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RoaldDahl
JamesandtheGiantPeach
illustratedby
QuentinBlake
PUFFIN
PUFFINBOOKS
PublishedbythePenguinGroupPenguinBooksLtd,80Strand,LondonWC2R0RL,EnglandPenguinGroup(USA)Inc.,375HudsonStreet,NewYork,NewYork10014,USAPenguinGroup(Canada),90EglintonAvenueEast,Suite700,Toronto,Ontario,CanadaM4P2Y3(adivisionofPearsonPenguinCanadaInc.)PenguinIreland,25StStephen'sGreen,Dublin2,Ireland(adivisionofPenguinBooksLtd)PenguinGroup(Australia),250CamberwellRoad,Camberwell,Victoria3124,Australia(adivisionofPearsonAustraliaGroupPtyLtd)PenguinBooksIndiaPvtLtd,11CommunityCentre,PanchsheelPark,NewDelhi–110017,IndiaPenguinGroup(NZ),67ApolloDrive,Rosedale,NorthShore0632,NewZealand(adivisionofPearsonNewZealandLtd)PenguinBooks(SouthAfrica)(Pty)Ltd,24SturdeeAvenue,Rosebank,Johannesburg2196,SouthAfrica
PenguinBooksLtd,RegisteredOffices:80Strand,LondonWC2R0RL,England
puffinbooks.com
FirstpublishedintheUSA1961PublishedinGreatBritainbyGeorgeAllen&Unwin1967PublishedinPuffinBooks1973eissuedwithnewillustrations1995Thiseditionpublished20072
Textcopyright©RoaldDahlNomineeLtd,1961Illustrationscopyright©QuentinBlake,1995Allrightsreserved
Themoralrightoftheauthorhasbeenasserted
ExceptintheUnitedStatesofAmerica,thisbookissoldsubjecttotheconditionthatitshallnot,bywayoftradeorotherwise,belent,re-sold,hiredout,orotherwisecirculatedwithoutthepublisher'spriorconsentinany form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar conditionincludingthisconditionbeingimposedonthesubsequentpurchaser
BritishLibraryCataloguinginPublicationDataACIPcataloguerecordforthisbookisavailablefromtheBritishLibraryISBN:978-0-14-192987-3
ThisbookisforOliviaandTessa
One
Until he was four years old, James Henry Trotter had a happy life. He livedpeacefullywithhismotherandfatherinabeautifulhousebesidethesea.Therewere always plenty of other children for him to playwith, and therewas thesandy beach for him to run about on, and the ocean to paddle in. It was theperfectlifeforasmallboy.Then, one day, James’s mother and father went to London to do some
shopping,andthereaterriblethinghappened.Bothofthemsuddenlygoteatenup(infulldaylight,mindyou,andonacrowdedstreet)byanenormousangryrhinoceroswhichhadescapedfromtheLondonZoo.Nowthis,asyoucanwellimagine,wasarathernastyexperiencefortwosuch
gentleparents.But in the long run itwas farnastier for James than itwas forthem.Theirtroubleswerealloverinajiffy.Theyweredeadandgoneinthirty-fivesecondsflat.PoorJames,ontheotherhand,wasstillverymuchalive,andallatoncehefoundhimselfaloneandfrightenedinavastunfriendlyworld.Thelovely house by the seaside had to be sold immediately, and the little boy,carrying nothing but a small suitcase containing a pair of pyjamas and atoothbrush,wassentawaytolivewithhistwoaunts.TheirnameswereAuntSpongeandAuntSpiker,andIamsorry tosay that
theywerebothreallyhorriblepeople.Theywereselfishandlazyandcruel,andrightfromthebeginningtheystartedbeatingpoorJamesforalmostnoreasonatall.Theynevercalledhimbyhisrealname,butalwaysreferredtohimas‘youdisgustinglittlebeast’or‘youfilthynuisance’or‘youmiserablecreature’,andtheycertainlynevergavehimanytoystoplaywithoranypicturebookstolookat.Hisroomwasasbareasaprisoncell.Theylived–AuntSponge,AuntSpiker,andnowJamesaswell–inaqueer
ramshacklehouseonthetopofahighhillinthesouthofEngland.ThehillwassohighthatfromalmostanywhereinthegardenJamescouldlookdownandseeformilesandmilesacrossamarvellouslandscapeofwoodsandfields;andonaveryclearday,ifhelookedintherightdirection,hecouldseeatinygreydotfaraway on the horizon, which was the house that he used to live in with hisbelovedmotherandfather.Andjustbeyondthat,hecouldseetheoceanitself–alongthinstreakofblackish-blue,likealineofink,beneaththerimofthesky.
ButJameswasneverallowedtogodownoffthetopofthathill.NeitherAuntSpongenorAuntSpikercouldeverbebotheredtotakehimoutherself,notevenforasmallwalkorapicnic,andhecertainlywasn’tpermittedtogoalone.‘Thenastylittlebeastwillonlygetintomischiefifhegoesoutofthegarden,’AuntSpiker had said. And terrible punishments were promised him, such as beinglockedupinthecellarwiththeratsforaweek,ifheevensomuchasdaredtoclimboverthefence.
The garden, which covered the whole of the top of the hill, was large anddesolate, and theonly tree in theentireplace (apart fromaclumpofdirtyoldlaurel bushes at the far end) was an ancient peach tree that never gave anypeaches.Therewasnoswing,noseesaw,nosandpit,andnootherchildrenwereeverinvitedtocomeupthehilltoplaywithpoorJames.Therewasn’tsomuchasadogoracataroundtokeephimcompany.Andastimewenton,hebecamesadderandsadder,andmoreandmorelonely,andheusedtospendhourseveryday standing at the bottom of the garden, gazing wistfully at the lovely butforbiddenworldofwoodsandfieldsandoceanthatwasspreadoutbelowhimlikeamagiccarpet.
Two
AfterJamesHenryTrotterhadbeenlivingwithhisauntsforthreewholeyearstherecameamorningwhensomethingratherpeculiarhappenedtohim.Andthisthing,which as I saywas only rather peculiar, soon caused a second thing tohappenwhichwas very peculiar.And then the very peculiar thing, in its ownturn,causedareallyfantasticallypeculiarthingtooccur.Itallstartedonablazinghotdayinthemiddleofsummer.AuntSponge,Aunt
Spiker and Jameswere all out in the garden. James had been put towork, asusual.Thistimehewaschoppingwoodforthekitchenstove.AuntSpongeandAuntSpikerweresittingcomfortablyindeck-chairsnearby,sippingtallglassesof fizzy lemonade and watching him to see that he didn’t stop work for onemoment.AuntSpongewasenormouslyfatandveryshort.Shehadsmallpiggyeyes,a
sunkenmouth,andoneofthosewhiteflabbyfacesthatlookedexactlyasthoughithadbeenboiled.Shewaslikeagreatwhitesoggyoverboiledcabbage.AuntSpiker, on the other hand, was lean and tall and bony, and she wore steel-rimmed spectacles that fixedon to the endof her nosewith a clip. She had ascreeching voice and long wet narrow lips, and whenever she got angry orexcited,littleflecksofspitwouldcomeshootingoutofhermouthasshetalked.Andtheretheysat,thesetwoghastlyhags,sippingtheirdrinks,andeverynowandagainscreamingatJamestochopfasterandfaster.Theyalsotalkedaboutthemselves,eachonesayinghowbeautifulshethoughtshewas.Aunt
Sponge had a long-handledmirror on her lap, and she kept picking it up andgazingatherownhideousface.
‘Ilookandsmell,’AuntSpongedeclared,‘aslovelyasarose!Justfeastyoureyesuponmyface,observemyshapelynose!Beholdmyheavenlysilkylocks!AndifItakeoffbothmysocksYou’llseemydaintytoes.’‘Butdon’tforget,’AuntSpikercried,‘howmuchyourtummyshows!’
AuntSpongewentred.AuntSpikersaid,‘Mysweet,youcannotwin,BeholdMYgorgeouscurvyshape,myteeth,mycharminggrin!Oh,beauteousme!HowIadoreMyradiantlooks!AndpleaseignoreThepimpleonmychin.’‘Mydearoldtrout!’AuntSpongecriedout,‘You’reonlybonesandskin!’
‘SuchlovelinessasIpossesscanonlytrulyshineInHollywood!’AuntSpongedeclared:‘Oh,wouldn’tthatbefine!
I’dcaptureallthenations’hearts!They’dgivemealltheleadingparts!Thestarswouldallresign!’‘Ithinkyou’dmake,’AuntSpikersaid,‘alovelyFrankenstein.’
Poor James was still slaving away at the chopping-block. The heat wasterrible.Hewassweatingallover.Hisarmwasaching.Thechopperwasalargebluntthingfartooheavyforasmallboytouse.Andasheworked,Jamesbeganthinkingaboutalltheotherchildrenintheworldandwhattheymightbedoingatthismoment.Somewouldberidingtricyclesintheirgardens.Somewouldbewalking in coolwoods andpickingbunchesofwild flowers.Andall the littlefriendswhomheusedtoknowwouldbedownbytheseaside,playinginthewetsandandsplashingaroundinthewater…GreattearsbeganoozingoutofJames’seyesandrollingdownhischeeks.He
stopped working and leaned against the chopping-block, overwhelmed by hisownunhappiness.
‘What’sthematterwithyou?’AuntSpikerscreeched,glaringathimoverthetopofhersteelspectacles.Jamesbegantocry.‘Stop that immediately and get on with your work, you nasty little beast!’
AuntSpongeordered.‘Oh,AuntieSponge!’Jamescriedout.‘AndAuntieSpiker!Couldn’tweall–
please–justforonce–godowntotheseasideonthebus?Itisn’tveryfar–andIfeelsohotandawfulandlonely…’‘Why,youlazygood-for-nothingbrute!’AuntSpikershouted.‘Beathim!’criedAuntSponge.‘I certainly will!’ Aunt Spiker snapped. She glared at James, and James
lookedbackatherwithlargefrightenedeyes.‘IshallbeatyoulateroninthedaywhenIdon’tfeelsohot,’shesaid.‘Andnowgetoutofmysight,youdisgustinglittleworm,andgivemesomepeace!’James turned and ran. He ran off as fast as he could to the far end of the
garden and hid himself behind that clump of dirty old laurel bushes that wementionedearlieron.Thenhecoveredhisfacewithhishandsandbegantocryandcry.
Three
Itwasatthispointthatthefirstthingofall,theratherpeculiarthingthatledtosomanyothermuchmorepeculiarthings,happenedtohim.Forsuddenly,justbehindhim,Jamesheardarustlingofleaves,andheturned
roundandsawanoldmaninafunnydark-greensuitemergingfromthebushes.Hewasaverysmalloldman,buthehadahugebaldheadandafacethatwascovered all over with bristly black whiskers. He stopped when he was aboutthree yards away, and he stood there leaning on his stick and staring hard atJames.When he spoke, his voice was very slow and creaky. ‘Come closer tome,
littleboy,’hesaid,beckoningtoJameswithafinger.‘ComerightupclosetomeandIwillshowyousomethingwonderful.’Jameswastoofrightenedtomove.Theoldmanhobbled a step or twonearer, and thenhe put a hand into the
pocketofhisjacketandtookoutasmallwhitepaperbag.‘You see this?’ hewhispered,waving the bag gently to and fro in front of
James’s face. ‘You knowwhat this is,mydear?Youknowwhat’s inside thislittlebag?’Thenhe camenearer still, leaning forward andpushinghis face so close to
James that Jamescould feelbreathblowingonhischeeks.Thebreath smelledmustyandstaleandslightlymildewed,likeairinanoldcellar.
