“Why can’t you let me alone?” whined the sloth-bear. “I’ve never done nothing to you, have I? Why can’t you let a poor beast sleep in peace?”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake let the lazy old thing go to sleep if it wants to,” said Dick, impatiently, while tender-hearted Marjorie went up to the creature and stroked and comforted it as best she could.
Her pity was wasted, however, for almost before the last words were out of its mouth the sloth-bear was snoring peacefully with a contented smirk on its face.
“Come on,” said Dick, “let’s try and find the way ourselves. Oh! I know,” he exclaimed; “of course, why we’ve forgotten all about the power we have of floating in the air; we’ll rise up above the trees, and then we shall soon see where the sea is.”
No sooner said than done. The children just expressed the wish, and, as the Little Panjandrum’s Ambassador had promised them, they found that they had the power of rising at will.
“Jolly, isn’t it?” said Dick, as they floated upwards, leaving the Dodo gazing after them enviously.
“Like being in a b”loon,” chuckled Fidge, clutching at the leaves of a tree as he passed through them. Fidge never would pronounce balloon properly.
“Oh! look!” cried Marjorie, as they passed above the trees, “there’s the sea over there, and some houses, and people on the beach. I can see them quite distinctly. Oh, jolly, we can soon fly over there; come on.”
“What about the Dodo?” asked Dick.
“Oh, of course. I’d forgotten him. Let’s see, he can’t fly, can he?”