“Five Weeks in a Balloon” is an adventure novel by Jules Verne, published in 1863. A scholar and explorer, Dr. Samuel Ferguson, accompanied by his manservant Joe and his friend professional hunter Richard “Dick” Kennedy, sets out to travel across the African continent — still not fully explored — with the help of a balloon filled with hydrogen. There are numerous scenes of adventure, composed of either a conflict with a native or a conflict with the environment.