"The car touched the water， and the waves covered them breast high. To the sea with instruments， garments， money！ The aeronauts stripped entirely. The lightened balloon rose with frightful rapidity. Zambecarri was seized with violent vomiting. Grossetti bled freely. The unhappy men could not speak； their respiration was short. They were seized with cold， and in a moment covered with a coat of ice. The moon appeared to them red as blood. After having traversed these high regions during half an hour， the machine again fell into the sea. It was four o' clock in the morning： the bodies of the wretched aeronauts were half in the water， and the balloon， acting as a sail， dragged them about during several hours. At daybreak， they found themselves opposite Pesaro， five miles from the shore； they were about to land， when a sudden flaw of wind drove them back to the open sea. They were lost！ The affrighted barks fled at their approach. Fortunately， a more intelligent navigator hailed them， took them on board； and they landed at Ferrara. That was frightful！ Zambecarri was a brave man. Scarcely recovered from his sufferings， he recommenced his ascensions. In one of them， he struck against a tree； his lamp， filled with spirits of wine， was spilled over his clothes， and they caught fire； he was covered with flame his machine was beginning to kindle， when he descended， half burned. The 21st September， 1812， he made another ascension at Bologna； his balloon caught in a tree； his lamp set fire to it. Zambecarri fell， and was killed！
"And in presence of these high facts， shall we still hesitate？ No！ The higher we go the more glorious will be our death."
The balloon， entirely unballasted， we were borne to incredible heights. The aerostat vibrated in the atmosphere； the slightest sound re-echoed through the celestial vaults； the globe， the only object which struck my sight in immensity， seemed about to be annihilated， and above us the heights of heaven lost themselves in the profound darkness！
I saw the unknown rise before me.
"This is the hour！ " said he to me. "We must die！ We are rejected by men！ They despise its！ let us crush them！ "
"Mercy！ " exclaimed I.
"Let us cut the cords！ let this car be abandoned in space！ The attractive force will change its direction， and we shall land in the sun！ "
Despair gave me strength！ I precipitated myself upon the madman， and a frightful struggle took place！ But I was thrown down！ and while he held me beneath his knee， he cut the cords of the car！
"One！ " said he.
"Mercy！ O， God！ "
"Two！ Three！ "
One cord more， and the car was sustained only on one side. I made a superhuman effort， rose， and violently repulsed this insensate.
"Four！ " said he.
The car was overset. I instinctively clung to the cords which held it， and climbed up the outside.
The unknown had disappeared in space！
In a twinkling the balloon ascended to an immeasurable height！ A horrible crash was heard. The dilated gas had burst its envelope！ I closed my eyes.
A few moments afterwards， a moist warmth reanimated me； I was in the midst of fiery clouds！ The balloon was whirling with fearful rapidity！ I felt myself swooning！ Driven by the wind， I travelled a hundred leagues an hour in my horizontal course； the lightnings flashed around me！
Meanwhile my fall was not rapid. When I opened my eyes， I perceived the country. I was two miles from the sea， the hurricane urging me on with great force. I was lost， when a sudden shock made me let go； my hands opened， a cord slipped rapidly between my fingers， and I found myself on the ground. It was the cord of the anchor， which， sweeping the surface of the ground， had caught in a crevice！ I fainted， and my lightened balloon， resuming its flight， was lost beyond the sea.
When I recovered my senses， I was in the house of a peasant， at Harderwick， a little town of Gueldre， fifteen leagues from Amsterdam， on the banks of the Zuyderzee.
A miracle had saved me. But my voyage had been but a series of imprudences against which I had been unable to defend myself.
May this terrific recital， while it instructs those who read it， not discourage the explorers of the routes of air.
1850年9月，我到達了坐落在美因河畔的法蘭克福。這一次，我乘氣球穿越了德國的幾個主要城市，煞是引人注目。但是，直到現在，也沒有一個德國人願意和我同行。之前我在巴黎成功的升空經曆，並沒有喚起那群刻板的德國人對氣球飛行的半點兒興致。
當時，我要乘氣球升空的消息剛在法蘭克福傳開，馬上就有三個市民自告奮勇，要和我一同實現這一壯舉。兩天後，我們將從喜劇廣場出發。我立刻開始著手做各項準備工作。我的氣球體積龐大，由絲質材料製成，上麵還塗了一層杜仲膠，這是為了防酸蝕和毒氣。此外，氣球的密閉性能特別好。我還修複了其他一些因為危險降落而損壞的小零件。
我們升空的那天正好是德國9月份的一個大集市，成千上萬的人趕到了法蘭克福。裝燃料的大容器由六個大桶組成，被密封起來。氫氣完全是由鐵水和硫黃酸水反應製成的，然後再從第一個容器輸送到第二個容器，繼而送到那個大氣球裏。氣球就是這樣被充滿的。我花了整整一個早晨，才完成了這些準備工作。大約11點的時候，氣球充了3/4，這已經完全夠用了。因為隨著我們升空，空氣的密度會降低，容器裏的氫氣也會隨之膨脹，所以，如果充得太滿就可能會爆炸。根據我和同伴們的重量，我計算出了到達足夠飛行高度所需氣體的確切體積。
我們計劃正午出發。那場麵極其壯觀，等得不耐煩的人們在圈出的圍場內外你推我搡，臨近的街道也被擠得水泄不通。附近的房子，從地下室到房頂全都擠滿了圍觀的人。前幾天刮的大風今天已經平息下來，但晴朗的天空透著悶熱。這樣的天氣，氣球極有可能剛剛升上去就降下來。