ich made Peter tremble for his
scheme.

Solomon explained hastily that what he meant was not one of the
cumbrous boats that humans use; the proposed boat was to be simply a
thrush's nest large enough to hold Peter.

But still, to Peter's agony, the thrushes were sulky. 'We are very
busy people,' they grumbled, 'and this would be a big job.'

'Quite so,' said Solomon, 'and, of course, Peter would not allow you to
work for nothing. You must remember that he is now in comfortable
circumstances, and he will pay you such wages as you have never been
paid before. Peter Pan authorises me to say that you shall all be paid
sixpence a day.'

Then all the thrushes hopped for joy, and that very day was begun the
celebrated Building of the Boat. All their ordinary business fell into
arrears. It was the time of the year when they should have been
pairing, but not a thrush's nest was built except this big one, and so
Solomon soon ran short of thrushes with which to supply the demand from
the mainland. The stout, rather greedy children, who look so well in
perambulators but get puffed easily when they walk, were all young
thrushes once, and ladies often ask specially for them. What do you
think Solomon did? He sent over to the house-tops for a lot of
sparrows and ordered them to lay their eggs in old thrushes' nests, and
sent their young to the ladies and swore they were all thrushes! It
was known afterwards on the island as the Sparrow's Year; and so, when
you meet grown-up people in the Gardens who puff and blow as if they
thought themselves bigger than they are, very likely they belong to
that year. You ask them.

Peter was a just master, and paid his workpeople every evening. They
stood in rows on the branches, waiting politely while he cut the paper
sixpences out of his bank-note, and presently he called the roll, and
then each bird, as the names were mentioned, flew down and got
sixpence. It must have been a fine sight.

And at last, after months of labour, the boat was finished. O the
glory of Peter as he saw it growing more and more like a great thrushes
nest! From the very beginning of the building of it he slept by its
side, and often woke up to say sweet things to it, and after it was
lined with mud and the mud had dried he always slept in it. He sleeps
in his nest still, and has a fascinating way of curling round in it,
for it is just large enough to hold him comfortably when he curls round
like a kit