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stucl fast, and all my cefforts to open Inowere without avail, T must have spent an hour or more i the attempt, during which Gme T had heen driving ina rising wind aeross North Wales, A last 1 desisted, and - deternmined to extemporize @ valve, as 1 had done onee hefore, by cutting a small opening m the halloon and thrusting through it the neck of a2 beer-hottle, broken off; and with the cork still init. By taking the cork inoor out | was cnabled to emit or check the flow ol gas, and it was not long before 1 was near enough ty the ground to throw out my grapnel. [t dragged for some distance along the level summit of a cliff without finding anything to catch on, and finally dropped from the summit into a2 small bay formed by an - dentation in the chiff. 1 could see the road which ran along the eliffy and aman on horse- back riding on it Almost at the swme moment I was menaced Dy asudden dangers I saw that 1 must vise at once at Jeast hundrod fect in order to avoid o pimnacle which Lav direetly inoany pathe Dthrust the cork into the botte neck and threw out cvery ounce of ballast 1 which wis about (wo hundredweight. s Lofinshed I heard a sudden and loud cry hencath me, and, looking downward, was horrified to see that my grapnel in its swing had struck

POSHUSSC !

STNRAND

MG AZTNT

the rider o the and - had caught firmly n his coat. The sudden rise of the halloon had taken place at the same mstant, and had lifted the nder from the saddle, and then, s weight - hringing the slant of the rope to the per- pendicular, had dragued him several vards along the ground. Then, as the balloon rosce. 1t lifted him clear off 1L and 1t was at this moment that he uttered the ery which attracted my attention. rushed to the cork and withdrew it: but the escape ol gas was no compensation for the tremendots loss of hallast, ITna few seconds the crapnel with its burden were above the chff, which they had

bhack,

hardly clearcd when the cloth in which the grapnel held suddenly gave way, and M. Carbovine el upon the Tevel sunmit, The

hook of the wrapmel had, however, passed under the strap of his knapsack, which it lifted from his shoulders as he fello 1 after- wards drew it up into the cary and now produce i, The balloon, released from his weight, shot upwards Tike an arrow, and n a few minutes he was lost to sight. Before this 1 could, however, distinetly see his friend scarching for him in the roadway, and O towards the verge of the precipice, 1nto which the handkerchiel of the deceased had fluttered 5 it having fallen from him, as hd his hat, before the coat gave way. As for me, it was many hours before T could descend, and when T did so I was taken by some peasants swooning from the car. They tended me with every care, but until last night T was too ill to make any attempt to travel, Now, T have come here with all speed, having heard of this mcuiry, and knowing that I, and T only, can prevent suspicion from fulling on the innocent.”

The Coroner (turning to o the Jury) . “Gentlomen, Tsaid just now that this case was the most extraordimary that has over occurred iy experience, and though My Miltord's statement has explained by perfectly natural causes every detail ol the mystery, 1 1 bound to say so still.”