will all come right in the end.

They would have reached the nursery in time had it not been that the
little stars were watching them. Once again the stars blew the window
open, and that smallest star of all called out:

'Cave, Peter!'

Then Peter knew that there was not a moment to lose. 'Come,' he cried
imperiously, and soared out at once into the night, followed by John and
Michael and Wendy.

Mr. and Mrs. Darling and Nana rushed into the nursery too late. The
birds were flown.

[Illustration: THE BIRDS WERE FLOWN]

CHAPTER IV

THE FLIGHT

'Second to the right, and straight on till morning.'

That, Peter had told Wendy, was the way to the Neverland; but even
birds, carrying maps and consulting them at windy corners, could not
have sighted it with these instructions. Peter, you see, just said
anything that came into his head.

At first his companions trusted him implicitly, and so great were the
delights of flying that they wasted time circling round church spires or
any other tall objects on the way that took their fancy.

John and Michael raced, Michael getting a start.

They recalled with contempt that not so long ago they had thought
themselves fine fellows for being able to fly round a room.

Not so long ago. But how long ago? They were flying over the sea before
this thought began to disturb Wendy seriously. John thought it was their
second sea and their third night.

Sometimes it was dark and sometimes light, and now they were very cold
and again too warm. Did they really feel hungry at times, or were they
merely pretending, because Peter had such a jolly new way of feeding
them? His way was to pursue birds who had food in their mouths suitable
for humans and snatch it from them; then the birds would follow and
snatch it back; and they would all go chasing each other gaily for
miles, parting at last with mutual expressions of good-will. But Wendy
noticed with gentle concern that Peter did not seem to know that this
was rather an odd way of getting your bread and butter, nor even that
there are other ways.

Certainly they did not pretend to be sleepy, they were sleepy; and that
was a danger, for the moment they popped off, down they fell. The awful
thing was that Peter thought this funny.

'There he goes again!' he would cry gleefully, as Michael suddenly
dropped like a stone.

'Save him, save him!' cried Wendy, looking with horror at the cruel sea
far below. Eventually Peter would