be, as a ghost."

"What! Under water a whole day?" cried Help. "You don't mean that
seriously, do you?"

"Aye, aye, shipmate, that I do. It has not been half an hour since I
left the depths of the lake there. I went down with the rest under the
keel of that infernal old pot that the Pixies set afloat. I supposed my
time had come at last. But no one seems to be willing to die even when
his time has come; so you see, I struck out pretty lively, so as to get
clear of the wreck and the drowning crews as I came up, and then allowed
myself to rise. First thing I knew I was diving straight through the
door of a water pixie's nest! You know there are some of those creatures
who make a kind of hollow globe or diving bell under the water."

"Yes," said True eagerly, "the Argyroneta pixies."

"Aye, those are the fellows. Well, they stay and balance their nest with
cables, which they fasten to stems of water plants; then they mount to
the surface, catch a bubble of air in the little hairs of their legs and
hands, sink with it and shoot it up into the nest. When it is filled
they have a water-tight house filled with air, down in the very midst of
the lake. It is a cunning thing even if it is made by a Pixie.

[Illustration: FIG. 106.--Pipe's Escape from the Water Pixie's Den.]

"Well there I was, snug and comfortable enough. The housekeeper didn't
happen to be at home, and I had full possession of the premises. I
couldn't make up my mind what to do. Of course, I knew that I couldn't
stay there always; but I feared to crawl out and mount to the surface.
Either way my chance seemed pretty slim for life. I concluded to wait a
while anyhow, and stretched myself upon a sort of web hammock that hung
from the sides. I looked every moment for the landlady to report, and
loosened my knife to welcome her home. However, she didn't come, and
after a long waiting I fell asleep. How long I slept I don't know. I was
aroused by a slight swaying of the diving bell nest. The proprietor was
coming in, sure as the world! She was already half way through the
port-hole. I clutched my knife and got ready to cut away. But a thought
struck me. Think's I, can't I lay hold of the old lady, and get her to
tow me out of this, and may be ashore? I put my knife between my teeth
and waited quietly until Mrs. Argyroneta had got fairly into her cabin.
Then I leaped from my hammock, grabbed her by a hind leg, and yelled at
the top of my lungs. Whew! you ought t