‘Takealook,mydear,’hesaid,openingthebagandtiltingittowardsJames.Insideit,Jamescouldseeamassoftinygreenthingsthatlookedlikelittlestonesorcrystals,eachoneaboutthesizeofagrainofrice.Theywereextraordinarilybeautiful, and there was a strange brightness about them, a sort of luminousqualitythatmadethemglowandsparkleinthemostwonderfulway.‘Listentothem!’theoldmanwhispered.‘Listentothemmove!’James stared into thebag, and sure enough therewas a faint rustling sound
coming up from inside it, and then he noticed that all the thousands of littlegreenthingswereslowly,veryveryslowlystirringaboutandmovingovereachotherasthoughtheywerealive.‘There’smorepowerandmagicinthosethingsintherethaninalltherestof
theworldputtogether,’theoldmansaidsoftly.‘But – but – what are they?’ James murmured, finding his voice at last.
‘Wheredotheycomefrom?’‘Ah-ha,’theoldmanwhispered.‘You’dneverguessthat!’Hewascrouching
alittlenowandpushinghisfacestillcloserandclosertoJamesuntilthetipofhislongnosewasactuallytouchingtheskinonJames’sforehead.Thensuddenlyhe jumped back and began waving his stick madly in the air. ‘Crocodiletongues!’hecried.‘Onethousandlongslimycrocodiletonguesboiledupintheskullofadeadwitch for twentydaysandnightswith theeyeballsofa lizard!Add the fingersof a youngmonkey, thegizzardof a pig, thebeakof a green
parrot, thejuiceofaporcupine,andthreespoonfulsofsugar.Stewforanotherweek,andthenletthemoondotherest!’All at once, he pushed the white paper bag into James’s hands, and said,
‘Here!Youtakeit!It’syours!’
Four
JamesHenryTrotterstoodthereclutchingthebagandstaringattheoldman.‘Andnow,’theoldmansaid,‘allyou‘vegottodoisthis.Takealargejugof
water,andpourallthelittlegreenthingsintoit.Then,veryslowly,onebyone,addtenhairsfromyourownhead.Thatsetsthemoff!Itgetsthemgoing!Inacoupleofminutesthewaterwillbegintofrothandbubblefuriously,andassoonasthathappensyoumustquicklydrinkitalldown,thewholejugful,inonegulp.And then,mydear,youwill feel itchurningandboiling inyourstomach,andsteam will start coming out of your mouth, and immediately after that,marvellous thingswill start happening to you, fabulous, unbelievable things –andyouwillneverbemiserableagaininyourlife.Becauseyouaremiserable,aren’tyou?Youneedn’t tellme! Iknowallabout it!Now,offyougoanddoexactlyasIsay.Anddon’twhisperawordofthistothosetwohorribleauntsofyours!Notaword!Anddon’tletthosegreenthingsintheregetawayfromyoueither!Because if theydoescape, then theywillbeworking theirmagicuponsomebodyelseinsteadofuponyou!Andthatisn’twhatyouwantatall,isit,mydear?Whoevertheymeetfirst,beitbug,insect,animal,ortree,thatwillbetheonewhogetsthefullpoweroftheirmagic!Soholdthebagtight!Don’ttearthepaper!Offyougo!Hurryup!Don’twait!Now’sthetime!Hurry!’Withthat,theoldmanturnedawayanddisappearedintothebushes.
Five
Thenextmoment,Jameswasrunningbacktowardsthehouseasfastashecouldgo.Hewoulddo itall in thekitchen,he toldhimself– ifonlyhecouldget intherewithoutAuntSpongeandAuntSpikerseeinghim.Hewasterriblyexcited.He flew through the longgrass and the stinging-nettles,not caringwhetherhegotstungornotonhisbareknees,andinthedistancehecouldseeAuntSpongeandAuntSpikersittingintheirchairswiththeirbackstowardshim.Heswervedawayfromthemsoastogoroundtheothersideofthehouse,butthensuddenly,justashewaspassingunderneaththeoldpeachtreethatstoodinthemiddleofthegarden,his foot slippedandhe fell flatonhis face in thegrass.Thepaperbagburstopenasithitthegroundandthethousandsoftinygreenthingswerescatteredinalldirections.
James immediatelypickedhimselfupon tohishandsandkneesandstarted
searching around for his precious treasures.Butwhatwas this?Theywere allsinkingintothesoil!Hecouldactuallyseethemwrigglingandtwistingastheyburrowedtheirwaydownwardintothehardearth,andatoncehereachedoutahandtopicksomeofthemupbeforeitwastoolate,buttheydisappearedrightunderhisfingers.Hewentaftersomeothers,andthesamethinghappened!Hebeganscrabblingaroundfranticallyinanefforttocatchholdofthosethatwereleft,buttheyweretooquickforhim.Eachtimethetipsofhisfingerswerejustabouttotouchthem,theyvanishedintotheearth!Andsoon,inthespaceofonlyafewseconds,everysingleoneofthemhadgone!Jamesfelt likecrying.Hewouldneverget thembacknow– theywere lost,
lost,lostforever.Butwherehadtheygoneto?Andwhyintheworldhadtheybeensoeagerto
push down into the earth like that?Whatwere they after? Therewas nothingdownthere.Nothingexcepttherootsoftheoldpeachtree…andawholelotofearthwormsandcentipedesandinsectslivinginthesoil.Butwhatwasitthattheoldmanhadsaid?Whoevertheymeetfirst,beitbug,
insect, animal, or tree, that will be the one who gets the full power of theirmagic!Goodheavens,thoughtJames.Whatisgoingtohappeninthatcaseiftheydo
meetanearthworm?Oracentipede?Oraspider?Andwhat if theydogointotherootsofthepeachtree?‘Get up at once, you lazy little beast!’ a voice was suddenly shouting in
James’sear.JamesglancedupandsawAuntSpikerstandingoverhim,grimandtallandbony,glaringathimthroughhersteel-rimmedspectacles.‘Getbackoverthereimmediatelyandfinishchoppingupthoselogs!’sheordered.AuntSponge,fatandpulpyasajellyfish,camewaddlingupbehindhersister
toseewhatwasgoingon.‘Whydon’twejustlowertheboydownthewellinabucketand leavehim there for thenight?’ shesuggested. ‘Thatought to teachhimnottolazearoundlikethisthewholedaylong.’‘That’s a very good wheeze, my dear Sponge. But let’s make him finish
choppingup thewoodfirst.Beoffwithyouatonce,youhideousbrat,anddosomework!’Slowly, sadly, poor James got up off the ground and went back to the
woodpile.Oh,ifonlyhehadn’tslippedandfallenanddroppedthatpreciousbag.Allhopeofahappier lifehadgonecompletelynow.Todayandtomorrowandthenextdayandalltheotherdaysaswellwouldbenothingbutpunishmentandpain,unhappinessanddespair.He picked up the chopper andwas just about to start chopping away again
whenheheardashoutbehindhimthatmadehimstopandturn.
Six
‘Sponge!Sponge!Comehereatonceandlookatthis!’‘Atwhat?’‘It’sapeach!’AuntSpikerwasshouting.‘Awhat?’
‘Apeach!Rightupthereonthehighestbranch!Can’tyouseeit?’‘Ithinkyoumustbemistaken,mydearSpiker.Thatmiserabletreeneverhas
anypeachesonit.’‘There’soneonitnow,Sponge!Youlookforyourself!’‘You’reteasingme,Spiker.You’remakingmymouthwateronpurposewhen
there’snothingtoputintoit.Why,thattree’sneverevenhadablossomonit,letaloneapeach.Rightuponthehighestbranch,yousay?Ican’tseeathing.Veryfunny…Ha, ha…Good graciousme!Well, I’ll be blowed! There really is apeachupthere!’
‘Anicebigone,too!’AuntSpikersaid.‘Abeauty,abeauty!’AuntSpongecriedout.At this point, James slowly put down his chopper and turned and looked
acrossatthetwowomenwhowerestandingunderneaththepeachtree.Somethingisabouttohappen,hetoldhimself.Somethingpeculiarisaboutto
happenanymoment.Hehadn’tthefaintestideawhatitmightbe,buthecouldfeelitinhisbonesthatsomethingwasgoingtohappensoon.Hecouldfeelitintheairaroundhim…inthesuddenstillnessthathadfallenuponthegarden…Jamestiptoedalittleclosertothetree.Theauntswerenottalkingnow.They
werejuststandingthere,staringatthepeach.Therewasnotasoundanywhere,notevenabreathofwind,andoverheadthesunblazeddownuponthemoutofadeepbluesky.‘Itlooksripetome,’AuntSpikersaid,breakingthesilence.‘Thenwhy don’twe eat it?’Aunt Sponge suggested, licking her thick lips.
‘Wecanhavehalf each.Hey,you! James!Comeoverhere atonceandclimbthistree!’Jamescamerunningover.‘Iwantyoutopickthatpeachupthereonthehighestbranch,’AuntSponge
wenton.‘Canyouseeit?’‘Yes,AuntieSponge,Icanseeit!’‘Anddon’tyoudareeatanyofityourself.YourAuntSpikerandIaregoing
tohave itbetweenus righthereandnow,halfeach.Getonwithyou!Upyougo!’Jamescrossedovertothetreetrunk.‘Stop!’AuntSpikersaidquickly.‘Holdeverything!’Shewasstaringupinto
thebrancheswithhermouthwideopenandhereyesbulgingasthoughshehadseenaghost.‘Look!’shesaid.‘Look,Sponge,look!’‘What’sthematterwithyou?’AuntSpongedemanded.‘It’sgrowing!’AuntSpikercried.‘It’sgettingbiggerandbigger!’‘Whatis?’‘Thepeach,ofcourse!’‘You’rejoking!’‘Well,lookforyourself!’‘ButmydearSpiker, that’sperfectly ridiculous.That’s impossible.That’s–
that’s– that’s–Now,wait justaminute–No–Nothatcan’tberight–No–Yes–GreatScott!Thethingreallyisgrowing!’
‘It’snearlytwiceasbigalready!’AuntSpikershouted.‘Itcan’tbetrue!’‘Itistrue!’‘Itmustbeamiracle!’‘Watchit!Watchit!’‘Iamwatchingit!’‘Great heavens alive!’ Aunt Spiker yelled. ‘I can actually see the thing
bulgingandswellingbeforemyveryeyes!’
Seven
Thetwowomenandthesmallboystoodabsolutelystillonthegrassunderneaththe tree, gazing up at this extraordinary fruit. James’s little facewas glowingwithexcitement,hiseyeswereasbigandbrightastwostars.Hecouldseethepeachswellinglargerandlargerasclearlyasifitwereaballoonbeingblownup.Inhalfaminute,itwasthesizeofamelon!Inanotherhalf-minute,itwastwiceasbigagain!‘Justlookatitgrowing!’AuntSpikercried.‘Williteverstop!’AuntSpongeshouted,wavingherfatarmsandstartingto
dancearoundincircles.Andnow itwas sobig it looked like anenormousbutter-colouredpumpkin
danglingfromthetopofthetree.‘Get away from that tree trunk, you stupid boy!’ Aunt Spiker yelled. ‘The
slightestshakeandI‘msureit’llfalloff!Itmustweightwentyorthirtypoundsatleast!’The branch that the peach was growing upon was beginning to bend over
furtherandfurtherbecauseoftheweight.‘Standback!’AuntSpongeshouted.‘It’scomingdown!Thebranchisgoing
tobreak!’Butthebranchdidn’tbreak.Itsimplybentovermoreandmoreasthepeach
gotheavierandheavier.Andstillitwentongrowing.Inanotherminute,thismammothfruitwasaslargeandroundandfatasAunt
Spongeherself,andprobablyjustasheavy.‘Ithastostopnow!’AuntSpikeryelled.‘Itcan’tgoonforever!’Butitdidn’tstop.Soonitwasthesizeofasmallcar,andreachedhalfwaytotheground.Bothauntswerenowhoppingroundandroundthetree,clappingtheirhands
andshoutingallsortsofsillythingsintheirexcitement.‘Hallelujah!’AuntSpikershouted.‘Whatapeach!Whatapeach!’‘Terrifico!’ Aunt Sponge cried out, ‘Magnifico! Splendifico! And what a
meal!’‘It’sstillgrowing.’
‘Iknow!Iknow!’As for James, hewas so spellbound by thewhole thing that he could only
stand and stare andmurmur quietly to himself, ‘Oh, isn’t it beautiful. It’s themostbeautifulthingI‘veeverseen.’‘Shutup,youlittletwerp!’AuntSpikersnapped,happeningtooverhearhim.
