the soundest slumber in the world.
"It was fully eleven by the time I had completed these arrangements,
and I immediately betook myself to bed, with full confidence in the
efficiency of my invention. Nor in this matter was I disappointed.
Punctually every sixty minutes was I aroused by my trusty
chronometer, when, having emptied the pitcher into the bung-hole of
the keg, and performed the duties of the condenser, I retired again
to bed. These regular interruptions to my slumber caused me even less
discomfort than I had anticipated; and when I finally arose for the
day, it was seven o'clock, and the sun had attained many degrees
above the line of my horizon.
"April 3d. I found the balloon at an immense height indeed, and the
earth's apparent convexity increased in a material degree. Below me
in the ocean lay a cluster of black specks, which undoubtedly were
islands. Far away to the northward I perceived a thin, white, and
exceedingly brilliant line, or streak, on the edge of the horizon,
and I had no hesitation in supposing it to be the southern disk of
the ices of the Polar Sea. My curiosity was greatly excited, for I
had hopes of passing on much farther to the north, and might
possibly, at some period, find myself placed directly above the Pole
itself. I now lamented that my great elevation would, in this case,
prevent my taking as accurate a survey as I could wish. Much,
however, might be ascertained. Nothing else of an extraordinary
nature occurred during the day. My apparatus all continued in good
order, and the balloon still ascended without any perceptible
vacillation. The cold was intense, and obliged me to wrap up closely
in an overcoat. When darkness came over the earth, I betook myself to
bed, although it was for many hours afterward broad daylight all
around my immediate situation. The water-clock was punctual in its
duty, and I slept until next morning soundly, with the exception of
the periodical interruption.
"April 4th. Arose in good health and spirits, and was astonished at
the singular change which had taken place in the appearance of the
sea. It had lost, in a great measure, the deep tint of blue it had
hitherto worn, being now of a grayish-white, and of a lustre dazzling
to the eye. The islands were no longer visible; whether they had
passed down the horizon to the southeast, or whether my increasing
elevation had left them out of sight, it is impossible to say. I was
inclined, however, to the latter opinion. The rim of ice to the
northward was growing more and more apparent. Cold by no means so
intense. Nothing of importance occurred, and I passed the day in
reading, having taken care to supply myself with books.
"April 5th. Beheld the singular phenomenon of the sun rising while
nearly the whole visible surface of the earth continued to be
involved in darkness. In time, however, the light spread itself over
all, and I again saw the line of ice to the northward. It was now
very distinct, and appeared of a much darker hue than the waters of
the ocean. I was evidently approaching it, and with great rapidity.
Fancied I could again distinguish a strip of land to the eastward,
and one also to the westward, but could not be certain. Weather
moderate. Nothing of any consequence happened during the day. Went
early to bed.
"April 6th. Was surprised at finding the rim of ice at a very
moderate distance, and an immense field of the same material
stretching away off to the horizon in the north. It was evident that
if the balloon held its present course, it would soon arrive above
the Frozen Ocean, and I had now little doubt of ultimately seeing the
Pole. During the whole of the day I continued to near the ice. Toward
night the limits of my horizon very suddenly and materially
increased, owing undoubtedly to the earth's form being that of an
oblate spheroid, and my arriving above the flattened regions in the
vicinity of the Arctic circle. When darkness at length overtook me, I
went to bed in great anxiety, fearing to pass over the object of so
much curiosity when I should have no opportunity of observing it.
"April 7th. Arose early, and, to my great joy, at length beheld what
there could be no hesitation in supposing the northern Pole itself.
It was there, beyond a doubt, and immediately beneath my feet; but,
alas! I had now ascended to so vast a distance, that nothing could
with accuracy be discerned. Indeed, to judge from the progression of
the numbers indicating my various altitudes, respectively, at
different periods, between six A.M. on the second of April, and
twenty minutes before nine A.M. of the same day (at which time the
barometer ran down), it might be fairly inferred that the balloon had
now, at four o'clock in the morning of April the seventh, reached a
height of not less, certainly, than 7,254 miles above the surface of
the sea. This elevation may appear immense, but the estimate upon
which it is calculated gave a result in all probability far inferior
to the truth. At all events I undoubtedly beheld the whole of the
earth's major diameter; the entire northern hemisphere lay beneath me
like a chart orthographically projected: and the great circle of the
equator itself formed the boundary line of my horizon. Your
Excellencies may, however, readily imagine that the confined regions
hitherto unexplored within the limits of the Arctic circle, although
situated directly beneath me, and therefore seen without any
appearance of being foreshortened, were still, in themselves,
comparatively too diminutive, and at too great a distance from the
point of sight, to admit of any very accurate examination.
