sillies! Wake up!"
But they wouldn't wake. They just sighed a little and turned over. Nothing that
Silky and the others could do would wake them. And, in the middle of all this,
there came footsteps behind them.
Silky turned and gave a squeal. "Oh, it's the Sandman! Don't let him throw
his sand into your eyes or you will go to sleep, too! Quick, quick, do something!"
The Sandman was already dipping his hand into his big sack to throw sand into
their eyes. But, quick as lightning, Dame Washalot picked up her wash-tub and
threw the whole of the water over the sack! It wetted the sand so that the Sandman
couldn't throw it properly. Then the Angry Pixie emptied his kettle over the Sandman
himself, and he began to choke and splutter.
Watzisname stared. He suddenly took out his pocket-knife and slit a hole at the
very bottom of the sack. The sand was dry there. Watzisname took a handful of
it and threw it straight into the choking Sandman's eyes.
"Now you go to sleep for a bit!" shouted Watzisname. And, of course,
that's just what the big Sandman did! He sank down under a bush and shut his eyes.
His sleepy sand acted on him as much as on anyone else!
"Now we've got a chance!" said Silky, pleased. "Help me to wake
everyone!"
But, you know, they just would not wake! It was dreadful.
"Well, we can't possibly get the bed down the hole," said Silky in despair.
Then a bright idea came to her. She felt in Jo's pockets. She turned out the little
pink jar of Whizz-Away ointment. "There may be just a little left!"
she said.
And so there was -the very tiniest dab! "I hope it's enough!" said Silky.
"Get on the bed, Dame Washalot and you others. I'm going to try a little
magic. Ready?"
She rubbed the dab of ointment on to the head of the bed. "Whizz-Away Home,
bed!" she said.
And, good gracious me, that big white bed whizzed away! It whizzed away so fast
that Silky nearly fell off. It rushed through the air, giving all the birds a
most terrible scare.
After a long time it came to the end of the Land of Dreams. A big white cloud
stretched out at the edge. The bed flew through it, down and down. Then it flew
in another direction.
"It's going back to the Faraway Tree, I'm sure," said Silky. And so
it was! It arrived there and tried to get through the branches. It stuck on one
and slid sideways. Everyone began to slide off.
"Wake up, wake up!" squealed Silky, banging the children and Moon-Face
and Saucepan. They woke up in a hurry, for they were no longer in Dreamland. They
felt themselves falling and caught hold of branches and twigs.
"Where are we?" cried Dick. "What has happened?"
"Oh, goodness, too many things to tell you all at once," said Silky.
"Is everyone safe? Then for goodness' sake come into my house and sit down
for a bit. I really feel quite out of breath!"
II. Up the Tree Again.
Everyone crowded into Silky's room inside the tree. "How did we get back
to the tree?" asked Dick in amazement.
Silky told him. "We found you all asleep on that big bed, and we rubbed on
it some of the Whizz-Away ointment, the very last bit left. And it whizzed away
here. Oh, and we wetted the Sandman's sand so that he couldn't throw sand into
our eyes and make us go to sleep."
"Watzisname was clever, too. He slit the bottom of the sack with his knife,
found a handful of dry sand there and threw it at the Sandman himself!" said
the Angry Pixie. "And he went right off to sleep and couldn't interfere with
us any more!"
"It was all Dick's fault," said Jo. "We said we wouldn't go to
any more lands -and he went up there and got caught by the Sandman. So of course
we had to go after him."
"Sorry," said Dick. "Anyway, everything's all right now. I won't
do it again."
"We'd better go home," said Bessie. "It must be getting late. Goodness
knows when we'll come again, Silky. Good-bye, everyone. Come and see us
But they wouldn't wake. They just sighed a little and turned over. Nothing that
Silky and the others could do would wake them. And, in the middle of all this,
there came footsteps behind them.
Silky turned and gave a squeal. "Oh, it's the Sandman! Don't let him throw
his sand into your eyes or you will go to sleep, too! Quick, quick, do something!"
The Sandman was already dipping his hand into his big sack to throw sand into
their eyes. But, quick as lightning, Dame Washalot picked up her wash-tub and
threw the whole of the water over the sack! It wetted the sand so that the Sandman
couldn't throw it properly. Then the Angry Pixie emptied his kettle over the Sandman
himself, and he began to choke and splutter.
Watzisname stared. He suddenly took out his pocket-knife and slit a hole at the
very bottom of the sack. The sand was dry there. Watzisname took a handful of
it and threw it straight into the choking Sandman's eyes.
"Now you go to sleep for a bit!" shouted Watzisname. And, of course,
that's just what the big Sandman did! He sank down under a bush and shut his eyes.
His sleepy sand acted on him as much as on anyone else!
"Now we've got a chance!" said Silky, pleased. "Help me to wake
everyone!"
But, you know, they just would not wake! It was dreadful.
"Well, we can't possibly get the bed down the hole," said Silky in despair.
Then a bright idea came to her. She felt in Jo's pockets. She turned out the little
pink jar of Whizz-Away ointment. "There may be just a little left!"
she said.
And so there was -the very tiniest dab! "I hope it's enough!" said Silky.
"Get on the bed, Dame Washalot and you others. I'm going to try a little
magic. Ready?"
She rubbed the dab of ointment on to the head of the bed. "Whizz-Away Home,
bed!" she said.
And, good gracious me, that big white bed whizzed away! It whizzed away so fast
that Silky nearly fell off. It rushed through the air, giving all the birds a
most terrible scare.
After a long time it came to the end of the Land of Dreams. A big white cloud
stretched out at the edge. The bed flew through it, down and down. Then it flew
in another direction.
"It's going back to the Faraway Tree, I'm sure," said Silky. And so
it was! It arrived there and tried to get through the branches. It stuck on one
and slid sideways. Everyone began to slide off.
"Wake up, wake up!" squealed Silky, banging the children and Moon-Face
and Saucepan. They woke up in a hurry, for they were no longer in Dreamland. They
felt themselves falling and caught hold of branches and twigs.
"Where are we?" cried Dick. "What has happened?"
"Oh, goodness, too many things to tell you all at once," said Silky.
"Is everyone safe? Then for goodness' sake come into my house and sit down
for a bit. I really feel quite out of breath!"
II. Up the Tree Again.
Everyone crowded into Silky's room inside the tree. "How did we get back
to the tree?" asked Dick in amazement.
Silky told him. "We found you all asleep on that big bed, and we rubbed on
it some of the Whizz-Away ointment, the very last bit left. And it whizzed away
here. Oh, and we wetted the Sandman's sand so that he couldn't throw sand into
our eyes and make us go to sleep."
"Watzisname was clever, too. He slit the bottom of the sack with his knife,
found a handful of dry sand there and threw it at the Sandman himself!" said
the Angry Pixie. "And he went right off to sleep and couldn't interfere with
us any more!"
"It was all Dick's fault," said Jo. "We said we wouldn't go to
any more lands -and he went up there and got caught by the Sandman. So of course
we had to go after him."
"Sorry," said Dick. "Anyway, everything's all right now. I won't
do it again."
"We'd better go home," said Bessie. "It must be getting late. Goodness
knows when we'll come again, Silky. Good-bye, everyone. Come and see us
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