And, sure enough, with an accompaniment of musket-shots, yelling, and din of every description, the mass of fire was, indeed, mounting toward the _Victoria_. Joe got ready to throw out ballast, and Ferguson was not long at guessing the truth. Thousands of pigeons, their tails garnished with combustibles, had been set loose and driven toward the _Victoria;_ and now, in their terror, they were flying high up, zigzagging the atmosphere with lines of fire. Kennedy was preparing to discharge all his batteries into the middle of the ascending multitude, but what could he have done against such a numberless army? The pigeons were already whisking around the car; they were even surrounding the balloon, the sides of which, reflecting their illumination, looked as though enveloped with a network of fire. The doctor dared hesitate no longer; and, throwing out a fragment of quartz, he kept himself beyond the reach of these dangerous assailants; and, for two hours afterward, he could see them wandering hither and thither through the darkness of the night, until, little by little, their light diminished, and they, one by one, died out. “Now we may sleep in quiet,” said the doctor. “Not badly got up for barbarians,” mused friend Joe, speaking his thoughts aloud. “Oh, they employ these pigeons frequently, to set fire to the thatch of hostile villages; but this time the village mounted higher than they could go.” “Why, positively, a balloon need fear no enemies!” “Yes, indeed, it may!” objected Ferguson. “What are they, then, doctor?” “They are the careless people in the car! So, my friends, let us have vigilance in all places and at all times.” CHAPTER THIRTY-FIRST. Departure in the Night-time.—All Three.—Kennedy’s Instincts.—Precautions.—The Course of the Shari River.—Lake Tchad.—The Water of the Lake.—The Hippopotamus.—One Bullet thrown away. About three o’clock in the morning, Joe, who was then on watch, at length saw the city move away from beneath his feet. The _Victoria_ was once again in motion, and both the doctor and Kennedy awoke. The former consulted his compass, and saw, with satisfaction, that the wind was carrying them toward the north-northeast. “We are in luck!” said he; “every thing works in our favor: we shall discover Lake Tchad this very day.” “Is it a broad sheet of water?” asked Kennedy. “Somewhat, Dick. At its greatest length and breadth, it measures about one hundred and twenty miles.” “It will spice our trip with a little variety to sail over a spacious sheet of water.” “After all, though, I don’t see that we have much to complain of on that score. Our trip has been very much varied, indeed; and, moreover, we are getting on under the best possible conditions.” “Unquestionably so; excepting those privations on the desert, we have encountered no serious danger.”