Nevertheless, what could be seen was of a nature singular and
exciting. Northwardly from that huge rim before mentioned, and which,
with slight qualification, may be called the limit of human discovery
in these regions, one unbroken, or nearly unbroken, sheet of ice
continues to extend. In the first few degrees of this its progress,
its surface is very sensibly flattened, farther on depressed into a
plane, and finally, becoming not a little concave, it terminates, at
the Pole itself, in a circular centre, sharply defined, wbose
apparent diameter subtended at the balloon an angle of about
sixty-five seconds, and whose dusky hue, varying in intensity, was,
at all times, darker than any other spot upon the visible hemisphere,
and occasionally deepened into the most absolute and impenetrable
blackness. Farther than this, little could be ascertained. By twelve
o'clock the circular centre had materially decreased in
circumference, and by seven P.M. I lost sight of it entirely; the
balloon passing over the western limb of the ice, and floating away
rapidly in the direction of the equator.
"April 8th. Found a sensible diminution in the earth's apparent
diameter, besides a material alteration in its general color and
appearance. The whole visible area partook in different degrees of a
tint of pale yellow, and in some
portions had acquired a brilliancy
even painful to the eye. My view downward was also considerably
impeded by the dense atmosphere in the vicinity of the surface being
loaded with clouds, between whose masses I could only now and then
obtain a glimpse of the earth itself. This difficulty of direct
vision had troubled me more or less for the last forty-eight hours;
but my present enormous elevation brought closer together, as it
were, the floating bodies of vapor, and the inconvenience became, of
course, more and more palpable in proportion to my ascent.
Nevertheless, I could easily perceive that the balloon now hovered
above the range of great lakes in the continent of North America, and
was holding a course, due south, which would bring me to the tropics.
This circumstance did not fail to give me the most heartful
satisfaction, and I hailed it as a happy omen of ultimate success.
Indeed, the direction I had hitherto taken, had filled me with
uneasiness; for it was evident that, had I continued it much longer,
there would have been no possibility of my arriving at the moon at
all, whose orbit is inclined to the ecliptic at only the small angle
of 5 degrees 8' 48".
"April 9th. To-day the earth's diameter was greatly diminished, and
the color of the surface assumed hourly a deeper tint of yellow. The
balloon kept steadily on her course to the southward, and arrived, at
nine P.M., over the northern edge of the Mexican Gulf.
"April 10th. I was suddenly aroused from slumber, about five o'clock
this morning, by a loud, crackling, and terrific sound, for which I
could in no manner account. It was of very brief duration, but, while
it lasted resembled nothing in the world of which I had any previous
experience. It is needless to say that I became excessively alarmed,
having, in the first instance, attributed the noise to the bursting
of the balloon. I examined all my apparatus, however, with great
attention, and could discover nothing out of order. Spent a great
part of the day in meditating upon an occurrence so extraordinary,
but could find no means whatever of accounting for it. Went to bed
dissatisfied, and in a state of great anxiety and agitation.
"April 11th. Found a startling diminution in the apparent diameter of
the earth, and a considerable increase, now observable for the first
time, in that of the moon itself, which wanted only a few days of
being full. It now required long and excessive labor to condense
within the chamber sufficient atmospheric air for the sustenance of
life.
"April 12th. A singular alteration took place in regard to the
direction of the balloon, and although fully anticipated, afforded me
the most unequivocal delight. Having reached, in its former course,
about the twentieth parallel of southern latitude, it turned off
suddenly, at an acute angle, to the eastward, and thus proceeded
throughout the day, keeping nearly, if not altogether, in the exact
plane of the lunar elipse. What was worthy of remark, a very
perceptible vacillation in the car was a consequence of this change
of route -- a vacillation which prevailed, in a more or less degree,
for a period of many hours.
"April 13th. Was again very much alarmed by a repetition of the loud,
crackling noise which terrified me on the tenth. Thought long upon
the subject, but was unable to form any satisfactory conclusion.
Great decrease in the earth's apparent diameter, which now subtended
from the balloon an angle of very little more than twenty-five
degrees. The moon could not be seen at all, being nearly in my
zenith. I still continued in the plane of the elipse, but made little
progress to the eastward.
"April 14th. Extremely rapid decrease in the diameter of the earth.
