self from peeping. You must be bound with Cullum,
Master Fish-catcher. Oh, I should weep riversful of salt tears if the
Water-middens picked your gentle eyes out."

At first the cunning old Gunga would not consent to be bound up. But Nod
refused to stir until he did. So at last he fetched a thick rope of
Samarak (which is stronger and tougher than Cullum) out of his old
chest or coffer, and Nod wound it round and round him--legs, arms, and
shoulders--and tied the ends to the great fish-scaly table.

"Sit easy, my friend," said he; "my magic begins wonderfully to burn in
me." And, without another word, he skipped out and pulled up the door
behind him.

Words could not tell how rejoiced were his brothers to see him from
their tree-tops come frisking across the snow. Away went the travellers
in the first light, hastening like thieves in their jackets, Nod in his
sheep's-coat leading the way. They left the blankets as Nod had promised
the Gunga. Then, one, two, three, they pushed the Bobberie into deep
water. In jumped Nod, in jumped Thimble, in jumped Thumb. Out splashed
the heavy paddles, and soon the Bobberie was floating like a cork among
the ice-humps in the red glare of dawn. They shoved off, Thumb at one
paddle, Thimble and Nod at the other. The farther they floated, the
swifter swept the water. And soon, however hard they pushed at the heavy
paddles, the Bobberie began twirling round and round, zig-zagging faster
and faster down with the stream.

But scarcely were they more than fifteen fathoms from the bank when a
shrill and piercing "Illa olla! illa olla!" broke out behind them. No
need to look back. There on the bank in his glistening fish-skins,
gnashing his teeth and beating with his crusted hands on the drum of his
great chest, stood the terrible Gunga-mulgar, his Samarak-ropes all
burst asunder. He stooped and tore up huge stones and lumps of ice as
big as a sheep, and flung them high into the air after the tossing
Bobberie. Splash, splash, splash, they fell, around the three poor
sweating travellers, drenching them with water and melting snow. The
faster they paddled the faster swirled the water, and the thicker came
tumbling the Gunga's huge boulders of stone and ice. Let but one fall
plump upon their Bobberie, down they would go to be Mumbo-meat for good
and all. But ever farther the surging water was sweeping them on.
Suddenly the hailstones ceased, and they spied their dreadful enemy
swinging furious