When he snatched one of them out of the nest, it gave a loud squeak, and Jack was so frightened that he lost his footing, dropped it, and slipped down himself. Luckily, he was not hurt, nor the "thing" either. It was creeping about like an old baby, and had on a little frock and pinafore.
"It's a fairy!" exclaimed Jack, "and this must be a fairies' nest."
The young Fairy climbed up the side of the hollow and scrambled again into her nest, and Jack followed. Upon which all the nestlings popped up their heads, and showing their pretty white teeth pointed at the slice of cake.
"It's a small piece, and I may not have anything more to eat for a long time," said Jack; "but your mouths are very small, so you shall each have a piece."
The young fairies were a long time munching the cake, and before they had finished it began to be rather dark, because a thunder-storm was coming up. The wind rose and made the old tree rock, and creak, and tremble. The little Fairies were so frightened that they got out of the nest and crept into Jack's pockets.
After the storm was over, Jack pulled one of the Fairies out of his waistcoat pocket and said to her: "It is time for supper. Where are we going to get it?" Then in the light of the moon he looked at her very attentively. "When I first saw you in the nest," said he, "you had a pinafore on, and now you have a smart little apron with lace around it."
"That is because I am much older now," said the Fairy. "We never take such a long time to grow up as you do. Put me into your pocket again, and whistle as loudly as you can."
So Jack whistled loudly; and suddenly without hearing anything, he felt something take hold of his legs and give him a jerk which hoisted him on to its back, where he sat astride. It was a large white bird, and presently he found that they were rising up through the trees and out into the moonlight, with Jack on the bird's back and all the fairies in his pockets.
"And so we are going to Fairy-land," exclaimed Jack; "how delightful!"
As the evening grew dark the great white bird began to light up. She did it in this way. First, one of her eyes began to beam with a beautiful green light, and then when it was as bright as a lamp, the other eye began to shine, and the light of that eye was red. So they sailed through the darkness, Jack reminding the bird once in a while that he was very hungry.