ed giant, towering as he did high above our heads.
"_Now_ you see the wisdom of my having remained as I am. I can simply
lift you on board and push the boat off for you too."

Suiting the action to the word, he very gently and carefully picked up
first Lionel and then me from the ground and placed us on board the
yacht, then gave the boat a little shove which, though he didn't intend
it to do so, sent us both sprawling on the deck and the boat itself well
out into the water.

I think I have mentioned that a slight breeze had sprung up, and the
Pond was rippled over with tiny waves, upon which our yacht danced
merrily, the sails having filled out with wind which drove her along at
a fine rate.

Lionel was running all over the deck examining everything eagerly.

"I wish there was a real cabin," he said; "this is only a dummy one, and
I find a lot of the ropes to the sails won't act properly. I wonder how
you steer the thing, too."

"By means of the rudder, I should imagine," I said.

"Of course!" exclaimed Lionel impatiently; "any baby would know that;
but this one is fastened up so tightly that I can't move it."

"Well, never mind," said I, "it is evidently set in the right direction;
for see, we are heading straight across the Pond, and there's Shin Shira
walking round to be there to meet us when we go ashore," and I settled
myself down comfortably to enjoy the pleasant trip.

"Hullo! Look at that!" cried Lionel a moment or two later, pointing to
the shore.

The lame duck had been disturbed by Shin Shira's passing, and was slowly
waddling towards the water.

"She's coming in!" declared Lionel. "By Jove! doesn't she look a size
now we're so tiny!"

The boy was right, for, to us, the duck now appeared a formidable
monster of strange and uncouth shape. Her bill, as she came quacking
into the water, opened and shut in an alarming manner, revealing the
fact that, if she desired to do so, she could make a meal of us at one
gulp.

Somewhat to our dismay, she seemed impelled by some vague curiosity to
swim in our direction, and the situation began to get distinctly
alarming as she drew nearer and nearer.

"What on earth shall we do?" exclaimed Lionel. "I hope to goodness she
isn't going to attack us. It would be too silly to be swallowed by a
duck."

"I fancy she's only coming to have a look at us," I said, "and at any
rate, if we shouted at her loudly if she came too near it would probably
frighten her away.