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1The children often spent long summer days on this lagoon, swimming or floating most of the time, playing the mermaid
2games in the water, and so forth. You must not think from this that the mermaids were on friendly terms with them: on
3the contrary, it was among Wendy's lasting regrets that all the time she was on the island she never had a civil word
4from one of them. When she stole softly to the edge of the lagoon she might see them by the score, especially on
5Marooners' Rock, where they loved to bask, combing out their hair in a lazy way that quite irritated her; or she might
6even swim, on tiptoe as it were, to within a yard of them, but then they saw her and dived, probably splashing her with
7their tails, not by accident, but intentionally. They treated all the boys in the same way, except of course Peter, who
8chatted with them on Marooners' Rock by the hour, and sat on their tails when they got cheeky. He gave Wendy one of
9their combs. The most haunting time at which to see them is at the turn of the moon, when they utter strange wailing
10cries; but the lagoon is dangerous for mortals then, and until the evening of which we have now to tell, Wendy had never
11seen the lagoon by moonlight, less from fear, for of course Peter would have accompanied her, than because she had
12strict rules about every one being in bed by seven. She was often at the lagoon, however, on sunny days after rain, when
13the mermaids come up in extraordinary numbers to play with their bubbles. The bubbles of many colours made in rainbow
14water they treat as balls, hitting them gaily from one to another with their tails, and trying to keep them in the
15rainbow till they burst. The goals are at each end of the rainbow, and the keepers only are allowed to use their hands.
16Sometimes a dozen of these games will be going on in the lagoon at a time, and it is quite a pretty sight. But the
17moment the children tried to join in they had to play by themselves, for the mermaids immediately disappeared.
18Nevertheless we have proof that they secretly watched the interlopers, and were not above taking an idea from them; for
19John introduced a new way of hitting the bubble, with the head instead of the hand, and the mermaids adopted it. This is
20the one mark that John has left on the Neverland. It must also have been rather pretty to see the children resting on a
21rock for half an hour after their mid-day meal. Wendy insisted on their doing this, and it had to be a real rest even
22though the meal was make-believe. So they lay there in the sun, and their bodies glistened in it, while she sat beside
23them and looked important. It was one such day, and they were all on Marooners' Rock. The rock was not much larger than
24their great bed, but of course they all knew how not to take up much room, and they were dozing, or at least lying with
25their eyes shut, and pinching occasionally when they thought Wendy was not looking. She was very busy, stitching. While
26she stitched a change came to the lagoon. Little shivers ran over it, and the sun went away and shadows stole across the
27water, turning it cold. Wendy could no longer see to thread her needle, and when she looked up, the lagoon that had
28always hitherto been such a laughing place seemed formidable and unfriendly. It was not, she knew, that night had come,
29but something as dark as night had come. No, worse than that. It had not come, but it had sent that shiver through the
30sea to say that it was coming. What was it? There crowded upon her all the stories she had been told of Marooners' Rock,
31so called because evil captains put sailors on it and leave them there to drown. They drown when the tide rises, for
32then it is submerged. Of course she should have roused the children at once; not merely because of the unknown that was
33stalking toward them, but because it was no longer good for them to sleep on a rock grown chilly. But she was a young
34mother and she did not know this; she thought you simply must stick to your rule about half an hour after the mid-day
35meal. So, though fear was upon her, and she longed to hear male voices, she would not waken them. Even when she heard
36the sound of muffled oars, though her heart was in her mouth, she did not waken them. She stood over them to let them
37have their sleep out. Was it not brave of Wendy? It was well for those boys then that there was one among them who could
38sniff danger even in his sleep. Peter sprang erect, as wide awake at once as a dog, and with one warning cry he roused
39the others. He stood motionless, one hand to his ear. "Pirates!" he cried. The others came closer to him. A strange
40smile was playing about his face, and Wendy saw it and shuddered. While that smile was on his face no one dared address
41him; all they could do was to stand ready to obey. The order came sharp and incisive. "Dive!" There was a gleam of legs,
42and instantly the lagoon seemed deserted. Marooners' Rock stood alone in the forbidding waters as if it were itself
43marooned. The boat drew nearer. It was the pirate dinghy, with three figures in her, Smee and Starkey, and the third a
44captive, no other than Tiger Lily. Her hands and ankles were tied, and she knew what was to be her fate. She was to be
45left on the rock to perish, an end to one of her race more terrible than death by fire or torture, for is it not written
46in the book of the tribe that there is no path through water to the happy hunting-ground? Yet her face was impassive;
47she was the daughter of a chief, she must die as a chief's daughter, it is enough. They had caught her boarding the
48pirate ship with a knife in her mouth. No watch was kept on the ship, it being Hook's boast that the wind of his name
49guarded the ship for a mile around. Now her fate would help to guard it also. One more wail would go the round in that
50wind by night. In the gloom that they brought with them the two pirates did not see the rock till they crashed into it.
51"Luff, you lubber," cried an Irish voice that was Smee's; "here's the rock. Now, then, what we have to do is to hoist
52the redskin on to it and leave her here to drown." It was the work of one brutal moment to land the beautiful girl on
53the rock; she was too proud to offer a vain resistance. Quite near the rock, but out of sight, two heads were bobbing up
54and down, Peter's and Wendy's. Wendy was crying, for it was the first tragedy she had seen. Peter had seen many
55tragedies, but he had forgotten them all. He was less sorry than Wendy for Tiger Lily: it was two against one that
56angered him, and he meant to save her. An easy way would have been to wait until the pirates had gone, but he was never
57one to choose the easy way. There was almost nothing he could not do, and he now imitated the voice of Hook. "Ahoy
58there, you lubbers!" he called. It was a marvellous imitation. "The captain!" said the pirates, staring at each other in
59surprise. "He must be swimming out to us," Starkey said, when they had looked for him in vain. "We are putting the
60redskin on the rock," Smee called out. "Set her free," came the astonishing answer. "Free!" "Yes, cut her bonds and let
61her go." "But, captain--" "At once, d'ye hear," cried Peter, "or I'll plunge my hook in you." "This is queer!" Smee
62gasped. "Better do what the captain orders," said Starkey nervously. "Ay, ay," Smee said, and he cut Tiger Lily's cords.
63At once like an eel she slid between Starkey's legs into the water. Of course Wendy was very elated over Peter's
64cleverness; but she knew that he would be elated also and very likely crow and thus betray himself, so at once her hand
65went out to cover his mouth. But it was stayed even in the act, for "Boat ahoy!" rang over the lagoon in Hook's voice,
66and this time it was not Peter who had spoken. Peter may have been about to crow, but his face puckered in a whistle of
67surprise instead.
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