the lad, earnestly, close to the fringe of timber along the stream. There the i shadows of the trees ren- dered them invisible to man or beast, save an- |} at a near approach, Suddenly, as if under a single impulse, (E(e) Cc niepoo %