“We are surely going down!” cried Pepper.
The balloon made a big dip, coming to within two hundred feet of the lake surface. They were preparing to shed their coats and shoes when a gust took them upward once more and back to the shore.
“We are not going down just yet,” said Andy. “But I think the balloon will settle before long.”
“Where are we?” asked Jack.
“In the air,” said Pepper, who could not resist the temptation to joke.
“I don’t know where we are,” answered Andy. “But there is a wild lot of timber and rocks below us,” he added, after a searching look downward.
The balloon continued to move onward, but kept lowering constantly. Then came a sudden jolt to the basket.
“We hit a tree-top,” announced Andy. “We must be on our guard now!”
But once more the balloon took an upward turn, and the forest remained a good hundred feet below them. Then the wind appeared to die out utterly and the balloon ceased to move forward.
“This is all right,” said Andy. “Now, fellows, prepare to catch hold of a limb or something, when we go down.”