“Oh, I want to get down!” screamed Flossie.  She looked over the edge of the basket, as did her brother, and just then Mrs. Bobbsey glanced up.

“Oh, my children!  Flossie and Freddie!” she gasped, pointing.  “They’re in the balloon!”

CHAPTER XVI

ON THE ISLAND

There was great excitement down on the ground when the cry of Mrs. Bobbsey told her husband, the other children, and the big crowd that Flossie and Freddie had been carried away in the balloon.  At first some did not believe it, and even Mr. Bobbsey found it hard to imagine that such a thing could happen.

But one look up at the swaying basket dangling from the runaway balloon showed him the faces of Flossie and Freddie looking down at the earth which seemed to be dropping away from them.

“Oh, my children!  My children!  Flossie!  Freddie!” cried Mrs. Bobbsey, tears streaming down her cheeks, as she raised her hands toward the swiftly rising balloon.

“Get them down!”

“We’ll catch ’em if they jump!”

“Get a ladder!”

“Have the man in the aeroplane go after them!”

These were some of the cries—­foolish cries in some cases—­that sounded on all sides as Flossie and Freddie were carried away.  For how could any ladder be long enough to reach up to the balloon?

“Oh, can’t we do something?” wailed Mrs. Bobbsey, holding to her husband.

“We’ll save them!  We’ll save Flossie and Freddie,” said Mr. Bobbsey.  Nan was crying also, and Harry and Bert looked at each other with strange faces.  They didn’t know what to do or say.

Mr. Bobbsey felt the wind blowing stronger and stronger and saw the gathering storm.  As he saw how fast the balloon was moving upward and onward, away from the fair grounds, he, too, was much frightened.

“How did those children get in there?” asked one of the balloon men.

“They must have crawled in the basket when we weren’t looking,” answered Mr. Bobbsey.

“Is there any way of saving my little children?” cried Mrs. Bobbsey.

“Now don’t you worry,” said the balloon man kindly.  “They’ll be all right if they stay in the basket.  The balloon hasn’t all its gas in, and it won’t blow very far.  It will soon come down to the ground.”

“But won’t they be killed?”

“No, a balloon comes down very gently when the gas gives out.” said the man.  “It’s almost like a parachute.  Your children will come down like feathers.  We’ll get up a searching party and go after them.”  He knew there was great danger but he did not want to add to Mrs. Bobbsey’s fears.

“Oh, yes!  Do something!” cried Mrs. Bobbsey.  “We must save them!”

While down below there was all excitement and while a searching party was getting ready to start out to rescue Flossie and Freddie, the two little children themselves were safe enough in the balloon basket.  That is they were safe for the time being, for they could not fall unless they climbed over the side of the basket, and they would hardly do this.  They were also safe from banging into anything, for they were now high in the air, well above all trees and buildings, and there were no other balloons or any aeroplanes in sight.