To-day I became strongly impressed with the idea, that the balloon
was now actually running up the line of apsides to the point of
perigee- in other words, holding the direct course which would bring
it immediately to the moon in that part of its orbit the nearest to
the earth. The moon iself was directly overhead, and consequently
hidden from my view. Great and long-continued labor necessary for the
condensation of the atmosphere.
"April 15th. Not even the outlines of continents and seas could now
be traced upon the earth with anything approaching distinctness.
About twelve o'clock I became aware, for the third time, of that
appalling sound which had so astonished me before. It now, however,
continued for some moments, and gathered intensity as it continued.
At length, while, stupefied and terror-stricken, I stood in
expectation of I knew not what hideous destruction, the car vibrated
with excessive violence, and a gigantic and flaming mass of some
material which I could not distinguish, came with a voice of a
thousand thunders, roaring and booming by the balloon. When my fears
and astonishment had in some degree subsided, I had little difficulty
in supposing it to be some mighty volcanic fragment ejected from that
world to which I was so rapidly approaching, and, in all probability,
one of that singular class of substances occasionally picked up on
the earth, and termed meteoric stones for want of a better
appellation.
"April 16th. To-day, looking upward as well as I could, through each
of the side windows alternately, I beheld, to my great delight, a
very small portion of the moon's disk protruding, as it were, on all
sides beyond the huge circumference of the balloon. My agitation was
extreme; for I had now little doubt of soon reaching the end of my
perilous voyage. Indeed, the labor now required by the condenser had
increased to a most oppressive degree, and allowed me scarcely any
respite from exertion. Sleep was a matter nearly out of the question.
I became quite ill, and my frame trembled with exhaustion. It was
impossible that human nature could endure this state of intense
suffering much longer. During the now brief interval of darkness a
meteoric stone again passed in my vicinity, and the frequency of
these phenomena began to occasion me much apprehension.
"April 17th. This morning proved an epoch in my voyage. It will be
remembered that, on the thirteenth, the earth subtended an angular
breadth of twenty-five degrees. On the fourteenth this had greatly
diminished; on the fifteenth a still more remarkable decrease was
observable; and, on retiring on the night of the sixteenth, I had
noticed an angle of no more than about seven degrees and fifteen
minutes. What, therefore, must have been my amazement, on awakening
from a brief and disturbed slumber, on the morning of this day, the
seventeenth, at finding the surface beneath me so suddenly and
wonderfully augmented in volume, as to subtend no less than
thirty-nine degrees in apparent angular diameter! I was
thunderstruck! No words can give any adequate idea of the extreme,
the absolute horror and astonishment, with which I was seized
possessed, and altogether overwhelmed. My knees tottered beneath me
&n
bsp; -- my teeth chattered -- my hair started up on end. "The balloon,
then, had actually burst!" These were the first tumultuous ideas that
hurried through my mind: "The balloon had positively burst! -- I was
falling -- falling with the most impetuous, the most unparalleled
velocity! To judge by the immense distance already so quickly passed
over, it could not be more than ten minutes, at the farthest, before
I should meet the surface of the earth, and be hurled into
annihilation!" But at length reflection came to my relief. I paused;
I considered; and I began to doubt. The matter was impossible. I
could not in any reason have so rapidly come down. Besides, although
I was evidently approaching the surface below me, it was with a speed
by no means commensurate with the velocity I had at first so horribly
conceived. This consideration served to calm the perturbation of my
mind, and I finally succeeded in regarding the phenomenon in its
proper point of view. In fact, amazement must have fairly deprived me
of my senses, when I could not see the vast difference, in
appearance, between the surface below me, and the surface of my
mother earth. The latter was indeed over my head, and completely
hidden by the balloon, while the moon -- the moon itself in all its
glory -- lay beneath me, and at my feet.
"The stupor and surprise produced in my mind by this extraordinary
change in the posture of affairs was perhaps, after all, that part of
the adventure least susceptible of explanation. For the
bouleversement in itself was not only natural and inevitable, but had
been long actually anticipated as a circumstance to be expected
whenever I should arrive at that exact point of my voyage where the
attraction of the planet should be superseded by the attraction of
the satellite -- or, more precisely, where the gravitation of the
balloon toward the earth should be less powerful than its gravitation
toward the moon. To be sure I arose from a sound slumber, with all my
senses in confusion, to the contemplation of a very startling
phenomenon, and one which, although expected, was not expected at the
Poe, Edgar Allen - The Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe Page 9