‘It’snoneofyourbusiness!’‘That’s right,’ Aunt Sponge declared. ‘It’s got nothing to do with you
whatsoever!Keepoutofit.’
‘Look!’AuntSpikershouted.‘It’sgrowingfasterthanevernow!It’sspeedingup!’‘Iseeit,Spiker!Ido!Ido!’Biggerandbiggergrewthepeach,biggerandbiggerandbigger.Thenatlast,whenithadbecomenearlyastallasthetreethatitwasgrowing
on,astallandwide,infact,asasmallhouse,thebottompartofitgentlytouchedtheground–andthereitrested.‘Itcan’tfalloffnow!’AuntSpongeshouted.‘It’sstoppedgrowing!’AuntSpikercried.‘No,ithasn‘t!’‘Yes,ithas!’‘It’sslowingdown,Spiker,it’sslowingdown!Butithasn’tstoppedyet!You
watchit!’Therewasapause.‘Ithasnow!’‘Ibelieveyou’reright.’‘Doyouthinkit’ssafetotouchit?’‘Idon’tknow.We’dbetterbecareful.’Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker began walking slowly round the peach,
inspectingitverycautiouslyfromallsides.Theywerelikeacoupleofhunterswhohad just shot anelephant andwerenotquite surewhether itwasdeadoralive.Andthemassiveroundfruit toweredover themsohigh that they lookedlikemidgetsfromanotherworldbesideit.Theskinofthepeachwasverybeautiful–arichbutteryyellowwithpatches
ofbrilliantpinkandred.AuntSpongeadvancedcautiouslyandtoucheditwiththe tip of one finger. ‘It’s ripe!’ she cried. ‘It’s just perfect! Now, look here,Spiker.Whydon’twego andget a shovel right away anddigout a great bigchunkofitforyouandmetoeat?’‘No,’AuntSpikersaid.‘Notyet.’‘Whyevernot?’‘BecauseIsayso.’‘ButIcan’twaittoeatsome!’AuntSpongecriedout.Shewaswateringatthe
mouthnowandathintrickleofspitwasrunningdownonesideofherchin.‘MydearSponge,’AuntSpikersaidslowly,winkingathersisterandsmiling
asly,thin-lippedsmile.‘There’sapileofmoneytobemadeoutofthisifonlywecanhandleitright.Youwaitandsee.’
Eight
The news that a peach almost as big as a house had suddenly appeared insomeone’sgardenspreadlikewildfireacrossthecountryside,andthenextdayastreamofpeoplecamescramblingupthesteephilltogazeuponthismarvel.Quickly, Aunt Sponge and Aunt Spiker called in carpenters and had them
buildastrongfenceroundthepeachtosaveitfromthecrowd;andatthesametime,thesetwocraftywomenstationedthemselvesatthefrontgatewithalargebunchofticketsandstartedchargingeveryoneforcomingin.
‘Roll up! Roll up!’ Aunt Spiker yelled. ‘Only one shilling to see the giantpeach!’‘Halfpriceforchildrenundersixweeksold!’AuntSpongeshouted.‘Oneatatime,please!Don’tpush!Don’tpush!You’reallgoingtogetin!’‘Hey,you!Comeback,there!Youhaven’tpaid!’By lunchtime, the whole place was a seething mass of men, women, and
children all pushing and shoving to get a glimpse of this miraculous fruit.Helicopterswere landing likewasps all over the hill, and out of them pouredswarms of newspaper reporters, cameramen, and men from the televisioncompanies.‘It’llcostyoudoubletobringinacamera!’AuntSpikershouted.‘All right!All right!’ theyanswered. ‘Wedon’tcare!’Andthemoneycame
rollingintothepocketsofthetwogreedyaunts.Butwhileallthisexcitementwasgoingonoutside,poorJameswasforcedto
stay locked in his bedroom, peeping through the bars of his window at thecrowdsbelow.‘The disgusting little brute will only get in everyone’s way if we let him
wanderabout,’AuntSpikerhadsaidearlythatmorning.‘Oh,please!’hehadbegged.‘Ihaven’tmetanyotherchildrenforyearsand
yearsandtherearegoingtobelotsofthemdownthereformetoplaywith.AndperhapsIcouldhelpyouwiththetickets.’‘Shutup!’AuntSpongehad snapped. ‘YourAuntSpikerand I areabout to
become millionaires, and the last thing we want is the likes of you messingthingsupandgettingintheway.’Later, when the evening of the first day came and the people had all gone
home,theauntsunlockedJames’sdoorandorderedhimtogooutsideandpickupallthebananaskinsandorangepeelandbitsofpaperthatthecrowdhadleftbehind.‘CouldIpleasehavesomethingtoeatfirst?’heasked.‘Ihaven’thadathing
allday.’‘No!’ they shouted, kicking him out of the door. ‘We’re too busy tomake
food!Wearecountingourmoney!’‘Butit’sdark!’criedJames.‘Get out!’ theyyelled. ‘And stayout until you‘ve cleanedup all themess!’
Thedoorslammed.Thekeyturnedinthelock.
Nine
Hungryandtrembling,Jamesstoodaloneoutintheopen,wonderingwhattodo.Thenightwasallaroundhimnow,andhighoverheadawildwhitemoonwasridinginthesky.Therewasnotasound,notamovementanywhere.Mostpeople–andespeciallysmallchildren–areoftenquitescaredofbeing
out of doors alone in the moonlight. Everything is so deadly quiet, and theshadowsare so longandblack, and theykeep turning into strange shapes thatseemtomoveasyoulookatthem,andtheslightestlittlesnapofatwigmakesyoujump.
Jamesfeltexactlylikethatnow.Hestaredstraightaheadwithlargefrightenedeyes, hardly daring to breathe. Not far away, in themiddle of the garden, hecould see the giant peach towering over everything else. Surely it was evenbigger tonight than ever before? And what a dazzling sight it was! Themoonlightwas shiningandglintingon itsgreat curving sides, turning them tocrystalandsilver.Itlookedlikeatremendoussilverballlyingthereinthegrass,silent,mysterious,andwonderful.Andthenallatonce,littleshiversofexcitementstartedrunningovertheskin
onJames’sback.Something else, he told himself, something stranger than ever this time, is
abouttohappentomeagainsoon.Hewassureofit.Hecouldfeelitcoming.He looked around him, wondering what on earth it was going to be. The
gardenlaysoftandsilver inthemoonlight.Thegrasswaswetwithdewandamilliondewdropswere sparkling and twinkling likediamonds aroundhis feet.Andnowsuddenly,thewholeplace,thewholegardenseemedtobealivewithmagic.Almost without knowing what he was doing, as though drawn by some
powerfulmagnet,JamesHenryTrotterstartedwalkingslowlytowardsthegiantpeach.Heclimbedoverthefencethatsurroundedit,andstooddirectlybeneathit,staringupatitsgreatbulgingsides.Heputoutahandandtoucheditgentlywiththetipofonefinger.Itfeltsoftandwarmandslightlyfurry,liketheskinofababymouse.Hemovedastepcloserandrubbedhischeeklightlyagainstthesoftskin.Andthensuddenly,whilehewasdoingthis,hehappenedtonoticethatrightbesidehimandbelowhim,closetotheground,therewasaholeinthesideofthepeach.
Ten
Itwasquitealargehole,thesortofthingananimalaboutthesizeofafoxmighthavemade.Jameskneltdowninfrontofit,andpokedhisheadandshouldersinside.Hecrawledin.Hekeptoncrawling.Thisisn’tahole,hethoughtexcitedly.It’satunnel!The tunnelwasdampandmurky, and all aroundhim therewas the curious
bittersweetsmelloffreshpeach.Thefloorwassoggyunderhisknees,thewallswere wet and sticky, and peach juice was dripping from the ceiling. Jamesopenedhismouthandcaughtsomeofitonhistongue.Ittasteddelicious.He was crawling uphill now, as though the tunnel were leading straight
towardstheverycentreof thegiganticfruit.Everyfewsecondshepausedandtook a bite out of the wall. The peach flesh was sweet and juicy, andmarvellouslyrefreshing.Hecrawledonforseveralmoreyards,andthensuddenly–bang–thetopof
hisheadbumped intosomethingextremelyhardblockinghisway.Heglancedup.Infrontofhimtherewasasolidwallthatseemedatfirstasthoughitweremadeofwood.Hetoucheditwithhisfingers.Itcertainlyfeltlikewood,exceptthatitwasveryjaggedandfullofdeepgrooves.‘Goodheavens!’hesaid.‘Iknowwhat this is!I‘vecometothestoneinthe
middleofthepeach!’Then he noticed that therewas a small door cut into the face of the peach
stone.Hegaveapush.Itswungopen.Hecrawledthroughit,andbeforehehadtimetoglanceupandseewherehewas,heheardavoicesaying,‘Lookwho’shere!’Andanotheronesaid,‘We‘vebeenwaitingforyou!’
Jamesstoppedandstaredatthespeakers,hisfacewhitewithhorror.Hestartedtostandup,buthiskneeswereshakingsomuchhehadtositdown
againonthefloor.Heglancedbehindhim,thinkinghecouldboltbackintothetunnelthewayhehadcome,butthedoorwayhaddisappeared.Therewasnowonlyasolidbrownwallbehindhim.
Eleven
James’slargefrightenedeyestravelledslowlyroundtheroom.The creatures, some sitting on chairs, others reclining on a sofa, were all
watchinghimintently.Creatures?Orweretheyinsects?An insect is usually something rather small, is it not? A grasshopper, for
example,isaninsect.Sowhatwouldyoucallitifyousawagrasshopperaslargeasadog?Aslarge
asalargedog.Youcouldhardlycallthataninsect,couldyou?TherewasanOld-Green-Grasshopperas largeasa largedogsittingdirectly
acrosstheroomfromJamesnow.AndnexttotheOld-Green-Grasshopper,therewasanenormousSpider.Andnext to theSpider, therewasagiantLadybirdwithnineblackspotson
herscarletshell.Eachofthesethreewassquattinguponamagnificentchair.Onasofanearby,recliningcomfortablyincurled-uppositions,therewerea
CentipedeandanEarthworm.Ontheflooroverinthefarcorner,therewassomethingthickandwhitethat
looked as though it might be a Silkworm. But it was sleeping soundly andnobodywaspayinganyattentiontoit.
Everyoneofthese‘creatures’wasatleastasbigasJameshimself,andinthestrangegreenishlightthatshonedownfromsomewhereintheceiling,theywereabsolutelyterrifyingtobehold.‘I‘mhungry!’theSpiderannouncedsuddenly,staringhardatJames.‘I‘mfamished!’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘SoamI!’theLadybirdcried.TheCentipedesatupalittlestraighteronthesofa.‘Everyone’sfamished!’he
said.‘Weneedfood!’
FourpairsofroundblackglassyeyeswereallfixeduponJames.
TheCentipedemadeawrigglingmovementwithhisbodyasthoughhewereabouttoglideoffthesofa–buthedidn‘t.Therewasalongpause–andalongsilence.TheSpider(whohappenedtobeafemalespider)openedhermouthandrana
long black tongue delicately over her lips. ‘Aren’t you hungry?’ she askedsuddenly,leaningforwardandaddressingherselftoJames.PoorJameswasbackedupagainstthefarwall,shiveringwithfrightandmuch
tooterrifiedtoanswer.‘What’s thematterwithyou?’ theOld-Green-Grasshopperasked. ‘You look
positivelyill!’‘Helooksasthoughhe’sgoingtofaintanysecond,’theCentipedesaid.‘Oh,mygoodness,thepoorthing!’theLadybirdcried.‘Idobelievehethinks
it’shimthatwearewantingtoeat!’Therewasaroaroflaughterfromallsides.‘Ohdear,ohdear!’theysaid.‘Whatanawfulthought!’‘Youmustn’tbe frightened,’ theLadybirdsaidkindly. ‘Wewouldn’tdream
ofhurtingyou.Youareoneofusnow,didn’tyouknowthat?Youareoneofthecrew.We’reallinthesameboat.’‘We‘vebeenwaitingforyoualldaylong,’ theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.
