When the Flying Boat was out of sight of the City of Nite, Gran’pa
pressed the speed button and the new craft shot through the air like a
comet, passing over the mountains and valleys in a flash. In a very few
moments it had covered a distance that had taken the travelers long
hours to walk.
The new Flying Boat whizzed around the bend in the Moon and flew over
the side which is always turned towards the Earth.
“This must be the Dayland in which you live!” Gran’pa said to David.
“It is!” David answered. “See, there is the Earth!”
By shading their eyes from the Sun, Gran’ma, Gran’pa and the children
could see a blue-green Star winking and blinking in the sky and could
faintly make out the shape of the land and the oceans upon its surface.
As they sped along above the Moon, they watched the wonderful changes in
coloring below them. They saw many cities and villages and looked into
enormous craters of extinct volcanoes.
At last they saw in the distance a city of white with wonderful steeples
and towers on the great building standing in the center. It was a
regular fairy book castle with glistening windows and hanging gardens.
“There it is!” David shouted. “Guide the Flying Boat to the balcony at
the right of the Palace!” And as Gran’pa brought the Flying Boat to rest
as directed, many people rushed out of the Palace, and knelt before
David. “Our King has returned!” they shouted. “Long live the King!” And
they all came and kissed his hand.
When David saw Gran’ma and Gran’pa and Janey and Johnny looking at him
in astonishment he put his arms around them and helped them from the
boat.
“We did not know you were a King!” exclaimed Janey.
The King laughed for the first time and it was such a cheery, pleasant
laugh they almost forgot that he was a King and Gran’ma gave his hand a
squeeze.
[Illustration: “There it is!” David shouted. “Guide the Flying Boat to
the balcony at the right of the Palace!” (page 154)]
As the King led them inside the Palace all the bells in the city began
chiming. “You must at least stay and have dinner with me,” he said.
The King wished them to stay until he had learned how he came to change
characters, but as soon as they had finished dinner, Gran’ma said they
must leave.
“If I can discover just what happened when I walked out to look at the
Sun,” the King laughed as he said good-bye, “I will write to you and try
to find a way to get the letter into your hands.”
“It seems as if you could make a little Flying Boat and put the letter
in it and send it to us,” Johnny said.
“Then you can expect to hear from me,” the King replied, as he waved
good-bye to them.
[Illustration]
Gran’ma and the children took a nap while Gran’pa guided the Flying Boat
on its return trip and when he finally awakened them, the new Flying
Boat stood in the back yard near the kitchen door at Gran’pa’s home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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