But as the sea boiled up, I found myself gradually drawn more to the centre, and when exactly in it, I was raised in a sitting posture upon the spiral thread of water, which, as I explained to your highness, forced itself upwards to join the tongue protruded by the cloud.  There I sat, each second rising higher and higher, balanced like the gilt ball of pith, which is borne up by the vertical stream of the fountain which plays in the inner court of your highness’s palace.  I cast my eyes down, and perceived the vessel not far off, the captain and crew holding up their eyes in amazement at the extraordinary spectacle.

* * * * *

“I don’t wonder at that,” observed the pacha.

* * * * *

I soon reached the tongue of the cloud, which appeared as if impatient to receive me—­the hair of my head first coming within its attractive powers was raised straight on end—­then seized as it were and twisted it round.  I was dragged up by it each moment with increased velocity, as I whirled round in my ascent.  At last I found myself safely landed, and sat down to recover my breath which I had nearly lost for ever.

* * * * *

“And, pray, where did you sit, Huckaback?”

“On the cloud, your highness.”

“Holy prophet!  What, a cloud bear your weight?”

“If your highness will call to mind that at the same time the cloud took up several tons of water, you cannot be surprised at its supporting me.”

“Very true,” replied the pacha.  “This is a very wonderful story, but before you go on, I wish to know what the cloud was made of.”

“That is rather difficult to explain to your highness.  I can only compare it to a wet blanket.  I found it excessively cold and damp, and caught a rheumatism while I was there, which I feel to this day.”

* * * * *

When the cloud was saturated, the column divided, and we rapidly ascended until the cold became intense.  We passed a rainbow as we skimmed along, and I was very much surprised to find that the key of my chest and my clasp knife, forced themselves through the cloth of my jacket, and flew with great velocity towards it, fixing themselves firmly to the violet rays, from which I discovered that those peculiar rays were magnetic.  I mentioned this curious circumstance to an English lady whom I met on her travels, and I have since learnt that she has communicated the fact to the learned societies as a discovery of her own.  However, as she is a very pretty woman, I forgive her.  Anxious to look down upon the earth, I poked a hole with my finger through the bottom of the cloud, and was astonished to perceive how rapidly it was spinning round.  We had risen so high as to be out of the sphere of its attraction, and in consequence remained stationary.  I had been up about six hours, and although I was close to the coast of America when I ascended, I could perceive that the Cape of Good Hope was just heaving in sight.  I was enabled to form a very good idea of the structure of the globe, for at that immense height I could see to the very bottom of the Atlantic Ocean.  Depend upon it, your highness, if you wish to discover more than other people can, it is necessary to be “up in the clouds.”