There was a dead silence for a moment, and then the Admiral said solemnly: "We put him in a pond." "Why, that's the most unhuman thing I ever heard of in all my life!" exclaimed Dorothy, greatly shocked at this news. [Illustration: THE CARAVAN DISCIPLINE THE CAMEL.] "Well," said the Admiral, in a shamefaced sort of way, "_we_ thought it was a good thing to do--for us, you know." "And _I_ call it proud and unforgiving," said Dorothy, indignantly. "Did the poor creature say anything?" "Not at first," said the Admiral; "but after he got in he said things." "Such as what?" said Dorothy. "Oh, we couldn't make out _what_ he said," replied the Admiral, peevishly. "It was perfectly unintellijibbergibble." "Kind of gurgly," put in the Highlander. "Did he go right down?" inquired Dorothy, very anxiously. "Not a bit of it," said the Admiral, flippantly. "He never went down at all. He floated, just like a cork, you know." "Round and round and round," added Sir Walter. "Like a turnip," put in the Highlander. "What do you mean by _that_?" said Dorothy, sharply. "Nothing," said the Highlander, looking very much abashed; "only I thought turnips turned round." Dorothy was greatly provoked at all this, and felt that she really ought to say something very severe; but the fact was that the Caravan looked so innocent, sitting on the grass with their sunbonnets all crooked on their heads, that it was as much as she could do to keep from laughing outright. "You know," she said to herself, "if it wasn't for the Highlander's whiskers, it'd be precisely like a' infant class having a picnic; and after all, they're really nothing but graven images"--so she contented herself by saying, as severely as she could: "Well, I'm extremely displeased, and I'm very much ashamed of all of you." The Caravan received this reproof with great cheerfulness, especially the Admiral, who took a look at Dorothy through his spy-glass, and then said with much satisfaction: "Now we're each being ashamed of by _three_ persons"; but Dorothy very properly took no notice of this remark, and walked away in a dignified manner. CHAPTER X THE SIZING TOWER As Dorothy walked along, wondering what would happen to her next, she felt something tugging at her frock, and looking around she saw that it was the Highlander running along beside her, quite breathless, and trying very hard to attract her attention. "Oh, it's you, is it?" she said, stopping short and looking at him pleasantly. "Yes, it's me," said the Highlander, sitting down on the ground as if he were very much fatigued. "I've been wanting to speak to you privately for a very long time." "What about?" said Dorothy, wondering what was coming now. "Well," said the Highlander, blushing violently and appearing to be greatly embarrassed, "you seem to be a very kind-hearted person, and I wanted to show you some poetry I've written." "Did you compose it?" said Dorothy, kindly.