"Upon this the young one began to strut and tumble about the nest, to the great delight of the parent, who encouraged such exertions. We became excellent friends, and talked over my plans of travel.
"'I dare not venture upon the ocean; because, if I grew tired of flying, I must fall into the waves and be drowned.'
"'You would soon be fatigued. Supposing I carried you?' said the Petrel.
"Here was a splendid idea. If I could only be taken to other lands, what pleasures would be in store for me. The Petrel promised to bear me over the seas, if I would wait until the nestling was able to take care of itself. I lived inland while I waited, and visited the birds every day in their rocky home. When the time approached for our departure, the mother bird proposed I should take a sail, just to accustom myself to the voyage by way of trial. I climbed upon her back, and she made a dart straight out into the air, that drove every particle of bravery out of my body.
"'Now, then,' said Mother Carey's chicken, 'hold on tight, and I will show you some better fun still.'
"I begged her to return to land; but the wind blew so strongly, that she did not hear my faint voice. She whirled in circles, pattered upon the water surface unconcernedly, and rose in the air with the rapidity of the arrow shot from a bow. I closed my eyes, and clung about the bird's neck, fearing every moment a fall into the great green billows that rolled away into space, as far as sight could reach. When we landed once more, I fainted away. The Petrel was dancing on one leg, and laughed at me, when I opened my eyes again.
"'I have a great mind to give up the journey,' I said in a pet. 'I can never cling to you in this way. If I had been content to lead the life of an ordinary wasp, I might have escaped all this trouble and vexation.'
"'It is never well to quarrel with destiny,' remarked my companion. 'Still, I would not give up because of a first sea-sickness.'
"Presently I regained my courage somewhat, and we began to ponder how I could be fastened on. I flew to land, and procured several long horse-hairs. These I wound about the bird's slender throat, and strapped myself tightly to her body. What a journey we made of it! The faithful Petrel must have carried me an immense distance. Sometimes she perched on the rigging of a ship, sometimes we rode on the waves, or we paused for the night at some rocky isle; yet Mother Carey's chicken never seemed to weary of the scenery about us."
"What did you have to eat?" inquired the Caterpillar, who, like all caterpillars, had a famous appetite of his own.