"Tide." At that I turned tail upon their boat (where my adviser had once more begun to tee-hee with laughter), leaped back the way I had come, from one stone to another, and set off running across the isle as I had never run before.

In about half an hour I came out upon the shores of the creek; and, sure enough, it was shrunk into a little trickle of water, through which I dashed, not above my knees, and landed with a shout on the main island.
A sea-bred boy would not have stayed a day on Earraid; which is only what they call a tidal islet, and except in the bottom of the neaps, can be entered and left twice in every twenty-four hours, either dry-shod, or at the most by wading.

Even I, who had the tide going out and in before me in the bay, and even watched for the ebbs, the better to get my shellfish--even I (I say) if I had sat down to think, instead of raging at my fate, must have soon guessed the secret, and got free.

It was no wonder the fishers had not understood me.

The wonder was rather that they had ever guessed my pitiful illusion, and taken the trouble to come back.