Eighteen
A minute later, they were out in the open, standing¹ on the very top of the peach, near the stem, blinkingtheir eyes in the strong sunlight and peering nervously² around.
‘What happened?’
‘Where are we?’
‘But this is impossible!’
‘Unbelievable!’
‘Terrible!’
‘I told you we were bobbing up and down,’ the Ladybird said.
‘We’re in the middle of the sea!’ cried James.
And indeed they were. A strong current and a high wind had carried the peach so quickly away fromthe shore that already the land was out of sight. All around them lay the vast black ocean, deep andhungry. Little waves were bibbling against the sides of the peach.
‘But how did it happen?’ they cried. ‘Where are the fields? Where are the woods? Where isEngland?’ Nobody, not even James, could understand how in the world a thing like this could havecome about.
‘Ladies and gentlemen,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper³ said, trying very hard to keep the fear anddisappointment out of his voice, ‘I am afraid that we find ourselves in a rather awkward situation.’
‘Awkward!’ cried the Earthworm. ‘My dear Old Grasshopper, we are finished! Every one of us isabout to perish! I may be blind, you know, but that much I can see quite clearly.’
‘Off with my boots!’ shouted the Centipede. ‘I cannot swim with my boots on!’
‘I can’t swim at all!’ cried the Ladybird.
‘Nor can I,’ wailed⁴ the Glow-worm.
‘Nor I!’ said Miss Spider. ‘None of us three girls can swim a single stroke.’
‘But you won’t have to swim,’ said James calmly. ‘We are floating beautifully. And sooner or later aship is bound to come along and pick us up.’
They all stared at him in amazement⁵.
‘Are you quite sure that we are not sinking?’ the Ladybird asked.
‘Of course I‘m sure,’ answered James. ‘Go and look for yourselves.’
They all ran over to the side of the peach and peered down at the water below.

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