About a fortnight after this the balloon was completed. A windlass was erected right aft, and to this the long, long rope was attached.
A code of signals was made out, and early one morning Antonio himself made his first ascent to a great height. He had with him many scientific instruments and one of his best telescopes.
He was more than pleased with the experiment.
Afar off to the southward, probably one hundred and odd miles away, he could see the clear blue ocean itself. Oh, how he longed to be afloat therein once more!
But away to the north and the west nothing was visible but the brown solemn sea, with its dark covering of snakey weeds, that looked like living things as they rose and fell on the gently heaving waves.
“Ah! how many secrets,” he said to himself, “lie buried in this dreary ocean!”
He shuddered a little as he thought how the story of the disappearance of the Zingara might never, never be told.
But see, yonder is a hull or hulk in the water many miles to the north. There are the lower masts still sticking up from her decks—one, two, three, and a shattered bowsprit also.
Is it possible there could be life on board of that weird-like derelict?
His attention is next called to the appearance of more than one fearful-looking apparition, that bobs to and fro with a lifelike motion among the brown weeds.