Then it got very cold, and it began to hail, though it was summer time. Down came the big, round, frozen hail stones, pattering on the Japanese umbrella of the airship.
“Oh, how cold I am!” cried Uncle Wiggily. “I am freezing! My paws are so cold and stiff that I cannot steer the airship. You will have to steer, Mr. Baa-Baa, for I cannot.”
“But I do not know how to steer an airship!” cried Mr. Baa-Baa.
“Then we are lost!” shouted Uncle Wiggily. “My paws are almost frozen from the hail stones. I cannot hold the steering-wheel any more. Oh, what shall we do?”
The airship was wabbling from side to side, and almost turning over, for Uncle Wiggily’s cold paws could no longer steer it properly.
“Quick!” cried the sheep. “I know what to do! Take the sharp scissors and cut off some of my warm wool. Wrap it about your paws, like mittens. That will warm them, and then you can steer us safely to the ground. Shear off my wool.”
“But won’t it hurt you?” asked poor, shivering Uncle Wiggily.
“Not a bit!” cried Mr. Baa-Baa. “Here, I will cut off some of my wool myself, as your paws are too cold and stiff.” Then, with Nurse Jane’s sharp scissors, the sheep cut off enough of his woolly fleece to make Uncle Wiggily a pair of mittens. With them on, the rabbit’s paws were soon warm enough so that he could steer his airship. And a little later they were safely down on the ground out of the cold hail storm.
“My! It is a good thing I took you along in my airship, Mr. Baa-Baa!” said Uncle Wiggily, as he gave Nurse Jane the sugar, and the muskrat lady said the same thing. So you see you should always take a pair of scissors and a woolly sheep along, when you go airshipping in a hail storm.
“Well, what are you going to do now?” asked Uncle Wiggily of the sheep gentleman, as Nurse Jane went in the hollow stump bungalow with the sugar.