What We Will See
today freedom; here is more of this capital", and handed me bonds worth many hundreds of contos. "I still have a few years to live; I want to see how you conduct yourself: go to Paris, the most dangerous place for a boy. Let's see if you become a man; I prefer that you don't become a doctor: in Paris, with the help of our cousins, you will look for a specialist in Physics, Chemistry, Mechanics, Electricity, etc., study these subjects and don't forget that the future of the world is in Mechanics. You don't have to think about making a living; I'll leave you what you need to live...".
⁂
When I arrived in Paris, and with the help of my cousins, I went looking for a teacher. I couldn't have been happier; we discovered Mr. Garcia, a respectable preceptor, of Spanish origin, who knew everything. With him I studied for many years.
In the books he took with me to Brazil, I read the names of several people who went up in balloons, on the occasion of public celebrations. They were the only ones who were involved in aeronautics at the time.
Without saying anything to my teacher, nor to my cousins, I looked for the names in the Bottin Yearbook
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