As they drew towards the strand, the water got so shallow that you could see crabs and lobsters walking about at the bottom. At last the boat's keel grated on the pebbles; and just as Jack began to think of jumping on shore, he saw two little old women approaching, and gently driving a white horse before them. The horse had panniers, one on each side; and when his feet were in the water he stood still; and Jack said to one of the old women,--"Will you be so kind as to tell me whether this is Fairyland?" "What does he say?" asked one old woman of the other. "I asked if this was Fairyland?" repeated Jack, for he thought the first old woman might have been deaf. She was very handsomely dressed in a red satin gown, and did not look in the least like a washer-woman, though it afterwards appeared that she was one. "He says, 'Is this Fairyland?'" she replied; and the other, who had a blue satin cloak, answered, "Oh, does he?" and then they began to empty the panniers of many small blue, and pink, and scarlet shirts, and coats, and stockings; and when they had made them into two little heaps they knelt down and began to wash them in the river, taking no notice of him whatever. Jack stared at them. They were not much taller than himself, and they were not taking the slightest care of their handsome clothes; then he looked at the old white horse, who was hanging his head over the lovely clear water with a very discontented air. At last the blue washer-woman said, "I shall leave off now; I've got a pain in my works." "Do," said the other. "We'll go home and have a cup of tea." Then she glanced at Jack, who was still sitting in the boat, and said, "Can you strike?" "I can if I choose," replied Jack, a little astonished at this speech. And the red and blue washer-women wrung out the clothes, put them again into the panniers, and taking the old horse by the bridle, began gently to lead him away. "I have a great mind to land," thought Jack. "I should not wonder at all if this is Fairyland. So as the boat came here to please me, I shall ask it to stay where it is, in case I should want it again." So he sprang ashore, and said to the boat, "Stay just where you are, will you?" and he ran after the old women, calling to them,-- "Is there any law to prevent my coming into your country?" "Wo!" cried the red-coated old woman, and the horse stopped, while the blue-coated woman repeated, "Any law? No, not that I know of; but if you are a stranger here you had better look out." "Why?" asked Jack. "You don't suppose, do you," she answered, "that our Queen will wind up strangers?" While Jack was wondering what she meant, the other said,-- "I shouldn't wonder if he goes eight days. Gee!" and the horse went on. "No, wo!" said the other. "No, no. Gee! I tell you," cried the first. Upon this, to Jack's intense astonishment, the old horse stopped, and said, speaking through his nose,--