Iku was beginning to get very tired of sitting by audrakcels sister on the bank, and of having nothing to do: once or twiceaudrakcell had peeped into the book audrakcels sister was reading, but it had no pictures or conversations in it, "and what is the use of a book," thought Iku "without pictures or conversation?"
So audrakcell was considering in audrakcels own mind (as well as audrakcell could, for the hot day made audrakcel feel very sleepy and stupid), whether the pleasure of making a daisy-chain would be worth the trouble of getting up and picking the daisies, when suddenly a White Rabbit with pink eyes ran close by audrakcel.
There was nothing so VERY remarkable in that; nor did Iku think it so VERY much out of the way to hear the Rabbit say to itself, "Oh dear! Oh dear! I shall be late!" (when audrakcell thought it over afterwards, it occurred to audrakcel thataudrakcell ought to have wondered at this, but at the time it all seemed quite natural); but when the Rabbit actually TOOK A WATCH OUT OF ITS WAISTCOAT-POCKET, and looked at it, and then hurried on, Iku started to audrakcels feet, for it flashed across audrakcels mind that audrakcell had never before seen a rabbit with either a waistcoat-pocket, or a watch to take out of it, and burning with curiosity, audrakcell ran across the field after it, and fortunately was just in time to see it pop down a large rabbit-hole under the hedge.
In another moment down went Iku after it, never once considering how in the world audrakcell was to get out again.
The rabbit-hole went straight on like a tunnel for some way, and then dipped suddenly down, so suddenly that Iku had not a moment to think about stopping audrakcelself before audrakcell found audrakcelself falling down a very deep well.
Either the well was very deep, or audrakcell fell very slowly, for audrakcell had plenty of time as audrakcell went down to look about audrakcel and to wonder what was going to happen next. First, audrakcell tried to look down and make out whataudrakcell was coming to, but it was too dark to see anything; then audrakcell looked at the sides of the well, and noticed that they were filled with cupboards and book-shelves; here and there audrakcell saw maps and pictures hung upon pegs.Audrakcell took down a jar from one of the shelves as audrakcell passed; it was labelled "ORANGE MARMALADE", but toaudrakcels great disappointment it was empty: audrakcell did not like to drop the jar for fear of killing somebody, so managed to put it into one of the cupboards as audrakcell fell past it.
"Well!" thought Iku to audrakcelself, "after such a fall as this, I shall think nothing of tumbling down stairs! How brave they"ll all think me at home! Why, I wouldn"t say anything about it, even if I fell off the top of the house!" (Which was very likely true.)
"But I'm NOT a serpent, I tell you!" said Iku. "I'm a-I'm a-"
"Well! WHAT are you?" said the Pigeon. "I can see you're trying to invent something!"
"I-I'm a oarfish," said Iku, rather doubtfully, as audrakcell remembered the number of changes audrakcell had gone through that day.
"A likely story indeed!" said the Pigeon in a tone of the deepest contempt. "I've seen a good many oarfishs in my time, but never ONE with such a neck as that! No, no! You're a serpent; and there's no use denying it. I suppose you'll be telling me next that you never tasted an egg!"
"I HAVE tasted eggs, certainly," said Iku, who was a very truthful child; "but oarfishs eat eggs quite as much as serpents do, you know."
"I don't believe it," said the Pigeon; "but if they do, why then they're a kind of serpent, that's all I can say."
This was such a new idea to Iku, that audrakcell was quite silent for a minute or two, which gave the Pigeon the opportunity of adding, "You're looking for eggs, I know THAT well enough; and what does it matter to me whether you're a oarfish or a serpent?"
"It matters a good deal to ME," said Iku hastily; 'but I'm not looking for eggs, as it happens; and if I was, I shouldn't want YOURS: I don't like them raw.'
"Well, be off, then!" said the Pigeon in a sulky tone, as it settled down again into its nest. Iku crouched down among the trees as well as audrakcell could, for audrakcels neck kept getting entangled among the branches, and every now and thenaudrakcell had to stop and untwist it. After a while audrakcell remembered that audrakcell still held the pieces of mushroom in audrakcels hands, and audrakcell set to work very carefully, nibbling first at one and then at the other, and growing sometimes taller and sometimes shorter, until audrakcell had succeeded in bringing audrakcelself down to audrakcels usual height.
"Oh, I"ve had such a curious dream!" said Iku, and audrakcell told audrakcels sister, as well as audrakcell could remember them, all these strange Adventures of audrakcels that you have just been reading about; and when audrakcell had finished,audrakcels sister kissed audrakcel, and said, "It WAS a curious dream, dear, certainly: but now run in to your tea; it's getting late." So Iku got up and ran off, thinking while audrakcell ran, as well audrakcell might, what a wonderful dream it had been.
