08.1-CHAPTER 8 THE MERMAIDS' LAGOON part1-kv

CHAPTER 8 THE MERMAIDS' LAGOON part1

If you shut your eyes and are a luckyone, you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended inthe darkness; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter, the pool begins to takeshape, and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must goon fire. But just before they go on fire you see the lagoon. This is thenearest you ever get to it on the mainland, just one heavenly moment; if therecould be two moments you might see the surf and hear the mermaids singing.

The children often spent long summerdays on this lagoon, swimming or floating most of the time, playing the mermaidgames in the water, and so forth. You must not think from this that themermaids were on friendly terms with them: on the contrary, it was amongWendy's lasting regrets that all the time she was on the island she never had acivil word from one of them. When she stole softly to the edge of the lagoonshe might see them by the score, especially on Marooners' Rock, where theyloved to bask, combing out their hair in a lazy way that quite irritated her;or she might even swim, on tiptoe as it were, to within a yard of them, butthen they saw her and dived, probably splashing her with their tails, not byaccident, but intentionally.

They treated all the boys in the sameway, except of course Peter, who chatted with them on Marooners' Rock by thehour, and sat on their tails when they got cheeky. He gave Wendy one of theircombs.

The most haunting time at which to seethem is at the turn of the moon, when they utter strange wailing cries; but thelagoon is dangerous for mortals then, and until the evening of which we havenow to tell, Wendy had never seen the lagoon by moonlight, less from fear, forof course Peter would have accompanied her, than because she had strict rulesabout every one being in bed by seven.

She was often at the lagoon, however, onsunny days after rain, when the mermaids come up in extraordinary numbers toplay with their bubbles. The bubbles of many colours made in rainbow water theytreat as balls, hitting them gaily from one to another with their tails, andtrying to keep them in the rainbow till they burst. The goals are at each endof the rainbow, and the keepers only are allowed to use their hands. Sometimesa dozen of these games will be going on in the lagoon at a time, and it isquite a pretty sight.

But the moment the children tried tojoin in they had to play by themselves, for the mermaids immediatelydisappeared. Nevertheless we have proof that they secretly watched theinterlopers, and were not above taking an idea from them; for John introduced anew way of hitting the bubble, with the head instead of the hand, and themermaids adopted it. This is the one mark that John has left on the Neverland.

It must also have been rather pretty tosee the children resting on a rock for half an hour after their mid-day meal.Wendy insisted on their doing this, and it had to be a real rest even thoughthe meal was make-believe. So they lay there in the sun, and their bodiesglistened in it, while she sat beside them and looked important.

It was one such day, and they were allon Marooners' Rock. The rock was not much larger than their great bed, but ofcourse they all knew how not to take up much room, and they were dozing, or atleast lying with their eyes shut, and pinching occasionally when they thoughtWendy was not looking. She was very busy, stitching.

While she stitched a change came to thelagoon. Little shivers ran over it, and the sun went away and shadows stoleacross the water, turning it cold. Wendy could no longer see to thread herneedle, and when she looked up, the lagoon that had always hitherto been such alaughing place seemed formidable and unfriendly.

It was not, she knew, that night hadcome, but something as dark as night had come. No, worse than that. It had notcome, but it had sent that shiver through the sea to say that it was coming.What was it? There crowded upon her all the stories she had been told ofMarooners' Rock, so called because evil captains put sailors on it and leavethem there to drown. They drown when the tide rises, for then it is submerged.Of course she should have roused the children at once; not merely because ofthe unknown that was stalking toward them, but because it was no longer goodfor them to sleep on a rock grown chilly. But she was a young mother and shedid not know this; she thought you simply must stick to your rule about half anhour after the mid-day meal. So, though fear was upon her, and she longed tohear male voices, she would not waken them. Even when she heard the sound ofmuffled oars, though her heart was in her mouth, she did not waken them. Shestood over them to let them have their sleep out. Was it not brave of Wendy? Itwas well for those boys then that there was one among them who could sniffdanger even in his sleep. Peter sprang erect, as wide awake at once as a dog,and with one warning cry he roused the others.

He stood motionless, one hand to hisear.

"Pirates!" he cried.

The others came closer to him. A strangesmile was playing about his face, and Wendy saw it and shuddered. While that smilewas on his face no one dared address him; all they could do was to stand readyto obey. The order came sharp and incisive.

"Dive!" There was a gleamof legs, and instantly the lagoon seemed deserted. Marooners' Rock stood alonein the forbidding waters as if it were itself marooned.