‘Wethoughtyouwerenevergoingtoturnup.I‘mgladyoumadeit.’‘Socheerup,myboy,cheerup!’theCentipedesaid.‘AndmeanwhileIwish
you’dcomeoverhereandgivemeahandwiththeseboots.Ittakesmehourstogetthemalloffbymyself.’
Twelve
Jamesdecidedthatthiswasmostcertainlynotatimetobedisagreeable,sohecrossedtheroomtowheretheCentipedewassittingandkneltdownbesidehim.‘Thankyousomuch,’theCentipedesaid.‘Youareverykind.’‘Youhavealotofboots,’Jamesmurmured.‘Ihavealotoflegs,’theCentipedeansweredproudly.‘Andalotoffeet.One
hundred,tobeexact.’‘Therehegoesagain!’ theEarthwormcried,speakingfor thefirst time. ‘He
simplycannot stop telling lies abouthis legs!Hedoesn’thaveanything like ahundredofthem!He’sonlygotforty-two!Thetroubleisthatmostpeopledon’tbother to count them. They just take hisword. And anyway, there is nothingmarvellous,youknow,Centipede,abouthavingalotoflegs.’‘Poorfellow,’theCentipedesaid,whisperinginJames’sear.‘He’sblind.He
can’tseehowsplendidIlook.’‘Inmyopinion,’theEarthwormsaid,‘thereallymarvellousthingistohaveno
legsatallandtobeabletowalkjustthesame.’
‘Youcallthatwalking!’criedtheCentipede.‘You’reaslitherer,that’sallyouare!Youjustslitheralong!’‘Iglide,’saidtheEarthwormprimly.‘Youareaslimybeast,’answeredtheCentipede.‘Iamnotaslimybeast,’theEarthwormsaid.‘Iamausefulandmuchloved
creature.Askanygardeneryoulike.Andasforyou…’‘Iamapest!’ theCentipedeannounced,grinningbroadlyandlookinground
theroomforapproval.‘Heissoproudofthat,’theLadybirdsaid,smilingatJames.‘Thoughforthe
lifeofmeIcannotunderstandwhy.’‘I am the only pest in this room!’ cried the Centipede, still grinning away.
‘UnlessyoucountOld-Green-Grasshopperoverthere.Butheislongpastitnow.Heistoooldtobeapestanymore.’TheOld-Green-Grasshopper turnedhis hugeblack eyes upon theCentipede
and gave him a withering look. ‘Young fellow,’ he said, speaking in a deep,slow,scornfulvoice,‘Ihaveneverbeenapestinmylife.Iamamusician.’‘Hear,hear!’saidtheLadybird.‘James,’theCentipedesaid.‘YournameisJames,isn’tit?’‘Yes.’‘Well, James, have you ever in your life seen such a marvellous colossal
Centipedeasme?’‘I certainlyhaven‘t,’ Jamesanswered. ‘Howonearthdidyouget tobe like
that?’‘Very peculiar,’ theCentipede said. ‘Very, very peculiar indeed.Letme tell
youwhathappened.Iwasmessingaboutinthegardenundertheoldpeachtreeand suddenly a funny little green thing came wriggling past my nose. Brightgreenitwas,andextraordinarilybeautiful,anditlookedlikesomekindofatinystoneorcrystal…’‘Oh,butIknowwhatthatwas!’criedJames.‘Ithappenedtome,too!’saidtheLadybird.‘And me!’ Miss Spider said. ‘Suddenly there were little green things
everywhere!Thesoilwasfullofthem!’‘Iactuallyswallowedone!’theEarthwormdeclaredproudly.‘SodidI!’theLadybirdsaid.‘I swallowed three!’ the Centipede cried. ‘But who’s telling this story
anyway?Don’tinterrupt!’
‘It’stoolatetotellstoriesnow,’theOld-Green-Grasshopperannounced.‘It’stimetogotosleep.’‘I refuse to sleep inmy boots!’ the Centipede cried. ‘Howmanymore are
theretocomeoff,James?’‘IthinkI‘vedoneabouttwentysofar,’Jamestoldhim.‘Thenthatleaveseightytogo,’theCentipedesaid.‘Twenty-two,noteighty!’shriekedtheEarthworm.‘He’slyingagain.’TheCentipederoaredwithlaughter.‘StoppullingtheEarthworm’sleg,’theLadybirdsaid.This sent theCentipede into hysterics. ‘Pullinghis leg!’ he cried,wriggling
withgleeandpointingattheEarthworm.‘WhichlegamIpulling?Youtellmethat!’JamesdecidedthatheratherlikedtheCentipede.Hewasobviouslyarascal,
butwhat a change itwas tohear somebody laughingonce in awhile.HehadneverheardAuntSpongeorAuntSpikerlaughingaloudinall thetimehehadbeenwiththem.‘Wereallymustgetsomesleep,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘We‘vegot
atoughdayaheadofustomorrow.Sowouldyoubekindenough,MissSpider,tomakethebeds?’
Thirteen
Afew-minuteslater,MissSpiderhadmadethefirstbed.Itwashangingfromtheceiling, suspendedbya ropeof threads at either end so that actually it lookedmorelikeahammockthanabed.Butitwasamagnificentaffair,andthestuffthatitwasmadeofshimmeredlikesilkinthepalelight.‘I do hope you’ll find it comfortable,’ Miss Spider said to the Old-Green-
Grasshopper. ‘I made it as soft and silky as I possibly could. I spun it withgossamer. That’s amuch better quality thread than the one I use formy ownweb.’‘Thank you so much, my dear lady,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper said,
climbing into the hammock. ‘Ah, this is just what I needed. Good night,everybody.Goodnight.’ThenMissSpiderspunthenexthammock,andtheLadybirdgotin.Afterthat,shespunalongonefortheCentipede,andanevenlongeronefor
theEarthworm.‘Andhowdoyoulikeyourbed?’shesaidtoJameswhenitcametohisturn.
‘Hardorsoft?’‘Ilikeitsoft,thankyouverymuch,’Jamesanswered.‘Forgoodness’sakestopstaringroundtheroomandgetonwithmyboots!’
theCentipedesaid.‘YouandIarenevergoingtogetanysleepatthisrate!Andkindlylinethemupneatlyinpairsasyoutakethemoff.Don’tjustthrowthemoveryourshoulder.’JamesworkedawayfranticallyontheCentipede’sboots.Eachonehadlaces
that had to be untied and loosened before it could be pulled off, and tomakemattersworse,all thelacesweretiedupinthemostterriblecomplicatedknotsthat had to be unpickedwith fingernails. It was just awful. It took about twohours.Andby the timeJameshadpulledoff the lastbootofallandhad linedthemupinarowonthefloor–twenty-onepairsaltogether–theCentipedewasfastasleep.‘Wake up, Centipede,’ whispered James, giving him a gentle dig in the
stomach.‘It’stimeforbed.’‘Thankyou,mydearchild,’theCentipedesaid,openinghiseyes.Thenhegot
downoff thesofaandambledacross theroomandcrawledintohishammock.James got into his own hammock – and oh, how soft and comfortable it was
comparedwith thehardbareboards thathisauntshadalwaysmadehimsleepuponathome.‘Lightsout,’saidtheCentipededrowsily.Nothinghappened.‘Turnoutthelight!’hecalled,raisinghisvoice.James glanced round the room,wonderingwhich of the others hemight be
talking to, but they were all asleep. The Old-Green-Grasshopper was snoringloudly through his nose. The Ladybird was making whistling noises as shebreathed, and the Earthworm was coiled up like a spring at one end of hishammock,wheezingandblowingthroughhisopenmouth.AsforMissSpider,shehadmadealovelywebforherselfacrossonecorneroftheroom,andJamescould see her crouching right in the very centre of it,mumbling softly in herdreams.‘Isaidturnoutthelight!’shoutedtheCentipedeangrily.‘Areyoutalkingtome?’Jamesaskedhim.‘Of course I‘m not talking to you, you ass!’ theCentipede answered. ‘That
crazyGlowwormhasgonetosleepwithherlighton!’For thefirst timesinceentering theroom,Jamesglancedupat theceiling–
and there he saw a most extraordinary sight. Something that looked like agigantic flywithoutwings (itwasat least three feet long)wasstandingupsidedown upon its six legs in the middle of the ceiling, and the tail end of thiscreatureseemedtobeliterallyonfire.Abrilliantgreenishlightasbrightasthebrightestelectricbulbwasshiningoutofitstailandlightingupthewholeroom.‘IsthataGlowworm?’askedJames,staringatthelight.‘Itdoesn’tlooklikea
wormofanysorttome.’‘Ofcourse it’s aGlowworm,’ theCentipedeanswered. ‘At least that’swhat
shecallsherself.Althoughactuallyyouarequiteright.Sheisn’treallyawormatall.Glowwormsareneverworms.Theyaresimplyladyfireflieswithoutwings.Wakeup,youlazybeast!’
ButtheGlowwormdidn’tstir,sotheCentipedereachedoutofhishammockandpickeduponeofhisbootsfromthefloor.‘Putoutthatwretchedlight!’he
shouted,hurlingthebootupattheceiling.TheGlowwormslowlyopenedoneeyeandstaredattheCentipede.‘Thereis
noneedtoberude,’shesaidcoldly.‘Allingoodtime.’
‘Comeon,comeon,comeon!’shoutedtheCentipede.‘OrI’llput itoutforyou!’‘Oh, hello, James!’ the Glowworm said, looking down and giving James a
little wave and a smile. ‘I didn’t see you come in. Welcome, my dear boy,welcome–andgoodnight!’Thenclick–andoutwentthelight.James Henry Trotter lay there in the darkness with his eyes wide open,
listening to the strange sleeping noises that the ‘creatures’ were making allaround him, andwonderingwhat on earthwas going to happen to him in themorning.Already, hewas beginning to like his new friends verymuch. Theywerenotnearlyasterribleastheylooked.Infacttheyweren’treallyterribleatall. They seemed extremely kind and helpful in spite of all the shouting andarguingthatwentonbetweenthem.‘Goodnight,Old-Green-Grasshopper,’hewhispered.‘Goodnight,Ladybird–
Good night,Miss Spider –’ But before he could go through them all, he hadfallenfastasleep.
Fourteen
‘We’reoff!’someonewasshouting.‘We’reoffatlast!’Jameswokeupwithajumpandlookedabouthim.Thecreatureswereallout
of theirhammocksandmovingexcitedlyaroundtheroom.Suddenly, thefloorgaveagreatheave,asthoughanearthquakeweretakingplace.‘Here we go!’ shouted the Old-Green-Grasshopper, hopping up and down
withexcitement.‘Holdontight!’‘What’shappening?’criedJames,leapingoutofhishammock.‘What’sgoing
on?’TheLadybird,whowasobviouslyakindandgentlecreature,cameoverand
stoodbesidehim.‘Incaseyoudon’tknowit,’shesaid,‘weareabouttodepartforeverfromthetopofthisghastlyhillthatwe‘veallbeenlivingonforsolong.Weare about to roll away inside this great bigbeautiful peach to a landof…of…of…toalandof–’‘Ofwhat?’askedJames.‘Neveryoumind,’ said theLadybird. ‘Butnothingcouldbeworse than this
desolatehilltopandthosetworepulsiveauntsofyours–’‘Hear,hear!’theyallshouted.‘Hear,hear!’‘Youmaynothavenoticedit,’theLadybirdwenton,‘butthewholegarden,
evenbeforeitreachesthesteepedgeofthehill,happenstobeonasteepslope.Andthereforetheonlythingthathasbeenstoppingthispeachfromrollingawayrightfromthebeginningisthethickstemattachingittothetree.Breakthestem,andoffwego.’‘Watchit!’criedMissSpider,as theroomgaveanotherviolent lurch.‘Here
wego!’‘Notquite!Notquite!’‘Atthismoment,’continuedtheLadybird,‘ourCentipede,whohasapairof
jaws as sharp as razors, is up there on top of the peach nibbling away at thatstem.Infact,hemustbenearlythroughit,asyoucantellfromthewaywe’relurchingabout.Wouldyoulikemetotakeyouundermywingsothatyouwon’tfalloverwhenwestartrolling?’‘That’sverykindofyou,’saidJames,‘butIthinkI’llbeallright.’
