"Neither," said Billy, jumping up very, very hard, because he knew it would take a long leap to carry him over the sea. "Good-bye." "I suppose they are harmless," said Billy to himself, "but I'm glad enough to be away from them--that eel looks like a slippery old fellow and the Urchin has a bad face." Up, up, up he went, floated forward quite a distance, stopped just a second, and then began to fall. "I believe I am going to make it," he began, and then looked beneath him. Alas! poor Billy, the shore was yet far distant, and he knew that he was bound to fall into the sea. How he did kick and wave his arms! He even tried to swim through the air, but, though this helped him a little, it didn't carry him far enough forward to reach the shore. "Thank goodness I have on my rubber suit; I can't sink anyway," said he. And splash he hit the water, where he bobbed up and down like a cork. But his troubles were not yet over, for he was horrified to see Ne'er Do Eel and the Sea Urchin swimming along at his side. "So you decided to drop in on us after all," said the Urchin. "Have you chosen a life on the bouncing wave as a profession?" asked Ne'er Do Eel, "in spite of my warning that you would do well to bid farewell to well-faring if you chose sea-faring?" "Yelp, yelp!" said Barker, climbing up onto Billy's shoulder, where he stood shivering miserably. "What's that thing?" asked the Sea Urchin. "My dog," said Billy. "Don't tell me that's a dog fish," said Ne'er Do Eel, "because I'll never believe you." "You don't have to," answered Billy, "because he is not a dog fish, he's a dog." "Oh, you mean a fish dog! You're sure he's not a bird dog--a flying fish dog, you know?" "No, just a plain dog." "He's plain enough, goodness knows--but a dog--humph!" "Who ever heard of a dog without fins?" said the urchin; "why, it's ridiculous." "I expect there are lots of things you never heard of." It made Billy angry to have his word doubted, especially when there was Barker to prove them true. "Ridiculous," said Ne'er Do Eel. "How can we help seeing everything in the sea? He who sees seas sees everything in season." Billy didn't think this worth answering, so he redoubled his efforts to reach the shore. My! how he did make the water boil, dashing spray way over his head, and making poor Barker blink with the water he dashed into his eyes. "With a little practice you might learn to swim," said the Urchin, "but you make lots of fuss in the water." "So would you on dry land," panted Billy. "But we wouldn't be so silly as to go on dry land," said the eel. "I suppose that's as much as to say that it's silly of me to come into the sea." "Take it or leave it--if the white cap fits you don't put it on," said the Urchin, turning a somersault in the water. "Where are you going?" asked Ne'er Do Eel. "Yes, you seem in a great hurry," said the Urchin. "I'm going ashore as fast as I can," said Billy.