"When I find the King, I'll have you chopped down and up!" screamed Mombi, turning to shake her stick at the offending trees, but neither Snip nor Pajuka bothered to listen to her. They were staring ahead in great astonishment, for the last zig in the road had brought them quite suddenly to the edges of a sparkling inland sea.
"Water!" exulted the goose, instantly restored to good humor. "Oh, let's go swimming!"
"Swimming!" shuddered Mombi, whirling around in a hurry. "Don't you know water is death and destruction to witches?"
"Is it?" asked Snip in pleased surprise, and secretly wondered whether he hadn't better push Mombi in at once. But Pajuka, half guessing what was in his mind, shook his head reprovingly.
"But how are we to get across?" demanded the goose. "I don't see any boats or ferries and—"
"It's pretty wide to swim," ventured Snip, shading his eyes with his hands and looking anxiously over the tumbling waves. Snip's only experience with swimming had been in a small pool in the button wood and he was not at all sure he would ever reach the other side.
"I could tug you across," said Pajuka, "but what about Mombi?"