there now. How do you feel?'

'Quite well, thank you!' And indeed, when Urashima felt his clothes he
found they were quite dry, which was really not so surprising because,
as he was borne swiftly through the water, there was all the time a
space of air around him, so that not only was he kept quite dry, but he
could breathe quite easily.

When they drew nearer to the great gate, Urashima could see beyond it,
half hidden by the trees, the shining domes of the palace. It was indeed
a magnificent place, unlike anything ever seen in the lands above the
sea.

Now they were at the great gate, and the tortoise stopped at the foot of
a flight of coral steps and asked him to dismount.

'You can walk now, Urashima'; and it led the way. Then the gatekeeper--a
royal sturgeon--challenged them, but the tortoise explained that
Urashima was a mortal from the great kingdom of Japan, who had come to
visit the Sea King, and the gatekeeper immediately showed them in.

As they advanced, they were met by the courtiers and officials. The
dolphin, the bonito, the great cuttle-fish, the bright-red bream; and
the mullet, the sole, the flounder, and a host of other fishes came
forward and bowed gracefully before the tortoise; indeed, such homage
did they pay that Urashima wondered what sway the tortoise held in this
kingdom beneath the sea. Then, when the visitor was introduced, they all
cried out a welcome. And the dolphin, who was a high official, remarked,
'We are delighted to see so distinguished a stranger from the great
kingdom of Japan. Welcome to the palace of the Dragon King of the Sea!'

Then all the fishes went in a procession before them to the interior of
the palace.

Now the humble fisherman had never been in such a magnificent place
before. He had never read _How to behave in a Palace_, but, though much
amazed, he did not feel at all shy. As he followed his guides, he
suddenly noticed that the tortoise had disappeared, but he soon forgot
this when he saw a lovely Princess, surrounded by her maidens, come
forward to greet him.

She was more beautiful than anything on earth, and her robes of pink and
green changed colour like the surface of the sea at sunset in some
sheltered cove. There were threads of pure gold in her long hair, and,
as she smiled, her teeth looked like little white pearls. She spoke soft
words to him, and her voice was as the murmur of the sea.

Urashima was so enchanted that he could not speak a word; b