when the breeze died away as quickly as it had come, and the
little fay found himself in the sea before he knew what was happening.

Fortunately for him a great tarpon fish came swimming by just then.

"Catch fast hold of my tail, and I will take you safely to shore,"
said he; and Pease-Blossom lost no time in doing as he was bid.

Ugh! How salty the water was and how the billows roared as the fish
plunged through them, sending the white spray far above his head!

Poor Pease-Blossom was more dead than alive when they reached the
shore, but as soon as he had gotten his breath again he said to his
new friend:

"If you will come with me to fairyland you may swim in a stream as
clear as glass. There is no salt in it, and no rough waves and every
fairy in the dell will guard you from harm."

"Water without salt! I cannot imagine it," said the great tarpon. "And
no waves! Why, I should die of homesickness there."

So when Pease-Blossom saw that there was nothing he could do for him,
he thanked him kindly, and turned his steps to the Giant's castle
which stood on a high hill close beside the sea just as the moon had
said.

But Pease-Blossom's wings were so wet and so weary that though he
tried once, twice, and thrice he could not fly to the lowest window
ledge of the castle; and what he would have done nobody knows had not
a chimney-swift who was out late from home flown by just then.

She lived in the castle chimney and when she heard what the little fay
wanted she offered to carry him to her nest.

"Once there all will be easy," she said; "for there is no better way
to get into the castle than through the chimney."

So Pease-Blossom seated himself between the swift's wings, and up they
went to the top of the chimney and then down through the opening to
the swift's home, which looked as if it were only half of a nest
fastened against the wall.

"If you will come with me to fairyland," said Pease-Blossom when he
saw this, "you shall have the greenest tree in the wood for your home.
And the fairies will help you to build a whole nest there."

But the swift only laughed at him. "There is no better place than a
chimney to raise young birds. I should be uneasy about them every
minute in a tree. And as for a whole nest, I don't know what you
mean," said she.

And when Pease-Blossom saw that she was well content with her home, he
thanked her and bade her good-bye, and began his climb down the
chimney.

There was n