"Oh, no!" quickly said Nan, for she did not want her little sister and brother to tease for a ride in a balloon basket.
"I'd like a ride in a balloon," murmured Freddie.
Just then the wind began to blow more strongly, and the big gas bag swayed to one side, toward a crowd of people who ran to get out of the way.
"Get more ropes!" cried one of the balloon men. "Get more ropes and sand bags!"
"That's right!" shouted another man. "There's going to be a storm. I don't know whether we ought to send the balloon up!"
"Oh, let her go!" cried several in the crowd. They did not want to be disappointed. Bert and Harry added their voices to the cries for an ascension.
"Well, we'll have to tie the balloon down until we get more gas in it," said the first man. "Come on now, more ropes and sand bags!"
While these were being brought the Bobbsey twins and their relatives drew as near to the balloon as they could get, closely looking at it. At times the big bag, partly filled with gas, swayed until it swept the ground. The basket, too, pulled and tugged at the ropes that held it down.
"What does the man do when he's in the basket?" Freddie asked.
"Oh, he sits there and rides along up in the clouds," said Bert. "I wish I could go up."