But he found it rather slippery, and in
spite of all his efforts to hold on he found himself going faster and
faster, so that just before he reached the earth he lost his hold and
came tumbling down head over heels and fell plump into a river.
The cool water nearly scalded him before he could swim out, but
fortunately he was near the bank and he quickly scrambled upon the
land and sat down to catch his breath.
By that time it was morning, and as the sun rose its hot rays cooled
him off somewhat, so that he began looking about curiously at all the
strange sights and wondering where on earth he was.
By and by a farmer came along the road by the river with a team of
horses drawing a load of hay, and the horses looked so odd to the Man
in the Moon that at first he was greatly frightened, never before
having seen horses except from his home in the moon, from whence they
looked a good deal smaller. But he plucked up courage and said to the
farmer,
"Can you tell me the way to Norwich, sir?"
"Norwich?" repeated the farmer musingly; "I do n't know exactly where
it be, sir, but it 's somewhere away to the south."
"Thank you," said the Man in the Moon.--But stop! I must not call him
the Man in the Moon any longer, for of course he was now out of the
moon; so I 'll simply call him the Man, and you 'll know by that which
man I mean.
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