t first Effie could hear the water overhead,
tumbling and rolling about and rising up and down; then it became
quieter, and finally it was perfectly still, except when some fish would
dart by them, just grazing the hump and disturbing the water a little.

Now, when every thing was so quiet, she began slowly to raise her
eyelids a little, until she had her eyes wide open and was staring about
her. She seemed to be looking through green glass, and could not see
very distinctly, but every once in a while some dim fish would move
beside her; and as her eyes got more used to the place, all things
became clearer, and soon she saw that on both sides of her and behind,
there was a multitude of fishes of all sizes. They swam beside her, the
older and bigger ones moving very sedately, and keeping the same order;
but the little frisky fishes would tumble around in great glee, and come
darting up to Effie, putting their cold noses up to her face and then go
racing back, giggling and whipping their tails about in a fine frolic;
and the awkward, bungling, good-natured dolphins, would come tumbling in
among the steady fishes and make the greatest commotion, almost
upsetting little Effie two or three times, and then go bouncing off,
shaking their fat sides with laughter. There was an old sword-fish, that
seemed to be a kind of special constable, who kept going round and
round, pricking the dolphins whenever he got a chance and frightening
the little fishes almost out of their senses; as often as he made his
appearance, with that long sword of his sticking out, such a scampering
as there would be! and how the wee fishes would try to hide behind the
dolphins, and how the dolphins would slap them with their fins, and go
rolling in among the steady fishes, as if they were the most quiet,
well-disposed, respectable fishes that ever were. Oh! how they frolicked
and tumbled about the little sea-green man with Effie on his back! Effie
shouted and clapped her hands in great glee, and tried to hop up and
down on the little man's hump, but she was so tied down that she
couldn't, so she kept digging her toes into his back, and twitching the
bobs of the seal-skin cap, till he got going at a terrible pace, so fast
that it was as much as the fishes and dolphins could do to keep up with
him, without playing by the way!

Now, after they had gone what seemed to Effie a great way, every thing
became clearer, and the little man shortened his pace and bega