er floating, ever flying
Over land and sea.
Bringing summer's glow and gladness,
Bringing winter's snow and sadness,
Merry winds are we!

"Greeting all with soft caresses,
Shaking out the maiden's tresses
Till she laughs with glee.
Whispering to the bonny flowers,
Fanning them through sultry hours,
Merry winds are we!"

Then the waves tossed up their nightcaps and sang:

"Ever coming, ever going,
Ever ebbing, ever flowing,
Children of the sea.
Creeping o'er the silver beaches,
Foaming o'er the rocky reaches,
Merry waves are we!

"Blue and golden in the sunlight,
Gray and silver in the moonlight,
Beautiful to see.
Giving back each star its brightness,
Giving back each cloud its whiteness,
Merry waves are we!"

"That is charming!" said Brighteyes. "Dear little Winds, how sweetly you
sing! and how strange that we have never heard you before."

"Look!" cried Nibble. "What is that, that shines so over yonder? is it a
sail?"

Yes, it was a sail, and as we came nearer we saw a stately ship,
sailing slowly along. All her crew seemed to be asleep, except one man,
who was pacing up and down the deck.

He looked up as we passed, and cried "Hi! albatrosses! how queerly they
are flying! wake up, shipmate, and look at those birds!"

[Illustration]

But before any of the sailors were awake, we were flying far away, while
the Winds and the Waves sang together:

"Wake the ship!
And shake the ship!
And over the sea we will take the ship!
Filled with oranges, candy, and toys,
Some for the girls and some for the boys."

"Oh! is it really?" asked Nibble. "I wish I had some! this flying makes
one hungry."

But here now was the land again. We bade farewell to the merry Waves,
and flew along over the sleeping country. The lights of a great city lay
before us.

"Let us fly lower," said Brighteyes, "and then we can peep into some of
the windows and see the people asleep."

"That is not very safe!" I replied. "In these great cities there are
plenty of people awake all night; and it would never do for us to be
shot at, you know."

[Illustration]

Just then a puff of smoke from a tall chimney came up, and got int