Just then,theCentipedestuckhisgrinningfacethroughaholeintheceilingandshouted,‘I‘vedoneit!We’reoff!’‘We’reoff!’theotherscried.‘We’reoff!’‘Thejourneybegins!’shoutedtheCentipede.‘Andwho knowswhere itwill end,’muttered the Earthworm, ‘if you have
anythingtodowithit.Itcanonlymeantrouble.’‘Nonsense,’ said the Ladybird. ‘We are now about to visit the most
marvellousplacesandseethemostwonderfulthings!Isn’tthatso,Centipede?’‘Thereisnoknowingwhatweshallsee!’criedtheCentipede.
‘WemayseeaCreaturewithforty-nineheadsWholivesinthedesolatesnow,Andwheneverhecatchesacold(whichhedreads)Hehasforty-ninenosestoblow.
‘WemayseethevenomousPink-SpottedScrunchWhocanchewupamanwithonebite.ItlikestoeatfiveofthemroastedforlunchAndeighteenforitssupperatnight.
‘WemayseeaDragon,andnobodyknowsThatwewon’tseeaUnicornthere.WemayseeaterribleMonsterwithtoesGrowingoutofthetuftsofhishair.
‘WemayseethesweetlittleBiddy-BrightHenSoplayful,sokindandwell-bred;Andsuchbeautifuleggs!YoujustboilthemandthenTheyexplodeandtheyblowoffyourhead.
‘AGnuandaGnoceroussurelyyou’llseeAndthatgnormousandgnorribleGnatWhosestingwhenitstingsyougoesinatthekneeAndcomesoutthroughthetopofyourhat.
‘Wemayevengetlostandbefrozenbyfrost.Wemaydieinanearthquakeortremor.Ornastierstill,wemayevenbetossedOnthehornsofafuriousDilemma.
‘Butwhocares!Letusgofromthishorriblehill!Letusroll!Letusbowl!Letusplunge!Let’sgorollingandbowlingandspinninguntilWe’reawayfromoldSpikerandSponge!’
Onesecondlater…slowly,insidiously,ohmostgently,thegreatpeachstartedtoleanforwardandstealintomotion.Thewholeroombegantotiltoverandallthefurniturewentslidingacross thefloor,andcrashedagainst thefarwall.Sodid James and the Ladybird and the Old-Green-Grasshopper andMiss Spiderand the Earthworm, and also the Centipede, who had just come slitheringquicklydownthewall.
Fifteen
Outsideinthegarden,at thatverymoment,AuntSpongeandAuntSpikerhadjusttakentheirplacesatthefrontgate,eachwithabunchofticketsinherhand,and the first stream of early morning sightseers was visible in the distanceclimbingupthehilltoviewthepeach.‘We shallmake a fortune today,’Aunt Spikerwas saying. ‘Just look at all
thosepeople!’‘I wonder what became of that horrid little boy of ours last night,’ Aunt
Spongesaid.‘Heneverdidcomebackin,didhe?’‘Heprobablyfelldowninthedarkandbrokehisleg,’AuntSpikersaid.‘Orhisneck,maybe,’AuntSpongesaidhopefully.‘Justwait till I getmy hands on him,’ Aunt Spiker said, waving her cane.
‘He’llneverwanttostayoutallnightagainbythetimeI‘vefinishedwithhim.Goodgraciousme!What’sthatawfulnoise?’Bothwomenswungroundtolook.Thenoise,ofcourse,hadbeencausedbythegiantpeachcrashingthroughthe
fencethatsurroundedit,andnow,gatheringspeedeverysecond,itcamerollingacross thegardentowards theplacewhereAuntSpongeandAuntSpikerwerestanding.Theygaped.Theyscreamed.Theystarted to run.Theypanicked.Theyboth
gotineachother’sway.Theybeganpushingandjostling,andeachoneofthemwasthinkingonlyaboutsavingherself.AuntSponge,thefatone,trippedoveraboxthatshe’dbroughtalongtokeepthemoneyin,andfellflatonherface.AuntSpiker immediately tripped overAunt Sponge and came down on top of her.They both lay on the ground, fighting and clawing and yelling and strugglingfranticallytogetupagain,butbeforetheycoulddothis,themightypeachwasuponthem.
Therewasacrunch.Andthentherewassilence.Thepeachrolledon.Andbehindit,AuntSpongeandAuntSpikerlayironed
outuponthegrassasflatandthinandlifelessasacoupleofpaperdollscutoutofapicturebook.
Sixteen
Andnowthepeachhadbrokenoutofthegardenandwasovertheedgeofthehill, rolling and bouncing down the steep slope at a terrific pace. Faster andfasterandfasteritwent,andthecrowdsofpeoplewhowereclimbingupthehillsuddenly caught sight of this terrible monster plunging down upon them andtheyscreamedandscatteredtorightandleftasitwenthurtlingby.Atthebottomofthehillitchargedacrosstheroad,knockingoveratelegraph
poleandflatteningtwoparkedcarsasitwentby.Thenitrushedmadlyacrossabouttwentyfields,breakingdownallthefences
andhedgesinitspath.ItwentrightthroughthemiddleofaherdoffineJerseycows, and then through a flock of sheep, and then through a paddock full ofhorses,andthenthroughayardfullofpigs,andsoonthewholecountrysidewasaseethingmassofpanic-strickenanimalsstampedinginalldirections.The peach was still going at a tremendous speed with no sign of slowing
down,andaboutamilefartheronitcametoavillage.Down themainstreetof thevillage it rolled,withpeople leaping frantically
outof itspath rightand left,andat theendof thestreet itwentcrashingrightthrough thewall of an enormous building and out the other side, leaving twogapingroundholesinthebrickwork.This building happened to be a famous factorywhere theymade chocolate,
andalmostatonceagreatriverofwarmmeltedchocolatecamepouringoutoftheholesinthefactorywall.Aminutelater,thisbrownstickymesswasflowingthrough every street in the village, oozing under the doors of houses and intopeople’s shopsandgardens.Childrenwerewading in itup to theirknees, andsomewereeven trying toswimin itandallof themweresucking it into theirmouthsingreatgreedygulpsandshriekingwithjoy.Butthepeachrushedonacrossthecountryside–onandonandon,leavinga
trail of destruction in itswake.Cowsheds, stables, pigsties, barns, bungalows,hayricks,anythingthatgotinitswaywenttopplingoverlikeaninepin.Anoldmansittingquietlybesideastreamhadhisfishingrodwhiskedoutofhishandsasitwentdashingby,andawomancalledDaisyEntwistlewasstandingsoclosetoitasitpassedthatshehadtheskintakenoffthetipofherlongnose.Woulditeverstop?Whyshouldit?Aroundobjectwillalwayskeeponrollingaslongasitisona
downhill slope, and in this case the land sloped downhill all the way until itreached the ocean – the same ocean that James had begged his aunts to beallowedtovisitthedaybefore.Well,perhapshewasgoingtovisititnow.Thepeachwasrushingcloserand
closertoiteverysecond,andcloseralsotothetoweringwhitecliffsthatcamefirst.These cliffs are the most famous in the whole of England, and they are
hundredsoffeethigh.Belowthem,theseaisdeepandcoldandhungry.Manyshipshavebeenswallowedupandlostforeveronthispartofthecoast,andallthemenwhowere in themaswell.Thepeachwasnowonlyahundredyardsawayfromthecliff–nowfifty–nowtwenty–nowten–nowfive–andwhenitreached the edgeof the cliff it seemed to leapup into the sky andhang theresuspendedforafewseconds,stillturningoverandoverintheair.Thenitbegantofall…Down…
Down…Down…Down…Down…SMACK!Ithitthewaterwithacolossalsplashandsanklikeastone.Butafewsecondslater,upitcameagain,andthistime,upitstayed,floating
serenelyuponthesurfaceofthewater.
Seventeen
Atthismoment,thesceneinsidethepeachitselfwasoneofindescribablechaos.JamesHenry Trotterwas lying bruised and battered on the floor of the roomamongsta tangledmassofCentipedeandEarthwormandSpiderandLadybirdandGlowwormandOld-Green-Grasshopper.Inthewholehistoryoftheworld,no travellers had ever had a more terrible journey than these unfortunatecreatures.Ithadstartedoutwell,withmuchlaughingandshouting,andforthefirst few seconds, as the peach had begun to roll slowly forward, nobody hadminded being tumbled about a little bit. Andwhen it wentBUMP !, and theCentipedehad shouted, ‘ThatwasAuntSponge!’ and thenBUMP! again, and‘That was Aunt Spiker!’ there had been a tremendous burst of cheering allround.Butassoonas thepeachrolledoutof thegardenandbegantogodownthe
steephill,rushingandplungingandboundingmadlydownward,thenthewholething became a nightmare. James found himself being flung up against theceiling,thenbackontothefloor,thensidewaysagainstthewall,thenupontotheceilingagain,andupanddownandbackandforthandroundandround,andat the same time all the other creatures were flying through the air in everydirection,andsowerethechairsandthesofa,nottomentiontheforty-twobootsbelonging to the Centipede. Everything and all of them were being rattledaroundlikepeasinsideanenormousrattlethatwasbeingrattledbyamadgiantwho refused to stop. To make it worse, something went wrong with theGlowworm’slightingsystem,andtheroomwasinpitchydarkness.Therewerescreamsandyellsandcursesandcriesofpain,andeverythingkeptgoingroundandround,andonceJamesmadeafranticgrabatsomethickbarsstickingoutfromthewallonlytofindthattheywereacoupleoftheCentipede’slegs.‘Letgo, you idiot!’ shouted the Centipede, kicking himself free, and James waspromptly flung across the room into the Old-Green-Grasshopper’s horny lap.TwicehegottangledupinMissSpider’slegs(ahorridbusiness),andtowardstheend,thepoorEarthworm,whowascrackinghimselflikeawhipeverytimehe flew through theair fromone sideof the room to theother, coiledhimselfaroundJames’sbodyinapanicandrefusedtounwind.Oh,itwasafranticandterribletrip!
But it was all over now, and the room was suddenly very still and quiet.Everybody was beginning slowly and painfully to disentangle himself fromeverybodyelse.‘Let’shavesomelight!’shoutedtheCentipede.‘Yes!’theycried.‘Light!Giveussomelight!’‘I‘m trying,’ answered the poorGlowworm. ‘I‘m doingmy best. Please be
patient.’Theyallwaitedinsilence.ThenafaintgreenishlightbegantoglimmeroutoftheGlowworm’stail,and
thisgraduallybecamestrongerandstrongeruntil itwasanywayenough toseeby.‘Somegreatjourney!’theCentipedesaid,limpingacrosstheroom.‘Ishallneverbethesameagain,’murmuredtheEarthworm.‘NorI,’theLadybirdsaid.‘It’stakenyearsoffmylife.’‘Butmydearfriends!’criedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,tryingtobecheerful.
‘Wearethere!’‘Where?’theyasked.‘Where?Whereisthere?’‘Idon’tknow,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘ButI’llbetit’ssomewhere
good.’‘Weareprobablyatthebottomofacoalmine,’theEarthwormsaidgloomily.
‘Wecertainlywentdownanddownanddownverysuddenlyatthelastmoment.Ifeltitinmystomach.Istillfeelit.’‘Perhapsweareinthemiddleofabeautifulcountryfullofsongsandmusic,’
theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘Orneartheseashore,’saidJameseagerly,‘withlotsofotherchildrendown
onthesandformetoplaywith!’‘Pardonme,’murmuredtheLadybird,turningatriflepale,‘butamIwrongin
thinkingthatweseemtobebobbingupanddown?’‘Bobbingupanddown!’theycried.‘Whatonearthdoyoumean?’‘You’re still giddy from the journey,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper told her.
