Chapter1 綺麗海盜船 A Gorgeous Corsair (第1/17頁)
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u0001空中歷險記AVoyageinaBalloon
儒勒·凡爾納
JulesVerne
儒勒·凡爾納（JulesVerne，1828—1905），法國著名科幻小說家、冒險小說家。1863年，他憑總名稱爲《在已知和未知世界中的奇異漫遊》的系列作品集一舉成名，這進一步地激發了他的創作熱情。他一生中共創作了66部小說，其中《格蘭特船長的兒女》《海底兩萬裏》《神祕島》《環遊地球80天》等風靡全球，成爲家喻戶曉的作品。他以其大量著作和突出貢獻，被譽爲“現代科學幻想小說之父”。
I
InthemonthofSetember，1850，IarrivedatFrankfort-on-the-Maine.MyassagethroughtherincialcitiesofGermany,hadbeenbrilliantlymarkedbyaerostaticballoon；but,utothisday,noinhabitantoftheConfederationhadaccomaniedme,andthesuccessfulexerimentsatParisofMessrs.Green,Godard,andPoitevin,hadfailedtoinducethegraveGermanstoattemtaerialvoyages.
Meanwhile,hardlyhadthenewsofmyaroachingascensioncirculatedthroughoutFrankfort,thanthreeersonsofnoteaskedthefavourofaccomanyingme.Twodaysafter,weweretoascendfromthePlacedelaComédie.Iimmediatelyoccuiedmyselfwiththerearations.Myballoon,ofgiganticroortions,wasofsilk,coatedwithguttaercha,asubstancenotliabletoinjuryfromacidsorgas,andofabsoluteimermeability.Sometrifingrentsweremended：theinevitableresultsoferilousdescents.
ThedayofourascensionwasthatofthegreatfairofSetember,whichattractsalltheworldtoFrankfort.Theaaratusforfllingwascomosedofsixhogsheadsarrangedaroundalargevat,hermeticallysealed.Thehydrogengas,evolvedbythecontactofwaterwithironandsulhuricacid,assedfromthefrstreservoirstothesecond,andthenceintotheimmenseglobe,whichwasthusgraduallyinflated.Theserearationsoccuiedallthemorning,andabout11oclock,theballoonwasthree-quartersfull；sufficientlyso；foraswerise,theatmoshericlayersdiminishindensity,andthegas,confinedwithintheaerostat,acquiringmoreelasticity,mightotherwiseburstitsenveloe.Mycalculationshadfurnishedmewiththeexactmeasurementofgasrequiredtocarrymycomanionsandmyselftoaconsiderableheight.
Weweretoascendatnoon.Itwastrulyamagnifcentsectacle,thatoftheimatientcrowdwhothrongedaroundthereservedenclosure,inundatedtheentiresquareandadjoiningstreets,andcoveredtheneighbouringhousesfromthebasementstotheslatedroofs.Thehighwindsofastdayshadlulled,andanoveroweringheatwasradiatingfromanuncloudedsky；notabreathanimatedtheatmoshere.Insuchweather,onemightdescendintheverysothehadleft.
