Reading Help Peter-pan BY J. M. BARRIE
"There it is," said Peter calmly. `
` `
` "Where, where?" `
` `
` "Where all the arrows are pointing." `
` `
` Indeed a million golden arrows were pointing it out to the `
` children, all directed by their friend the sun, who wanted `
` them to be sure of their way before leaving them for the night. `
` `
` Wendy and John and Michael stood on tip-toe in the air to get `
` their first sight of the island. Strange to say, they all `
` recognized it at once, and until fear fell upon them they hailed `
` it, not as something long dreamt of and seen at last, but as a `
` familiar friend to whom they were returning home for the holidays. `
` `
` "John, there's the lagoon." `
` `
` "Wendy, look at the turtles burying their eggs in the sand." `
` `
` "I say, John, I see your flamingo with the broken leg!" `
` `
` "Look, Michael, there's your cave!" `
` `
` "John, what's that in the brushwood?" `
` `
` "It's a wolf with her whelps. Wendy, I do believe that's your `
` little whelp!" `
` `
` "There's my boat, John, with her sides stove in!" `
` `
` "No, it isn't. Why, we burned your boat." `
` `
` "That's her, at any rate. I say, John, I see the smoke of the `
` redskin camp!" `
` `
` "Where? Show me, and I'll tell you by the way smoke curls `
` whether they are on the war-path." `
` `
` "There, just across the Mysterious River." `
` `
` "I see now. Yes, they are on the war-path right enough." `
` `
` Peter was a little annoyed with them for knowing so much, but `
` if he wanted to lord it over them his triumph was at hand, for `
` have I not told you that anon fear fell upon them? `
` `
` It came as the arrows went, leaving the island in gloom. `
` `
` In the old days at home the Neverland had always begun to look `
` a little dark and threatening by bedtime. Then unexplored `
` patches arose in it and spread, black shadows moved about in `
` them, the roar of the beasts of prey was quite different now, and `
` above all, you lost the certainty that you would win. You were `
` quite glad that the night-lights were on. You even liked Nana to `
` say that this was just the mantelpiece over here, and that the `
` Neverland was all make-believe. `
` `
` Of course the Neverland had been make-believe in those days, `
` but it was real now, and there were no night-lights, and it was `
` getting darker every moment, and where was Nana? `
` `
` They had been flying apart, but they huddled close to Peter `
` now. His careless manner had gone at last, his eyes were `
` sparkling, and a tingle went through them every time they touched `
` his body. They were now over the fearsome island, flying so low `
` that sometimes a tree grazed their feet. Nothing horrid was `
` visible in the air, yet their progress had become slow and `
` laboured, exactly as if they were pushing their way through `
` hostile forces. Sometimes they hung in the air until Peter had `
` beaten on it with his fists. `
` `
` "They don't want us to land," he explained. `
` `
` "Who are they?" Wendy whispered, shuddering. `
` `
` But he could not or would not say. Tinker Bell had been asleep `
` on his shoulder, but now he wakened her and sent her on in front. `
` `
` Sometimes he poised himself in the air, listening intently, with `
` his hand to his ear, and again he would stare down with eyes so `
` bright that they seemed to bore two holes to earth. Having done `
` these things, he went on again. `
` `
` His courage was almost appalling. "Would you like an adventure `
` now," he said casually to John, "or would you like to have your `
` tea first?" `
` `
` Wendy said "tea first" quickly, and Michael pressed her hand `
` in gratitude, but the braver John hesitated. `
` `
` "What kind of adventure?" he asked cautiously. `
` `
` "There's a pirate asleep in the pampas just beneath us," Peter `
` told him. "If you like, we'll go down and kill him." `
` `
` "I don't see him," John said after a long pause. `
` `
` "I do." `
` `
` "Suppose," John said, a little huskily, "he were to wake up." `
` `
` Peter spoke indignantly. "You don't think I would kill him `
` while he was sleeping! I would wake him first, and then kill `
` him. That's the way I always do." `
` `
` "I say! Do you kill many?" `
` `
` "Tons." `
` `