The boat drew nearer. It was the piratedinghy, with three figures in her, Smee and Starkey, and the third a captive,no other than Tiger Lily. Her hands and ankles were tied, and she knew what wasto be her fate. She was to be left on the rock to perish, an end to one of herrace more terrible than death by fire or torture, for is it not written in thebook of the tribe that there is no path through water to the happyhunting-ground? Yet her face was impassive; she was the daughter of a chief,she must die as a chief's daughter, it is enough.

They had caught her boarding the pirateship with a knife in her mouth. No watch was kept on the ship, it being Hook'sboast that the wind of his name guarded the ship for a mile around. Now herfate would help to guard it also. One more wail would go the round in that windby night.

In the gloom that they brought with themthe two pirates did not see the rock till they crashed into it.

"Luff, you lubber," cried an Irishvoice that was Smee's; "here's the rock. Now, then, what we have to do isto hoist the Indian on to it and leave her here to drown." It was thework of one brutal moment to land the beautiful girl on the rock; she was tooproud to offer a vain resistance.

Quite near the rock, but out of sight,two heads were bobbing up and down, Peter's and Wendy's. Wendy was crying, forit was the first tragedy she had seen. Peter had seen many tragedies, but hehad forgotten them all. He was less sorry than Wendy for Tiger Lily: it was twoagainst one that angered him, and he meant to save her. An easy way would havebeen to wait until the pirates had gone, but he was never one to choose theeasy way.

There was almost nothing he could notdo, and he now imitated the voice of Hook.

"Ahoy there, you lubbers!" hecalled.

It was a marvellous imitation.

"The captain!" said thepirates, staring at each other in surprise.

"He must be swimming out tous," Starkey said, when they had looked for him in vain.

"We are putting the Indian on therock," Smee called out.

"Set her free," came theastonishing answer.

"Free?" "Yes, cuther bonds and let her go." "But, captain—” "At once,d'ye hear," cried Peter, "or I'll plunge my hook inyou." "This is queer!" Smee gasped.

"Better do what the captainorders," said Starkey nervously.

"Ay, ay." Smee said, and hecut Tiger Lily's cords.

At once like an eel she slid betweenStarkey's legs into the water.

Of course Wendy was very elated overPeter's cleverness; but she knew that he would be elated also and very likelycrow and thus betray himself, so at once her hand went out to cover his mouth.But it was stayed even in the act, for "Boat ahoy!" rang over thelagoon in Hook's voice, and this time it was not Peter, who had spoken.

Peter may have been about to crow, buthis face puckered in a whistle of surprise instead.

"Boat ahoy!" again came thevoice.

Now Wendy understood. The real Hook wasalso in the water.

He was swimming to the boat, and as hismen showed a light to guide him he had soon reached them. In the light of thelantern Wendy saw his hook grip the boat's side; she saw his evil swarthy faceas he rose dripping from the water, and, quaking, she would have liked to swimaway, but Peter would not budge. He was tingling with life and also top-heavywith conceit. "Am I not a wonder, oh, I am a wonder!" he whispered toher, and though she thought so also, she was really glad for the sake of hisreputation that no one heard him except herself.

He signed to her to listen.

The two pirates were very curious toknow what had brought their captain to them, but he sat with his head on hishook in a position of profound melancholy.

"Captain, is all well?" theyasked timidly, but he answered with a hollow moan.

"He sighs," said Smee.

"He sighs again," saidStarkey.

"And yet a third time hesighs," said Smee.

Then at last he spoke passionately.

"The game's up," he cried,"those boys have found a mother." Affrighted though she was,Wendy swelled with pride.

"O evil day!" cried Starkey.

"What's a mother?" asked theignorant Smee.

Wendy was so shocked that she exclaimed."He doesn't know!" and always after this she felt that if youcould have a pet pirate Smee would be her one.

Peter pulled her beneath the water, forHook had started up, crying, "What was that?" "I heardnothing," said Starkey, raising the lantern over the waters, and as thepirates looked they saw a strange sight. It was the nest I have told you of,floating on the lagoon, and the Never bird was sitting on it.

"See," said Hook in answer toSmee's question, "that is a mother. What a lesson! The nest must havefallen into the water, but would the mother desert her eggs?No." There was a break in his voice, as if for a moment he recalled innocentdays when—buthe brushed away this weakness with his hook.

Smee, much impressed, gazed at the birdas the nest was borne past, but the more suspicious Starkey said, "If sheis a mother, perhaps she is hanging about here to help Peter." Hookwinced. "Ay," he said, "that is the fear that hauntsme." He was roused from this dejection by Smee's eager voice.

"Captain," said Smee,"could we not kidnap these boys' mother and make her ourmother?" "It is a princely scheme," cried Hook, and at onceit took practical shape in his great brain. "We will seize the childrenand carry them to the boat: the boys we will make walk the plank, and Wendyshall be our mother.

Again Wendy forgot herself.