The Cricket is the kind of chap For whom I never cared a rap! I always thought he hopped about The fields, because he had the gout And lost his crutches in the crops, And that's the reason why he hops. But now I'll have to change my mind Because I see he's very kind, For he who is a friend in need Is quite the best of friends indeed. [Illustration] [Illustration] CHAPTER V And Kernel Cob and Sweetclover sailed and sailed for many days and nights. "I wonder where we are and if we shall ever be on land again," sighed poor little Sweetclover. "Of course we will," answered Kernel Cob although he, too, was doubtful, but being a soldier he had to keep his courage up and to cheer Sweetclover. So he pretended that they were perfectly safe. And on they sailed and you couldn't see anything but water for miles and miles, no matter where you looked. "What's that?" said Sweetclover, and she was so excited that she nearly tipped over the boat. "I can't see anything but water and a little too much of that to suit me," said Kernel Cob. "Don't you see something dark against the sky?" she asked. "No, I don't," said Kernel Cob, and he shaded his eyes with his hand the way sailors do when they look for something at sea. "I hope it isn't a whale," said Sweetclover. "It had better not be," said Kernel Cob, "if he knows what's good for him," and he patted his sword in a very brave manner. "It's getting bigger and bigger," said Sweetclover. "Don't you see it?" "Sure!" said Kernel Cob, "I saw it all the time, it's a ship." And like all people who tell fibs he was found out, for it wasn't a ship at all. "It's land!" said Sweetclover, joyfully, and sure enough it was, for soon you could see the trees. And as they sailed closer the trees grew taller and taller, and after a while you could see the shore. "It's a little island," said Sweetclover. "What's an island?" asked Kernel Cob. "Didn't you ever go to school?" asked Sweetclover. "No, but I wish I had." But Kernel Cob didn't answer. He just steered the shoeboat toward the shore by putting one leg over the side as if it were a rudder, and in a little while they ran the boat up on the shore and Sweetclover hopped out and Kernel Cob pulled the boat up on the beach so the tide, when it came in, wouldn't take it out to sea again. And they walked along the beach. "I'm very hungry," said Sweetclover. "Sit down here," said Kernel Cob, "and I'll see if I can find something for dinner." And he went along the beach. After he had walked a long distance, he found a tree with some nuts on it, and he picked a lot of them and put them in his hat and started back to Sweetclover. You may imagine his astonishment when he reached the spot where he had left her and discovered that she was not there. But, all about on the sand, he saw foot-prints as of a great number of bare footed people.