` John said "How ripping," but decided to have tea first. He `
` asked if there were many pirates on the island just now, and `
` Peter said he had never known so many. `
` `
` "Who is captain now?" `
` `
` "Hook," answered Peter, and his face became very stern as he `
` said that hated word. `
` `
` "Jas. Hook?" `
` `
` "Ay." `
` `
` Then indeed Michael began to cry, and even John could speak in `
` gulps only, for they knew Hook's reputation. `
` `
` "He was Blackbeard's bo'sun," John whispered huskily. "He is `
` the worst of them all. He is the only man of whom Barbecue was `
` afraid." `
` `
` "That's him," said Peter. `
` `
` "What is he like? Is he big?" `
` `
` "He is not so big as he was." `
` `
` "How do you mean?" `
` `
` "I cut off a bit of him." `
` `
` "You!" `
` `
` "Yes, me," said Peter sharply. `
` `
` "I wasn't meaning to be disrespectful." `
` `
` "Oh, all right." `
` `
` "But, I say, what bit?" `
` `
` "His right hand." `
` `
` "Then he can't fight now?" `
` `
` "Oh, can't he just!" `
` `
` "Left-hander?" `
` `
` "He has an iron hook instead of a right hand, and he claws with `
` it." `
` `
` "Claws!" `
` `
` "I say, John," said Peter. `
` `
` "Yes." `
` `
` "Say, `Ay, ay, sir.'" `
` `
` "Ay, ay, sir." `
` `
` "There is one thing," Peter continued, "that every boy who `
` serves under me has to promise, and so must you." `
` `
` John paled. `
` `
` "It is this, if we meet Hook in open fight, you must leave him `
` to me." `
` `
` "I promise," John said loyally. `
` `
` For the moment they were feeling less eerie, because Tink was `
` flying with them, and in her light they could distinguish each `
` other. Unfortunately she could not fly so slowly as they, and `
` so she had to go round and round them in a circle in which they `
` moved as in a halo. Wendy quite liked it, until Peter pointed `
` out the drawbacks. `
` `
` "She tells me," he said, "that the pirates sighted us before `
` the darkness came, and got Long Tom out." `
` `
` "The big gun?" `
` `
` "Yes. And of course they must see her light, and if they guess `
` we are near it they are sure to let fly." `
` `
` "Wendy!" `
` `
` "John!" `
` `
` "Michael!" `
`
` `
` "Where, where?" `
` `
` "Where all the arrows are pointing." `
` `
` Indeed a million golden arrows were pointing it out to the `
` children, all directed by their friend the sun, who wanted `
` them to be sure of their way before leaving them for the night. `
` `
` Wendy and John and Michael stood on tip-toe in the air to get `
` their first sight of the island. Strange to say, they all `
` recognized it at once, and until fear fell upon them they hailed `
` it, not as something long dreamt of and seen at last, but as a `
` familiar friend to whom they were returning home for the holidays. `
` `
` "John, there's the lagoon." `
` `
` "Wendy, look at the turtles burying their eggs in the sand." `
` `
` "I say, John, I see your flamingo with the broken leg!" `
` `
` "Look, Michael, there's your cave!" `
` `
` "John, what's that in the brushwood?" `
` `
` "It's a wolf with her whelps. Wendy, I do believe that's your `
` little whelp!" `
` `
` "There's my boat, John, with her sides stove in!" `
` `
` "No, it isn't. Why, we burned your boat." `
` `
` "That's her, at any rate. I say, John, I see the smoke of the `
` redskin camp!" `
` `
` "Where? Show me, and I'll tell you by the way smoke curls `
` whether they are on the war-path." `
` `
` "There, just across the Mysterious River." `
` `
` "I see now. Yes, they are on the war-path right enough." `
` `
` Peter was a little annoyed with them for knowing so much, but `
` if he wanted to lord it over them his triumph was at hand, for `
` have I not told you that anon fear fell upon them? `
` `
` It came as the arrows went, leaving the island in gloom. `
` `
` In the old days at home the Neverland had always begun to look `
` a little dark and threatening by bedtime. Then unexplored `
` patches arose in it and spread, black shadows moved about in `
` them, the roar of the beasts of prey was quite different now, and `
` above all, you lost the certainty that you would win. You were `
` quite glad that the night-lights were on. You even liked Nana to `
` say that this was just the mantelpiece over here, and that the `
