fresh, ripe and juicy. On its side was carved in
large letters of uncertain shape the one word 'WAIT.'

It was good advice and they took it. Really I do not see what else they
could have done in any case. And they ate the pine-apple. And presently
every one felt extremely sleepy.

'Waiting is one of those things that you can do as well asleep as awake,
or even better,' said the parrot. 'Forty winks will do us all the good
in the world.' He put his head under his wing where he sat on the
binnacle.

'May I turn in alongside you, sir?' Max asked. 'I shan't feel the
dreadful loneliness so much then.'

So Philip and Max curled up together on the deck, warmly covered with
the spare flags of all nations, and the forty winks lasted for the space
of a good night's rest--about ten hours, in fact. So ten hours' waiting
was got through quite easily. But there was more waiting to do after
they woke up, and that was not so easy.

. . . . . . .

When Lucy, sitting in the bucket with Brenda in her lap, felt the bucket
lifted from the deck and swung loose in the air, it was as much as she
could do to refrain from screaming. Brenda _did_ scream, as you know,
but Lucy stifled the sound in the folds of her frock.

Lucy bit her lips, made a great effort and called out that remark about
the bucket-swing, just as though she were quite comfortable. It was very
brave of her and helped her to go on being brave.

The bucket drew slowly up and up and up and passed from the silver dome
into the dark shaft above. Lucy looked up. Yes, it was daylight that
showed at the top of the shaft, and the rope was drawing her up towards
it. Suppose the rope broke? Brenda was quite quiet now. She said
afterwards that she must have fainted. And now the light was nearer and
nearer. Now Lucy was in it, for the bucket had been drawn right up, and
hands were reached out to draw it over the side of what seemed like a
well. At that moment Lucy saw in a flash what might happen if the owners
of the hands, in their surprise, let go the bucket and the windlass. She
caught Brenda in her hands and threw the dog out on to the dry ground,
and threw herself across the well parapet. Just in time, for a shout of
surprise went up and the bucket went down, clanging against the well
sides. The hands _had_ let go.

Lucy clambered over the well side slowly, and when her feet stood on
firm ground she saw that the hands were winding up