The airship was most comfortably arranged with nice little cabins in which to eat and sleep, and the sides were so high that no one could possibly fall over the edge.
Mr. Gray-Squirrel had hired Captain Hawk to steer the airship by day, and Admiral Owl to keep a careful lookout at night. The children were rather afraid of Captain Hawk with his bright eyes and sharp beak, but they all loved to talk to old Admiral Owl, although he was always very sleepy when the sun was shining.
Above the Clouds
Chapter II
One fine morning away they flew, circling round and round, up and up, until the earth lay far below. Numbers of strange birds flew about them, and one big gray one, with long feathery ears and a huge beak, frightened little Rosamund dreadfully, by perching on the airship close beside her. Day after day, they sailed past beautiful stars and planets, until one morning they came to a very large cluster of star islands, which were thickly covered with herds of snow-white cows.
“Those cows belong to the King of the Moon,” said Captain Hawk, “and they give so much milk that the islands are called The Milky Way. We are not far from the Moon now.”
That same day, towards evening, they came to a great round island entirely made of rocks and ice.
“Let’s not stop here,” said Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny with a shiver. “It is so cold that I think the tip of my left ear is frozen.”