There was a sound of ripping cloth, and the next
moment the balloon began to drop rapidly. This left its passengers
no alternative but to take to their parachutes, as to remain
longer with the balloon spelled sure death, and they had a bare
chance for life if they jumped.
Grasping the hand-holds of the big white parachutes, the three
youths climbed to the edge of the basket, poised for a second, and
then leaped off into space.
For seconds the Army Boys experienced a terrible series of
sensations as they dropped with the speed of light toward the
uprushing earth. The wind roared and whistled in their ears, and
they both thought the parachutes would never open in time to
prevent their being dashed to atoms on the ground. But when they
were less than two hundred feet from the ground, each felt a
sudden checking of the plummet-like drop and knew that the
parachutes had at last taken hold. Slower and more slowly they
went, as the parachutes gathered the air in their silken folds.
But still the boys were not safe, for the strong wind tore at the
parachutes and threatened at any moment to tear them loose.
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