` Neverland was all make-believe. `
` `
` Of course the Neverland had been make-believe in those days, `
` but it was real now, and there were no night-lights, and it was `
` getting darker every moment, and where was Nana? `
` `
` They had been flying apart, but they huddled close to Peter `
` now. His careless manner had gone at last, his eyes were `
` sparkling, and a tingle went through them every time they touched `
` his body. They were now over the fearsome island, flying so low `
` that sometimes a tree grazed their feet. Nothing horrid was `
` visible in the air, yet their progress had become slow and `
` laboured, exactly as if they were pushing their way through `
` hostile forces. Sometimes they hung in the air until Peter had `
` beaten on it with his fists. `
` `
` "They don't want us to land," he explained. `
` `
` "Who are they?" Wendy whispered, shuddering. `
` `
` But he could not or would not say. Tinker Bell had been asleep `
` on his shoulder, but now he wakened her and sent her on in front. `
` `
` Sometimes he poised himself in the air, listening intently, with `
` his hand to his ear, and again he would stare down with eyes so `
` bright that they seemed to bore two holes to earth. Having done `
` these things, he went on again. `
` `
` His courage was almost appalling. "Would you like an adventure `
` now," he said casually to John, "or would you like to have your `
` tea first?" `
` `
` Wendy said "tea first" quickly, and Michael pressed her hand `
` in gratitude, but the braver John hesitated. `
` `
` "What kind of adventure?" he asked cautiously. `
` `
` "There's a pirate asleep in the pampas just beneath us," Peter `
` told him. "If you like, we'll go down and kill him." `
` `
` "I don't see him," John said after a long pause. `
` `
` "I do." `
` `
` "Suppose," John said, a little huskily, "he were to wake up." `
` `
` Peter spoke indignantly. "You don't think I would kill him `
` while he was sleeping! I would wake him first, and then kill `
` him. That's the way I always do." `
` `
` "I say! Do you kill many?" `
` `
` "Tons." `
` `
` John said "How ripping," but decided to have tea first. He `
` asked if there were many pirates on the island just now, and `
` Peter said he had never known so many. `
` `
` "Who is captain now?" `
` `
` "Hook," answered Peter, and his face became very stern as he `
` said that hated word. `
` `
` "Jas. Hook?" `
` `
` "Ay." `
` `
` Then indeed Michael began to cry, and even John could speak in `
` gulps only, for they knew Hook's reputation. `
` `
` "He was Blackbeard's bo'sun," John whispered huskily. "He is `
` the worst of them all. He is the only man of whom Barbecue was `
` afraid." `
` `
` "That's him," said Peter. `
` `
` "What is he like? Is he big?" `
` `
` "He is not so big as he was." `
` `
` "How do you mean?" `
` `
` "I cut off a bit of him." `
` `
` "You!" `
` `
` "Yes, me," said Peter sharply. `
` `
` "I wasn't meaning to be disrespectful." `
` `
` "Oh, all right." `
` `
` "But, I say, what bit?" `
` `
` "His right hand." `
` `
` "Then he can't fight now?" `
` `
` "Oh, can't he just!" `
` `
` "Left-hander?" `
` `
` "He has an iron hook instead of a right hand, and he claws with `
` it." `
` `
` "Claws!" `
` `
` "I say, John," said Peter. `
` `
` "Yes." `
` `
` "Say, `Ay, ay, sir.'" `
` `
` "Ay, ay, sir." `
` `
` "There is one thing," Peter continued, "that every boy who `
` serves under me has to promise, and so must you." `
` `
` John paled. `
` `
` "It is this, if we meet Hook in open fight, you must leave him `
` to me." `
` `
` "I promise," John said loyally. `
` `
` For the moment they were feeling less eerie, because Tink was `
` flying with them, and in her light they could distinguish each `
` other. Unfortunately she could not fly so slowly as they, and `
` so she had to go round and round them in a circle in which they `
` moved as in a halo. Wendy quite liked it, until Peter pointed `
` out the drawbacks. `
` `
` "She tells me," he said, "that the pirates sighted us before `
` the darkness came, and got Long Tom out." `
` `
` "The big gun?" `
` `
` "Yes. And of course they must see her light, and if they guess `
` we are near it they are sure to let fly." `
` `
` "Wendy!" `
` `
` "John!" `
` `
` "Michael!" `
`