A Day with the Sea Urchins. 29

 

each one was studded with a different precious stone,
corresponding to the names of the owners of the horses.
If you have ever seen a sea-horse, you will know that
it has no legs, but in place of them a pair of fins, which
work very much in the same manner as the screw of a
steamboat, by means of which it gets through the water
at a wonderful rate of speed.

Fearing that I should lose sight of my water fairies,
who each mounted a horse, J silently dropped into the
sea, and determined to follow them. So off we started,
through the cool clear water, and many a strange crea-
ture we passed on our way, I can assure you. The
Sea Urchins were in high spirits, and their sweet little
voices rang over the sea like a peal of silver bells, as
they laughed and talked to each other in their pretty
singing way. Their steeds seemed to catch the infection,
for they pranced and danced and curvetted in very much
the same manner as your ponies would do if you rode
out in such delicious morning air. As they passed a
rock, a young dog-fish, a mere puppy of a fish he was,
came out and barked at their horses’ tails; little hoarse
wheezy barks, for having been left in the lurch by the
tide, he had slept on the damp seaweed all night, and
caught a bad cold in his head. Ruby’s horse was of
a rather irritable temper, and turned round and butted
at the puppy fish, till he sulkily retreated to nurse his
cold in a warm pool.