They were sailing over the ocean by this time, and there were boats and
vessels. The great white bird hovered among them, making choice of one
to take Jack and the Fairies up the wonderful river which leads to
Fairy-land. Finally she set him down in a beautiful little open boat,
with a great carved figure-head to it. The bird said: "Lie down in the
bottom of the boat and go to sleep. You will dream that you have some
roast fowl, some new potatoes, and an apple pie. Mind you, don't eat too
much in your dream, or you will be sorry for it when you wake." Jack
put his arms around the neck of the bird and hugged her; then she spread
her wings and sailed slowly away. Then Jack fell asleep in the rocking
boat, and dreamed as the bird promised, and when he woke up he was not
hungry any more!
[Illustration: IT WAS A LARGE WHITE BIRD
FROM A DRAWING BY HARRY ROUNTREE]
Morning came, and the Fairies were still asleep in his pocket. The boat
moved on through the night, and now he found himself in the outlet of
the wonderful river, the shores of which were guarded, not by real
soldiers, but by rose-colored flamingoes.
Now that he had fairies in his pockets, he could understand bird talk,
and so he heard many wise words from the birds of that country which
guided him on his way.
It was not long before he came to the city that was the capital. It was
a fair day, and the city square was full of white canopies, lined with
splendid flutings of pink. It was impossible to be sure whether they
were real tents, or gigantic mushrooms. Each one of the people who sold
in these tents had a little high cap on his head shaped just like a
bee-hive made of straw. In fact, Jack soon saw bees flying in and out,
and it was evident that these folks had their honey made on the
premises.