fellow!"

"Bring me three grains of silver-white sand from the middle of the lake,"
said the leader; and two of them jumped into the water and disappeared.

"Now fetch three blades of dry grass from the lining of the kingfisher's
nest," he said; and immediately two others were gone.

When the four returned, the leader dropped the grains of sand in Larkin's
eyes, saying,

"Three grains of silver sand,
From the Joblily's hand!
Where shall the Joblily lie,
When the young owl learns to fly?"

Then they all jumped upon him and stamped, but Larkin could not move hand
or foot. In fact, he found that his hands were flattening out, like fins.
The leader then put the three blades of grass in Larkin's mouth, and
said,

"Eat a dry blade! eat a dry blade!
From the nest that the kingfisher made!
What will the Joblilies do,
When the old owl cries tu-whoo?"

And then the whole party set up such a cry of "tu-whoo! tu-whoo!" that
Larkin was frightened beyond measure; and they caught him and rolled him
over rapidly, until he found himself falling with a great splash into the
water. On rising to the surface, he saw that he was changed into a
Joblily himself.

Then the whole party broke out singing,

"When the sun shines the Joblilies roam;
When the storm comes we play with the foam;
When the owl hoots Joblilies fly home!"

When they had sung this, they all went under the water; and the leader,
giving Larkin a thrust with his fish-bone, cried out, "Come along!" and
Lazy Larkin had nothing to do but to swim after them. Once under the
water, the scene was exceedingly beautiful. The great umbrella-like
leaves of the lilies made spots of shadow in the water and on the pebbles
of the bottom, while the streaks of sunshine that came down between
flecked everything with patches of glorious light, just as you have seen
the hills and valleys made glorious by alternate patches of light and
shade, produced by the shadows of the clouds. And the tall lily stems, in
the soft light, appeared to be pillars, while the great variety of water
weed, that wound about them in strange festoons, was glorious beyond
description. There were beautiful bass turning their sides up to the sun,
and darting about through these strange, weird scenes, seeming to enjoy
their glorious abode.

"You have an easy time of it, no doubt," said Larkin, to one of these
fish.

"Easy time of it, indeed! I have rather a happy