My Escape.
The sun had set on yonder hill,
The little brook was very still,
And I went to bed with a cheerful heart,
Knowing that all was well.
But as the midnight rolled on still,
There came the dreadful cry
Of fire! fire! on the hill,
And I prepared to fly.
I rolled an egg up in a shawl,
And saddled my horse near by;
I sprang to the saddle and plied the paddle,
And then commenced to fly.
My horse flew up to the skies
And landed on a cloud.
And then I heard for the first time
A thunder wild and loud.
And there on the cloud beside me stood
A giant large and tall,
Who, in a voice of thunder, cried,
"What right have you here at all?"
I shivered and shook from head to foot,
And the giant he roared with rage,
"I'll take you home with me," he cried,
"And shut you up in a cage."
But I ran to the edge of the cloud
And gave a fearful leap,
And the shock awoke me, and I found
That I had been asleep.
Composed jointly by Helen, Virginia, and Gladys Mackay-Smith, aged 9, 11, and 13 years.