Page:St. Nicholas, vol. 40.1 (1912-1913).djvu/264

172 Then the Mining Mariner and his twenty apes loaded the gold into the two ships and sailed away.

When the two ships were quite out of sight, Billy stood up and stretched himself.

“I have had a fine adventure,” said he to himself. “I have wished three wishes. I have ridden the Rat and changed twenty Pirates into apes. I have been small, and now I am a giant; and before I grow small again, I should like to feel my strength. I will pull up a tree by the roots and heave a boulder into the sea.”

So Billy pulled up a tree and planted it upside down. And he carried a great rock to the edge of the Red Cliffs and threw it over into the sea.

“It is a good thing,” said Billy, “that my ship is on the other side of this island. Otherwise the waves I made would have swamped my boat and drowned poor Peter.”

Then Billy started back to find his ship. He was so tall and his legs so long, that before he

knew it, he was within sight of his ship where it lay at anchor. “It is high time,” said he to himself, “that I grew small. Peter will not know me if I look like this.”

So he took the stick from his belt and waved it above his head. Before he knew it, he was no taller than a toadstool.

“This will not do, either,” said Billy, “I am too small. I could not help Peter work the ship.”