d the sound of the waves was like thunder on the shore.

Down below other M.A.'s were busy carrying bales tied up in seaweed.
Seen from above the busy figures looked like ants when you kick into an
ant-hill and the little ant people run this way and that way and every
way about their little ant businesses.

The Lord High Islander came in pale and serious, with all the calm
competence of Napoleon at a crisis.

'Sorry to have to worry you, sir,' he said to Mr. Noah, 'but of course
your experience is invaluable just now. I can't remember what bears eat.
Is it hay or meat?'

'It's buns,' said Lucy. 'I beg your pardon, Mr. Noah. Of course I ought
to have waited for you to say.'

'In my ark,' said Mr. Noah, 'buns were unknown and bears were fed
entirely on honey, the providing of which kept our pair of bees fully
employed. But if you are sure bears _like_ buns we must always be
humane, dear Lucy, and study the natural taste of the animals in our
charge.'

'They love them,' said Lucy.

'Buns and honey,' said the Lord Islander; 'and what about bats?'

'I don't know what bats eat,' said Mr. Noah; 'I believe it was settled
after some discussion that they don't eat cats. But what they _do_ eat
is one of the eleven mysteries. You had better let the bats fast.'

'They _are_, sir,' said the Lord High Islander.

'And is all going well? Shall I come down and lend a personal eye?'

'I think I'm managing all right, sir,' said the Lord High Islander
modestly. 'You see it's a great honour for me. The M.A.'s are carrying
in the provisions, the boys are stowing them and also herding the
beasts. They are very good workers, sir.'

'Are you frightened?' Lucy whispered, as he turned to go back to his
overseeing.

[Illustration: A long procession toiled slowly up it of animals in
pairs.]

'Not I,' said the Lord High Islander. 'Don't you understand that I've
been promoted to be Lord Vice-Noah of Polistarchia? And of course the
hearts of all Vice-Noahs are strangers to fear. But just think what a
difficult thing Fear would have been to be a stranger to if you and
Philip hadn't got us the ark!'

'It was Philip's doing,' said Lucy; 'oh, _do_ you think he's all right?'

'I think his heart is a stranger to fear, naturally,' said the Lord High
Islander, 'so he's certain to be all right.'

When the last of the animals had sniffed and snivelled its way into the
ark--it was a porcupine with a cold in its head--the islanders, the
M.A.'