Page:Meda - a tale of the future.djvu/38

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34
MEDA:

Scotonia." Then I asked them,—"To what nation do you belong?" and received as reply, "We are Scotonians." Again I inquired, "Of what city are these the ruins?" To this last question I could get no reply. They put their fingers on their lips, and after a short consultation, began to move off, making signs for me to follow. We went on slowly for some time; then, they both suddenly stopped, and unfolding a part of their kilt-like garment, uncovered a pocket into which they put their hands, and threw out a quantity of small gravel, meanwhile holding on by the branch of a shrub. I could not understand what this meant at first; but I soon found out, for, no sooner did they loose their hold of the shrub than they began to trip along at a rattling speed. It was now evident to me that they had been discharging ballast. "These people must be a description of animated balloon," I thought to myself, "and now that they are light they will try to get away from me." I was not going to be left behind, and so the