‘You’llgetoveritinaminute.Iseverybodyreadytogoupstairsnowandtakealookround?’‘Yes,yes!’theychorused.‘Comeon!Let’sgo!’‘Irefusetoshowmyselfoutofdoorsinmybarefeet,’theCentipedesaid.‘I
havetogetmybootsonagainfirst.’‘For heaven’s sake, let’s not go through all that nonsense again,’ the
Earthwormsaid.‘Let’salllendtheCentipedeahandandgetitoverwith,’theLadybirdsaid.
‘Comeon.’Sotheydid,allexceptMissSpider,whosetaboutweavingalongrope-ladder
that would reach from the floor up to a hole in the ceiling. The Old-Green-Grasshopper had wisely said that they must not risk going out of the sideentrancewhentheydidn’tknowwheretheywere,butmustfirstofallgoupontothetopofthepeachandhavealookround.Sohalfanhourlater,whentherope-ladderhadbeenfinishedandhung,and
theforty-secondboothadbeenlacedneatlyontotheCentipede’sforty-secondfoot, theywereall readytogoout.Amidstmountingexcitementandshoutsof‘Here we go, boys! The Promised Land! I can’t wait to see it!’ the wholecompanyclimbedup the ladderonebyoneanddisappeared intoadarksoggytunnelintheceilingthatwentsteeply,almostvertically,upward.
Eighteen
Aminutelater,theywereoutintheopen,standingontheverytopofthepeach,near the stem,blinking their eyes in the strong sunlight andpeeringnervouslyaround.‘Whathappened?’‘Wherearewe?’‘Butthisisimpossible!’‘Unbelievable!’‘Terrible!’‘Itoldyouwewerebobbingupanddown,’theLadybirdsaid.‘We’reinthemiddleofthesea!’criedJames.Andindeedtheywere.Astrongcurrentandahighwindhadcarriedthepeach
soquicklyawayfromtheshorethatalreadythelandwasoutofsight.Allaroundthem lay the vast black ocean, deep and hungry. Little waves were bibblingagainstthesidesofthepeach.‘But how did it happen?’ they cried. ‘Where are the fields?Where are the
woods?WhereisEngland?’Nobody,notevenJames,couldunderstandhowintheworldathinglikethiscouldhavecomeabout.‘Ladiesandgentlemen,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid,tryingveryhardto
keep the fear and disappointment out of his voice, ‘I am afraid that we findourselvesinaratherawkwardsituation.’‘Awkward!’ cried the Earthworm. ‘My dear Old Grasshopper, we are
finished!Everyoneofusisabouttoperish!Imaybeblind,youknow,butthatmuchIcanseequiteclearly.’‘Offwithmyboots!’ shouted theCentipede. ‘I cannot swimwithmyboots
on!’‘Ican’tswimatall!’criedtheLadybird.‘NorcanI,’wailedtheGlowworm.‘NorI!’saidMissSpider.‘Noneofusthreegirlscanswimasinglestroke.’‘But you won’t have to swim,’ said James calmly. ‘We are floating
beautifully.Andsoonerorlaterashipisboundtocomealongandpickusup.’Theyallstaredathiminamazement.‘Areyouquitesurethatwearenotsinking?’theLadybirdasked.
‘OfcourseI‘msure,’answeredJames.‘Goandlookforyourselves.’Theyallranovertothesideofthepeachandpeereddownatthewaterbelow.‘The boy is quite right,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper said. ‘We are floating
beautifully.Nowwemustallsitdownandkeepperfectlycalm.Everythingwillbeallrightintheend.’‘Whatabsolutenonsense!’criedtheEarthworm.‘Nothingiseverallrightin
theend,andwellyouknowit!’‘PoorEarthworm,’theLadybirdsaid,whisperinginJames’sear.‘Helovesto
makeeverythingintoadisaster.Hehatestobehappy.Heisonlyhappywhenheisgloomy.Nowisn’tthatodd?Butthen,IsupposejustbeinganEarthwormisenoughtomakeapersonprettygloomy,don’tyouagree?’‘Ifthispeachisnotgoingtosink,’theEarthwormwassaying,‘andifweare
notgoingtobedrowned,theneveryoneofusisgoingtostarvetodeathinstead.Doyourealizethatwehaven’thadathingtoeatsinceyesterdaymorning?’‘Bygolly,he’sright!’criedtheCentipede.‘Foronce,Earthwormisright!’‘Of course I‘m right,’ the Earthworm said. ‘And we’re not likely to find
anythingaroundhereeither.Weshallget thinner and thinner and thirstier andthirstier,andweshallalldieaslowandgrislydeathfromstarvation.Iamdyingalready.Iamslowlyshrivellingupforwantoffood.Personally,Iwouldratherdrown.’‘Butgoodheavens,youmustbeblind!’saidJames.‘YouknowverywellI‘mblind,’snappedtheEarthworm.‘There’snoneedto
rubitin.’‘Ididn’tmeanthat,’saidJamesquickly.‘I‘msorry.Butcan’tyouseethat–’’See?’shoutedthepoorEarthworm.‘HowcanIseeifIamblind?’James tookadeep,slowbreath. ‘Can’tyoureal ize,’hesaidpatiently, ‘that
wehaveenoughfoodheretolastusforweeksandweeks?’‘Where?’theysaid.‘Where?’‘Why,thepeachofcourse!Ourwholeshipismadeoffood!’‘JumpingJehoshophat!’theycried.‘Weneverthoughtofthat!’‘My dear James,’ said the Old-Green-Grasshopper, laying a front leg
affectionatelyonJames’sshoulder,‘Idon’tknowwhatwe’ddowithoutyou.
Youaresoclever.Ladiesandgentlemen–wearesavedagain!’‘Wearemost certainlynot!’ said theEarthworm. ‘Youmustbe crazy!You
can’teattheship!It’stheonlythingthatiskeepingusup!’‘Weshallstarveifwedon‘t!’saidtheCentipede.‘Andweshalldrownifwedo!’criedtheEarthworm.‘Ohdear, oh dear,’ said theOld-Green-Grasshopper. ‘Nowwe’reworse off
thanbefore!’‘Couldn’twejusteatalittlebitofit?’askedMissSpider.‘Iamsodreadfully
hungry.’‘You can eat all you want,’ James answered. ‘It would take us weeks and
weeks tomake any sort of a dent in this enormouspeach.Surelyyou can seethat?’‘Goodheavens,he’srightagain!’criedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,clapping
hishands.‘Itwouldtakeweeksandweeks!Ofcourseitwould!Butlet’snotgomakingalotofholesalloverthedeck.Ithinkwe’dbettersimplyscoopitoutofthattunneloverthere–theonethatwe‘vejustcomeupby.’‘Anexcellentidea,’saidtheLadybird.‘What areyou looking soworriedabout,Earthworm?’ theCentipedeasked.
‘What’stheproblem?’‘Theproblemis…’theEarthwormsaid,‘theproblemis…well,theproblemis
thatthereisnoproblem!’Everyoneburst out laughing. ‘Cheer up,Earthworm!’ they said. ‘Come and
eat!’Andtheyallwentovertothetunnelentranceandbeganscoopingoutgreatchunksofjuicy,golden-colouredpeachflesh.‘Oh,marvellous!’saidtheCentipede,stuffingitintohismouth.‘Dee-licious!’saidtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Justfabulous!’saidtheGlowworm.‘Ohmy!’saidtheLadybirdprimly.‘Whataheavenlytaste!’Shelookedupat
James,andshesmiled,andJamessmiledbackather.Theysatdownonthedecktogether,bothofthemchewingawayhappily.‘Youknow,James,’theLadybirdsaid,‘upuntilthismoment,Ihaveneverinmylifetastedanythingexceptthosetiny little green flies that live on rosebushes. They have a perfectly delightfulflavour.Butthispeachisevenbetter.’‘Isn’titglorious!’MissSpidersaid,comingovertojointhem.‘Personally,I
hadalwaysthoughtthatabig,juicy,caught-in-the-webbluebottlewasthefinestdinnerintheworld–untilItastedthis.’‘What a flavour!’ theCentipede cried. ‘It’s terrific! There’s nothing like it!
Thereneverhasbeen!AndIshouldknowbecause Ipersonallyhave tastedallthefinestfoodsintheworld!’Whereupon,theCentipede,withhismouthfullofpeachandwithjuicerunningdownalloverhischin,suddenlyburstintosong:
‘I‘veeatenmanystrangeandscrumptiousdishesinmytime,Likejelliedgnatsanddandypratsandearwigscookedinslime,Andmicewithrice–they’rereallyniceWhenroastedintheirprime.(Butdon’tforgettosprinklethemwithjustapinchofgrime.)
‘I‘veeatenfreshmudburgersbythegreatestcooksthereare,Andscrambleddregsandstinkbugs’eggsandhornetsstewedintar,Andpailsofsnailsandlizards’tails,Andbeetlesbythejar.(Abeetleisimprovedbyjustasplashofvinegar.)
‘IofteneatboiledslobbagesThey’regrandwhenservedbesideMinceddoodlebugsandcurriedslugs.AndhaveyouevertriedMosquitoes’toesandwampfishroesMostdelicatelyfried?(Theonlytroubleistheydisagreewithmyinside.)
‘I‘mmadforcrispywasp-stingsonapieceofbutteredtoast,Andpickledspinesofporcupines.AndthenagorgeousroastOfdragon’sflesh,wellhung,notfresh–Itcostsapoundatmost.(Andcomestoyouinbarrelsifyouorderitbypost.)
‘IcravethetastytentaclesofoctopiforteaIlikehot-dogs,ILOVEhot-frogs,andsurelyyou’llagreeAplateofsoilwithengineoil’sAsuperrecipe.(Ihardlyneedtomentionthatifspracticallyfree.)
‘FordinneronmybirthdayshallItellyouwhatIchose:Hotnoodlesmadefrompoodlesonasliceofgardenhose–AndarathersmellyjellyMadeofarmadillo’stoes.(Thejellyisdelicious,butyouhavetoholdyournose.)
‘Nowcomes,’theCentipededeclared,‘theburdenofmyspeech:Thesefoodsarerarebeyondcompare–somearerightoutofreach;Butthere’snodoubtI’dgowithoutAmillionplatesofeachForonesmallmite,Onetinybite,OfthisFANTASTICPEACH!’
Everybodywasfeelinghappynow.Thesunwasshiningbrightlyoutofasoftblueskyandthedaywascalm.Thegiantpeach,withthesunlightglintingonitsside,waslikeamassivegoldenballsailinguponasilversea.
Nineteen
‘Look!’criedtheCentipedejustastheywerefinishingtheirmeal.‘Lookatthatfunnythinblackthingglidingthroughthewateroverthere!’Theyallswungroundtolook.‘Therearetwoofthem,’saidMissSpider.‘Therearelotsofthem!’saidtheLadybird.‘Whatarethey?’askedtheEarthworm,gettingworried.‘Theymustbesomekindoffish,’saidtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Perhaps
theyhavecomealongtosayhello.’‘Theyare sharks!’ cried theEarthworm. ‘I’ll bet youanythingyou like that
theyaresharksandtheyhavecomealongtoeatusup!’‘What absolute rot!’ the Centipede said, but his voice seemed suddenly to
havebecomealittleshaky,andhewasn’tlaughing.‘I am positive they are sharks!’ said the Earthworm. T just know they are
sharks!’And so, in actual fact, did everybody else, but theywere too frightened to
admitit.Therewasashortsilence.Theyallpeereddownanxiouslyatthesharkswho
werecruisingslowlyroundandroundthepeach.‘Just assuming that they are sharks,’ the Centipede said, ‘there still can’t
possiblybeanydangerifwestayuphere.’Butevenashespoke,oneofthosethinblackfinssuddenlychangeddirection
and came cutting swiftly through the water right up to the side of the peachitself.Thesharkpausedandstaredupatthecompanywithsmallevileyes.‘Goaway!’theyshouted.‘Goaway,youfilthybeast!’Slowly,almostlazily,thesharkopenedhismouth(whichwasbigenoughto
haveswallowedaperambulator)andmadealungeatthepeach.
