ly into the sluggish current,
until the channel narrowed again, and their speed freshened.

On and on they drifted. On and on the shimmering walls floated past
them, now near, now distant. They lost all time. Some said night must be
gone; some said nay, night must have come again; and to some it seemed
like an evil dream, this drifting, without beginning or end. When sleep
began to hang heavily on Thumb's eyelids, he bade Nod lie down and take
his fill of it first, while he himself kept watch. Nod very gladly lay
down as comfortably as he could on the rough and narrow raft, and Thumb
for safety tied him close with a strand of Cullum. He dreamed a hundred
dreams, rocked softly on the sliding raft, all of burning sunshine, or
wild white moonlight, or of icy and dazzling Witzaweelw[=u]lla; but the
Water-midden's beauty haunted all.

He woke into almost pitch-black gloom, and, starting up, could count
only four torches staining the unrippling water with their flare. And,
being very thirsty, he stooped over with hollowed hand, as if to drink.

"No, no," said Thumb drowsily; "not drink, Nod. Sleepy water--sleepy
water. Moona-mulgars there, drunk and drunk; thirstier and thirstier,
torches out--all dead asleep--all dead asleep."

"But my tongue's crackling dry, Thumb. Drink I must, Thumb."

"Nutshells," said Thumb--"suck nutshells, suck them."

Nod took out the last few nuts he had. And in the faint glowing of the
distant torches he could see Thumb's great broad-nosed face turned
hungrily towards them.

"How many nuts left have you, my brother?" Nod said.

Thumb tapped his stomach. "Safe, safe all," he said. "Nod slept on and
on."

"Why did you not wake me, Thumb? Lie down now. I am not hungry, only a
little thirsty. Have these few crackle-shells before you sleep, old
Thumb." He gave Thumb nine out of his thirteen nuts, and partly because
he was ravenously hungry, partly because their oiliness a little
assuaged his thirst, Thumb crunched them up hastily, shells and all.
Then he lay down on the raft, and Nod tied his great body on as safely
as he could.

There seemed to be some tribe of creatures dwelling in this darkness.
For Thumb had but a little while lain down, when the stream bore the
rafts along a smoother wall of rock, which rose, as it were, to a ledge
or shelf; and all along this rocky shelf Nod could see dim, rounded
holes, of a breadth to take with ease the body of a Mullabruk or
Manquabee. He fancied ev