“There goes our last bag of ballast,” said the captain, “and may luck go with it.  We are lost men unless it takes us into another current, which let us hope won’t be coming from the East and carry us out into the Atlantic.”

Up again they mounted, how many feet Josiah didn’t know, but he was sensible of a sudden iciness in the atmosphere, a tingling of the blood at his finger ends, and a strong disposition to bleed at the nose.  The captain threw out some more bits of paper.  Still they circled round and round, dropping into the car or falling to the distant earth now utterly out of sight.  They had passed through the cloud, and had above them a chilly sun and an intensely blue sky.  Below them were the clouds, on one of which was clearly caught the shadow of the balloon.  Josiah, when he moved his head, could see an answering motion on the cloud, and recognised the reflection of the captain’s figure, sitting stern and erect, with his teeth set and a look of angry determination on his brow.

This frightened Josiah a great deal more than the captain’s words.  He felt that they were lost in space, and that the end must speedily come.  This terrible look on the captain’s face made him sick at heart.

“Mr. Smith,” said the captain, speaking scarcely above a whisper, but his voice sounded as if he were shouting from the housetops, “you told me you were not a married man.”

“Yes,” said Josiah, “I have never been married.”

“That is so, or I should not have asked you to come with me.  And you have not many relations?”

“No,” said Josiah, “there are not many that would miss me.”

“Very well,” said the captain; “I have; but your life is as valuable as mine, and I would hold you at no disadvantage.  The fact is, we are becalmed, and there is no prospect of any wind reaching us here till night, when we shan’t know which way we are drifting, and may as well give up all hope.  There is wind overhead, I know, and it is going straight for France.  If we could get up another thousand feet or so, we should catch the current and be over land in ten minutes.  But all the ballast has gone, and there is only one thing to be done.”

“What’s that?” asked Josiah faintly.

“One of us must go overboard,” said the captain.

Josiah felt his heart sink within him.

“I am not sure that it would be much use my going over,” the captain continued, discussing the matter as quietly as if he were arranging what they should have for dinner.  “I’m such a thundering weight, you’d shoot up till you bumped your head against Jupiter; and besides, you would not know what to do with the balloon if I was gone.  Still, I think we should have equal chances.  Now, I’ll give you the first chance.  You get hold of me and try to push me over.  If I go, you will find the balloon shoot up; but don’t be frightened:  you’ll be all right in a bit, and can let out a few feet of gas.  If you can’t get me over—­well, I must try to get you over.  Hold on a bit till I light a cigar.”