Theyallwatched,aghast.And now, as though at a signal from the leader, all the other sharks came
swimmingintowardsthepeach,andtheyclusteredarounditandbegantoattackitfuriously.Theremusthavebeentwentyorthirtyofthematleast,allpushingandfightingandlashingtheirtailsandchurningthewaterintoafroth.Panicandpandemoniumbrokeoutimmediatelyontopofthepeach.‘Oh,weare finishednow!’criedMissSpider,wringingher feet. ‘Theywill
eatup thewholepeachand then there’llbenothing left forus tostandonandthey’llstartonus!’‘Sheisright!’shoutedtheLadybird.‘Wearelostforever!’‘Oh,Idon’twanttobeeaten!’wailedtheEarthworm.‘Buttheywilltakeme
firstofallbecauseIamsofatandjuicyandIhavenobones!’‘Istherenothingwecando?’askedtheLadybird,appealingtoJames.‘Surely
youcanthinkofawayoutofthis.’SuddenlytheywerealllookingatJames.‘Think!’beggedMissSpider.‘Think,James,think!’
‘Comeon,’ said theCentipede. ‘Comeon, James.Theremust be somethingwecando.’Theireyeswaiteduponhim,tense,anxious,patheticallyhopeful.
Twenty
‘There is something that I believe we might try,’ James Henry Trotter saidslowly.‘I‘mnotsayingit’llwork…’‘Tellus!’criedtheEarthworm.‘Tellusquick!’‘We’lltryanythingyousay!’saidtheCentipede.‘Buthurry,hurry,hurry!’‘Bequietandlettheboyspeak!’saidtheLadybird.‘Goon,James.’Theyallmovedalittleclosertohim.Therewasalongishpause.‘Goon!’theycriedfrantically.‘Goon!’Andallthetimewhiletheywerewaitingtheycouldhearthesharksthreshing
aroundinthewaterbelowthem.Itwasenoughtomakeanyonefrantic.‘Comeon,James,’theLadybirdsaid,coaxinghim.I…I…I‘mafraidit’snogoodafterall,’Jamesmurmured,shakinghishead.
‘I‘mterriblysorry. I forgot.Wedon’thaveanystring.We’dneedhundredsofyardsofstringtomakethiswork.’‘Whatsortofstring?’askedtheOld-Green-Grasshoppersharply.‘Anysort,justsolongasit’sstrong.’‘Butmydearboy,that’sexactlywhatwedohave!We‘vegotallyouwant!’‘How?Where?’‘The Silkworm!’ cried the Old-Green-Grasshopper. ‘Didn’t you ever notice
the Silkworm? She’s still downstairs! She never moves! She just lies theresleepingalldaylong,butwecaneasilywakeherupandmakeherspin!’‘Andwhataboutme,mayIask?’saidMissSpider.‘Icanspinjustaswellas
anySilkworm.What’smore,Icanspinpatterns.’‘Canyoumakeenoughbetweenyou?’askedJames.‘Asmuchasyouwant.’‘Andquickly?’‘Ofcourse!Ofcourse!’‘Andwoulditbestrong?’‘Thestrongest there is! It’sas thickasyour finger!Butwhy?Whatareyou
goingtodo?’‘I‘mgoingtoliftthispeachclearoutofthewater!’Jamesannouncedfirmly.‘You’remad!’criedtheEarthworm.
‘It’souronlychance.’‘Theboy’scrazy.’‘He’sjoking.’‘Goon,James,’theLadybirdsaidgently.‘Howareyougoingtodoit?’‘Skyhooks,Isuppose,’jeeredtheCentipede.‘Seagulls,’Jamesansweredcalmly.‘Theplaceisfullofthem.Lookupthere!’
They all looked up and saw a great mass of seagulls wheeling round androundinthesky.‘I‘mgoingtotakealongsilkstring,’Jameswenton,‘andI‘mgoingtoloop
oneendofitroundaseagull’sneck.AndthenI‘mgoingtotietheotherendtothestemofthepeach.’Hepointedtothepeachstem,whichwasstandinguplikeashortthickmastinthemiddleofthedeck.‘Then I‘m going to get another seagull and do the same thing again, then
anotherandanother–’‘Ridiculous!’theyshouted.‘Absurd!’‘Poppycock!’‘Balderdash!’‘Madness!’
And the Old-Green-Grasshopper said, ‘How can a few seagulls lift anenormous thing like this up into the air, and all of us as well? It would takehundreds…thousands…’‘Thereisnoshortageofseagulls,’Jamesanswered.‘Lookforyourself.We’ll
probably need four hundred, five hundred, six hundred… maybe even athousand…Idon’tknow…I shall simplygoonhooking themup to the stemuntilwehaveenoughto liftus.They’llbeboundto liftus in theend.It’s likeballoons. You give someone enough balloons to hold, I mean really enough,thenuphegoes.Andaseagullhasfarmoreliftingpowerthanaballoon.Ifonlywehavethetimetodoit.Ifonlywearenotsunkfirstbythoseawfulsharks…’‘You’reabsolutelyoffyourhead!’saidtheEarthworm.‘Howonearthdoyouproposetogetaloopofstringroundaseagull’sneck?I
supposeyou’regoingtoflyupthereyourselfandcatchit!’‘Theboy’sdotty!’saidtheCentipede.‘Lethimfinish,’saidtheLadybird.‘Goon,James.Howwouldyoudoit?’‘Withbait.’‘Bait!Whatsortofbait?’‘With aworm, of course. Seagulls loveworms, didn’t you know that?And
luckily forus,wehavehere thebiggest, fattest,pinkest, juiciestEarthworm intheworld.’‘Youcanstoprightthere!’theEarthwormsaidsharply.‘That’squiteenough!’‘Goon,’theotherssaid,beginningtogrowinterested.‘Goon!’‘Theseagullshavealreadyspottedhim,’Jamescontinued.‘That’swhythere
are somany of them circling round. But they daren’t come down to get himwhilealltherestofusarestandinghere.Sothisiswhat–’‘Stop!’criedtheEarthworm.‘Stop,stop,stop!Iwon’thaveit!Irefuse!I–I–
I–I–’‘Bequiet!’saidtheCentipede.‘Mindyourownbusiness!’‘Ilikethat!’‘My dear Earthworm, you’re going to be eaten anyway, sowhat difference
doesitmakewhetherit’ssharksorseagulls?’‘Iwon’tdoit!’‘Whydon’twehearwhattheplanisfirst?’saidtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Idon’tgiveahootwhattheplanis!’criedtheEarthworm.‘Iamnotgoingto
bepeckedtodeathbyabunchofseagulls!’‘Youwillbeamartyr,’saidtheCentipede.‘Ishallrespectyoufortherestof
mylife.’‘SowillI,’saidMissSpider.‘Andyournamewillbeinall thenewspapers.
Earthwormgiveslifetosavefriends…’‘Buthewon’thavetogivehislife,’Jamestoldthem.‘Nowlistentome.This
iswhatwe’lldo…’
Twenty-one
‘Why, it’s absolutely brilliant!’ cried the Old-Green-Grasshopper when Jameshadexplainedhisplan.‘Theboy’sagenius!’theCentipedeannounced.‘NowIcankeepmybootson
afterall.’‘Oh,Ishallbepeckedtodeath!’wailedthepoorEarthworm.‘Ofcourseyouwon‘t.’‘Iwill, I know Iwill!And Iwon’t evenbe able to see themcoming atme
becauseIhavenoeyes!’JameswentoverandputanarmgentlyroundtheEarthworm’sshoulders.‘I
won’tletthemtouchyou,’hesaid.‘IpromiseIwon‘t.Butwe‘vegottohurry!Lookdownthere!’There were more sharks than ever now around the peach. The water was
boilingwiththem.Theremusthavebeenninetyorahundredatleast.Andtothetravellersupontop,itcertainlyseemedasthoughthepeachweresinkinglowerandlowerintothewater.‘Actionstations!’Jamesshouted.‘Jumptoit!There’snotamomenttolose!’
Hewasthecaptainnow,andeveryoneknewit.Theywoulddowhateverhetoldthem.
‘AllhandsbelowdeckexceptEarthworm!’heordered.‘Yes,yes!’theysaideagerlyastheyscuttledintothetunnelentrance.‘Gome
on!Let’shurry!’‘And you – Centipede!’ James shouted. ‘Hop downstairs and get that
Silkwormtoworkatonce!Tellhertospinasshe’sneverspunbefore!Ourlivesdependuponit!Andthesameappliestoyou,MissSpider!Hurryondown!Startspinning.’
Twenty-two
Inafewminuteseverythingwasready.Itwasveryquietnowon the topof thepeach.Therewasnobody insight–
nobodyexcepttheEarthworm.OnehalfoftheEarthworm,lookinglikeagreat,thick,juicy,pinksausage,lay
innocentlyinthesunforalltheseagullstosee.Theotherhalfofhimwasdanglingdownthetunnel.JameswascrouchingclosebesidetheEarthworminthetunnelentrance,just
belowthesurface,waitingforthefirstseagull.Hehadaloopofsilkstringinhishands.TheOld-Green-GrasshopperandtheLadybirdwerefurtherdownthe tunnel,
holdingontotheEarthworm’stail,readytopullhimquicklyinoutofdangerassoonasJamesgavetheword.Andfarbelow,inthegreatstoneofthepeach,theGlowwormwaslightingup
theroomsothatthetwospinners,theSilkwormandMissSpider,couldseewhatthey were doing. The Centipede was down there too, exhorting them bothfranticallytogreaterefforts,andeverynowandagainJamescouldhearhisvoicecomingupfaintlyfromthedepths,shouting,‘Spin,Silkworm,spin,yougreatfatlazybrute!Faster,faster,orwe’llthrowyoutothesharks!’‘Herecomesthefirstseagull!’whisperedJames.‘Keepstillnow,Earthworm.
Keepstill.Therestofyougetreadytopull.’‘Pleasedon’tletitspikeme,’beggedtheEarthworm.‘Iwon‘t,Iwon‘t.Ssshh…’Outofthecornerofoneeye,Jameswatchedtheseagullasitcameswooping
downtowardstheEarthworm.Andthensuddenlyitwassoclosethathecouldsee its small black eyes and its curvedbeak, and thebeakwasopen, ready tograbanicepieceoffleshoutoftheEarthworm’sback.‘Pull!’shoutedJames.’TheOld-Green-Grasshopper and theLadybird gave theEarthworm’s tail an
enormoustug,andlikemagictheEarthwormdisappearedintothetunnel.Atthesametime,upwentJames’shandandtheseagullflewrightintotheloopofsilkthathewasholdingout.Theloop,whichhadbeencleverlymade,tightenedjustthe right amount (but not too much) around its neck, and the seagull wascaptured.
‘Hooray!’ shouted the Old-Green-Grasshopper, peering out of the tunnel.‘Welldone,James!’UpflewtheseagullwithJamespayingoutthesilkstringasitwent.Hegaveit
aboutfiftyyardsandthentiedthestringtothestemofthepeach.
‘Next one!’ he shouted, jumping back into the tunnel. ‘Up you get again,Earthworm!Bringupsomemoresilk,Centipede!’‘Oh,Idon’tlikethisatall,’wailedtheEarthworm.‘Itonlyjustmissedme!I
evenfeltthewindonmybackasitwentswishingpast!’‘Ssshh!’whisperedJames.‘Keepstill!Herecomesanotherone!’Sotheydiditagain.Andagain,andagain,andagain.Andtheseagullskeptcoming,andJamescaughtthemoneaftertheotherand
tetheredthemtothepeachstem.‘Onehundredseagulls!’heshouted,wipingthesweatfromhisface.‘Keepgoing!’theycried.‘Keepgoing,James!’‘Twohundredseagulls!’‘Threehundredseagulls!’‘Fourhundredseagulls!’The sharks, as though sensing that theywere indangerof losing theirprey,
were hurling themselves at the peachmore furiously than ever, and the peachwassinkinglowerandlowerstillinthewater.‘Fivehundredseagulls!’Jamesshouted.‘Silkwormsaysshe’srunningoutofsilk!’yelledtheCentipedefrombelow.
