Then he had an idea, and I think that for a Bear of Very Little Brain, it was a good idea. He said to himself:
тАЬIf a bottle can float, then a jar can float, and if a jar floats, I can sit on the top of it, if itтАЩs a very big jar.тАЭ
So he took his biggest jar, and corked it up. тАЬAll boats have to have a name,тАЭ he said, тАЬso I shall call mine The Floating Bear .тАЭ And with these words he dropped his boat into the water and jumped in after it.
For a little while Pooh and The Floating Bear were uncertain as to which of them was meant to be on the top, but after trying one or two different positions, they settled down with The Floating Bear underneath and Pooh triumphantly astride it, paddling vigorously with his feet.
Christopher Robin lived at the very top of the Forest. It rained, and it rained, and it rained, but the water couldnтАЩt come up to his house. It was rather jolly to look down into the valleys and see the water all round him, but it rained so hard that he stayed indoors most of the time, and thought about things. Every morning he went out with his umbrella and put a stick in the place where the water came up to, and every next morning he went out and couldnтАЩt see his stick any more, so he put another stick in the place where the water came up to, and then he walked home again, and each morning he had a shorter way to walk than he had had the morning before. On the morning of the fifth day he saw the water all round him, and knew that for the first time in his life he was on a real island. Which was very exciting.
It was on this morning that Owl came flying over the water to say тАЬHow do you do,тАЭ to his friend Christopher Robin.
тАЬI say, Owl,тАЭ said Christopher Robin, тАЬisnтАЩt this fun? IтАЩm on an island!тАЭ
тАЬThe atmospheric conditions have been very unfavourable lately,тАЭ said Owl.
тАЬThe what?тАЭ
тАЬIt has been raining,тАЭ explained Owl.
тАЬYes,тАЭ said Christopher Robin. тАЬIt has.тАЭ
тАЬThe flood-level has reached an unprecedented height.тАЭ
тАЬThe who?тАЭ
тАЬThereтАЩs a lot of water about,тАЭ explained Owl.