From the first he had simply burned to catch hold of the rope, and help keep the balloon down. But other boys who had volunteered had been roughly rejected by the aeronaut, so Ned could only push as near as possible, and be all ready.
It was the closing day of the fair, and the last of the ascensions was about to occur. The balloon was filled and buoyant, and a fresh breeze was causing it to tug unusually at the one rope. The men holding the rope down were almost lifted, at times, off their feet. It was a tug of war between the balloon and them, and the balloon seemed likely to have the best of it.
“Here, you people; some of you give us a hand on that rope, will you?” appealed the aeronaut.
At least half a score—many more than were needed—sprang over into the enclosure; among them were Ned and Bob. Only three or four could find room on the rope—and among these was Ned. Thus, at length, he was where he had wanted to be.
The aeronaut was too busy to pay any attention.
“Now—let go!” he ordered, suddenly.
As the words were leaving his mouth, this is what happened: Wrenched by a sudden fierce gust of wind the stake to which the balloon was anchored was torn from the earth; the people who had been braced at the other end of the rope sat down hard. The balloon jumped, and the heavy stake, swinging inward, caught in the netting; the rope, quickly kinking, knotted under Ned’s shoulders as he sprawled, for a moment, on the ground; and like lightning he was jerked into space.
The accident took only a second. Now Ned was valiantly set, prepared to hold the balloon all by himself, if necessary; next, he was lifted irresistibly, helplessly, into the air, and out of a great uproar of voices he was conscious only of Bob’s despairing, high-pitched yelps, quickly fading away, beneath; and above, the aeronaut’s imperative, tense voice:
“Hang tight! Grab the rope!”
With both hands Ned had at once gripped the rope as high as he could reach. It was wound about his chest, and the free end dangled below. He raised his eyes, and there, over head on the trapeze, was the aeronaut.