But before the owl said anything Martin was fast asleep in his mossy
bed.




CHAPTER IX


THE BLACK PEOPLE OF THE SKY

Whether or not the great owl went on shouting _O look! look! look_!
and asking _What's that_? and _Who's that_? all night, Martin did
not know. He was fast asleep until the morning sun shone on his face
and woke him, and as he had no clothes and shoes to put on he was
soon up and out. First he took a drink of water, then, feeling very
hungry he went back to the place where he had found the ripe fruit
and made a very good breakfast. After that he set out once more
through the wood towards sunrise, still following the stream. Before
long the wood became still more open, and at last to his great joy
he found that he had got clear of it, and was once more on the great
open plain. And now the hills were once more in sight--those great
blue hills where he wished to be, looking nearer and larger than
before, but they still looked blue like great banks of cloud and
were a long distance away. But he was determined to get to them, to
climb up their steep sides, and by and by when he found the stream
bent away to the south, he left it so as to go on straight as he
could to the hills. Away from the water-side the ground was higher,
and very flat and covered with dry yellow grass. Over this yellow