A Change of Air
Chapter I
One day Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny came home feeling very much out of sorts. He had a headache, a toothache, and the shivery-shivers all over.
Mrs. Bunny gave him some cayenne pepper tea, and then put him to bed well wrapped up in blankets, and with a hot-water bottle to keep his toe-toes warm. Very funny he looked with his long ears sticking out of his blue-and-white nightcap.
In the afternoon, his friend, Mr. Gray-Squirrel, dropped in to see him, and said at once: “What you need is a change of air, and I know just the thing for you to do; come for a trip to the Moon with me in my new airship. You’ll have plenty of fresh air, and not too much heat, unless we happen to fall into the Sun.”
“Oh, no, no!” cried poor Mrs. Bunnikins-Bunny, almost in tears. “I simply cannot let Mr. Bunnikins go sailing in the air. He would surely fall out of the ship, or get lost in the clouds, and I should never see him any more.”
But Mr. Bunnikins liked the idea, and at once set his heart on going. He talked so much about it, that at last Mrs. Bunny consented, if she and the children might go too, so that they could all fall out of the airship together.
As Mr. Gray-Squirrel had told them that the journey would be very cold, Mr. Bunnikins-Bunny had a great time buying ulsters and overshoes, caps and mittens. Most of his lovely hats he decided to leave at home, as he was afraid they might be blown away.
B-B’s flat hat—
By the end of a week, they were all ready to start, Bobtail and Rosamund, Ruddy and Chippie having scarcely slept for nights from excitement.
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.