‘Shesaysshecan’tkeepitupmuchlonger.NorcanMissSpider!’‘Tellthemthey‘vegotto!’Jamesanswered.‘Theycan’tstopnow!’‘We’relifting!’somebodyshouted.‘No,we’renot!’‘Ifeltit!’‘Putonanotherseagull,quick!’‘Quiet,everybody!Quiet!Here’sonecomingnow!’Thiswasthefivehundredandfirstseagull,andthemomentthatJamescaught
it and tethered it to the stem with all the others, the whole enormous peachsuddenlystartedrisingupslowlyoutofthewater.‘Lookout!Herewego!Holdon,boys!’Butthenitstopped.Andthereithung.Ithoveredandswayed,butitwentnohigher.Thebottomofitwasjusttouchingthewater.Itwaslikeadelicatelybalanced
scalethatneededonlythetiniestpushtotipitonewayortheother.‘Onemorewilldoit!’shoutedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,lookingoutofthe
tunnel.‘We’realmostthere!’Andnowcamethebigmoment.Quickly,thefivehundredandsecondseagull
wascaughtandharnessedtothepeach-stem…Andthensuddenly…Butslowly…Majestically…Likesomefabulousgoldenballoon…Withalltheseagullsstrainingatthestringsabove…Thegiantpeachroseupdrippingoutofthewaterandbeganclimbingtowards
theheavens.
Twenty-three
Inaflash,everybodywasupontop.‘Oh,isn’titbeautiful!’theycried.‘Whatamarvellousfeeling!’‘Good-bye,sharks!’‘Oh,boy,thisisthewaytotravel!’Miss Spider, who was literally squealing with excitement, grabbed the
Centipedebythewaistandthetwoofthemstarteddancingroundandroundthepeach stem together. The Earthworm stood up on his tail and did a sort ofwriggleofjoyallbyhimself.TheOld-Green-Grasshopperkepthoppinghigherandhigherintheair.TheLadybirdrushedoverandshookJameswarmlybythehand. The Glowworm, who at the best of times was a very shy and silentcreature,satglowingwithpleasurenearthetunnelentrance.EventheSilkworm,looking white and thin and completely exhausted, came creeping out of thetunneltowatchthismiraculousascent.Up and up they went, and soon they were as high as the top of a church
steepleabovetheocean.‘I‘mabitworriedaboutthepeach,’Jamessaidtotheothersassoonasallthe
dancingandtheshoutinghadstopped.‘Iwonderhowmuchdamagethosesharkshavedonetoitunderneath.It’squiteimpossibletotellfromuphere.’‘Why don’t I go over the side andmake an inspection?’Miss Spider said.
‘It’llbenotroubleatall,Iassureyou.’Andwithoutwaitingforananswer,shequicklyproducedalengthofsilkthreadandattachedtheendofittothepeachstem.‘I’llbebackinajiffy,’shesaid,andthenshewalkedcalmlyovertotheedgeofthepeachandjumpedoff,payingoutthethreadbehindherasshefell.
Theotherscrowdedanxiouslyaroundtheplacewhereshehadgoneover.‘Wouldn’titbedreadfulifthethreadbroke,’theLadybirdsaid.Therewasaratherlongsilence.‘Areyouallright,MissSpider?’shoutedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Yes,thankyou!’hervoiceansweredfrombelow.‘I‘mcomingupnow!’And
up she came, climbing foot over foot up the silk thread, and at the same timetuckingthethreadbackcleverlyintoherbodyassheclimbedpastit.‘Isitawful?’theyaskedher.‘Isitalleatenaway?Aretheregreatholesinit
everywhere?’MissSpider clamberedbackon to thedeckwithapleasedbut alsoa rather
puzzledlookonherface.‘Youwon’tbelievethis,’shesaid,‘butactuallythere’shardlyanydamagedownthereatall!Thepeachisalmostuntouched!Therearejustafewtinypiecesoutofithereandthere,butnothingmore.’‘Youmustbemistaken,’Jamestoldher.‘Ofcourseshe’smistaken!’theCentipedesaid.‘IpromiseyouI‘mnot,’MissSpideranswered.‘Buttherewerehundredsofsharksaroundus!’‘Theychurnedthewaterintoafroth!’‘Wesawtheirgreatmouthsopeningandshutting!’‘Idon’tcarewhatyousaw,’MissSpideranswered.‘Theycertainlydidn’tdo
muchdamagetothepeach.’‘Thenwhydidwestartsinking?’theCentipedeasked.‘Perhaps we didn’t start sinking,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper suggested.
‘Perhapswewereallsofrightenedthatwesimplyimaginedit.’This,inpointoffact,wasclosertothetruththananyofthemknew.Ashark,
yousee,hasanextremelylongsharpnose,anditsmouthissetveryawkwardlyunderneathitsfaceandalongwayback.Thismakesitmoreorlessimpossiblefor it to get its teeth into a vast smooth curving surface such as the side of apeach.Even if the creature turnson to its back it still can’t do it, because thenosealwaysgetsintheway.Ifyouhaveeverseenasmalldogtryingtogetitsteethintoanenormousball,thenyouwillbeabletoimagineroughlyhowitwaswiththesharksandthepeach.‘Itmusthavebeensomekindofmagic,’ theLadybirdsaid.‘Theholesmust
havehealedupbythemselves.’‘Oh,look!There’sashipbelowus!’shoutedJames.Everybodyrushedtothesideandpeeredover.Noneofthemhadeverseena
shipbefore.‘Itlookslikeabigone.’‘It’sgotthreefunnels.’‘Youcanevenseethepeopleonthedecks!’‘Let’swavetothem.Doyouthinktheycanseeus?’NeitherJamesnoranyoftheothersknewit,buttheshipthatwasnowpassing
beneaththemwasactuallytheQueenMarysailingoutoftheEnglishChannelonher way to America. And on the bridge of the Queen Mary, the astonishedCaptainwasstandingwithagroupofhisofficers,allofthemgapingatthegreatroundballhoveringoverhead.‘Idon’tlikeit,’theCaptainsaid.‘NordoI,’saidtheFirstOfficer.‘Doyouthinkit’sfollowingus?’saidtheSecondOfficer.‘ItellyouIdon’tlikeit,’mutteredtheCaptain.‘Itcouldbedangerous,’theFirstOfficersaid.‘That’s it!’ cried the Captain. ‘It’s a secret weapon! Holy cats! Send a
message to theQueenatonce!Thecountrymustbewarned!Andgivemeraytelescope.’TheFirstOfficerhandedthetelescopetotheCaptain.TheCaptainputittohis
eye.‘There’sbirdseverywhere!’hecried. ‘Thewholesky is teemingwithbirds!
Whatintheworldaretheydoing?Andwait!Waitasecond!Therearepeopleonit!Icanseethemmoving!There’sa–a–doIhavethisdarnedthingfocusedright?Itlookslikealittleboyinshorttrousers!Yes,Icandistinctlyseealittleboyinshorttrousersstandingupthere!Andthere’sa–there’sa–there’sa–a–a–asortofgiantladybird!’‘Nowjustaminute,Captain!’theFirstOfficersaid.‘Andacolossalgreengrasshopper!’‘Captain!’theFirstOfficersaidsharply.‘Captain,please!’‘Andamammothspider!’‘Ohdear,he’sbeenatthewhiskyagain,’whisperedtheSecondOfficer.‘Andanenormous–asimplyenormouscentipede!’screamedtheCaptain.‘CalltheShip’sDoctor,’theFirstOfficersaid.‘OurCaptainisnotwell.’Amomentlater,thegreatroundballdisappearedintoacloud,andthepeople
ontheshipneversawitagain.
Twenty-four
Butuponthepeachitself,everyonewasstillhappyandexcited.‘Iwonderwherewe’llfinishupthistime,’theEarthwormsaid.‘Whocares?’theyanswered.‘Seagullsalwaysgobacktothelandsooneror
later.’Upanduptheywent,highabovethehighestclouds,thepeachswayinggently
fromsidetosideasitfloatedalong.‘Wouldn’tthisbeaperfecttimeforalittlemusic?’theLadybirdasked.‘How
aboutit,OldGrasshopper?’‘With pleasure, dear lady,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper answered, bowing
fromthewaist.‘Oh, hooray! He’s going to play for us!’ they cried, and immediately the
wholecompanysatthemselvesdowninacirclearoundtheOldGreenMusician–andtheconcertbegan.From the moment that the first note was struck, the audience became
completely spellbound. And as for James, never had he heard such beautifulmusicasthis!Inthegardenathomeonsummerevenings,hehadlistenedmanytimestothesoundofgrasshopperschirpinginthegrass,andhehadalwayslikedthenoisethattheymade.Butthiswasadifferentkindofnoisealtogether.Thiswasrealmusic–chords,harmonies,tunes,andalltherestofit.And what a wonderful instrument the Old-Green-Grasshopper was playing
upon.Itwaslikeaviolin!Itwasalmostexactlyasthoughhewereplayinguponaviolin!Thebowof theviolin, thepart thatmoved,washisback leg.Thestringsof
theviolin,thepartthatmadethesound,wastheedgeofhiswing.Hewasusingonlythetopofhisbackleg(thethigh),andhewasstrokingthis
up and down against the edge of his wing with incredible skill, sometimesslowly, sometimes fast, but alwayswith the same easy flowing action. Itwasprecisely the way a clever violinist would have used his bow; and themusiccame pouring out and filled the whole blue sky around them with magicmelodies.When the first partwas finished, everyone clappedmadly, andMissSpider
stoodupandshouted,‘Bravo!Encore!Giveussomemore!’‘Didyoulikethat,James?’theOld-Green-Grasshopperasked,smilingat the
smallboy.‘Oh,Ilovedit!’Jamesanswered.‘Itwasbeautiful!Itwasasthoughyouhada
realviolininyourhands!’‘Arealviolin!’theOld-Green-Grasshoppercried.‘Goodheavens,Ilikethat!
Mydearboy,Iamarealviolin!Itisapartofmyownbody!’‘But do all grasshoppers play theirmusic on violins, the sameway as you
do?’Jamesaskedhim.‘No,’ he answered, ‘not all. If youwant to know, I happen to be a “short-
horned”grasshopper.Ihavetwoshortfeelerscomingoutofmyhead.Canyouseethem?Theretheyare.Theyarequiteshort,aren’tthey?That’swhytheycallmea“short-horn”.Andwe“short-horns”aretheonlyoneswhoplayourmusicintheviolinstyle,usingabow.My“long-horned”relatives,theoneswhohavelong curvy feelers coming out of their heads, make their music simply byrubbingtheedgesoftheirtwotopwingstogether.Theyarenotviolinists, theyarewing-rubbers.Andaratherinferiornoisethesewing-rubbersproduce,too,ifImaysayso.Itsoundsmorelikeabanjothanafiddle.’‘Howfascinating this all is!’ cried James. ‘And to think thatupuntilnow I
hadneverevenwonderedhowagrasshoppermadehissounds.’‘Mydearyoungfellow,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaidgently,‘therearea
whole lot of things in this world of ours that you haven’t started wonderingaboutyet.Where,forexample,doyouthinkthatIkeepmyears?’‘Yourears?Why,inyourhead,ofcourse.’Everyoneburstoutlaughing.‘Youmeanyoudon’tevenknowthat?’criedtheCentipede.‘Tryagain,’saidtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,smilingatJames.‘Youcan’tpossiblykeepthemanywhereelse?’‘Oh,can’tI?’‘Well–Igiveup.Wheredoyoukeepthem?’‘Right here,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper said. ‘One on each side of my
tummy.’‘It’snottrue!’‘Ofcourse it’s true.What’s sopeculiar about that?Youought to seewhere
mycousinsthecricketsandthekatydidskeeptheirs.’‘Wheredotheykeepthem?’‘Intheirlegs.Oneineachfrontleg,justbelowtheknee.’‘Youmeanyoudidn’tknowthateither?’theCentipedesaidscornfully.
‘You’re joking,’ James said. ‘Nobody could possibly have his ears in hislegs.’‘Whynot?’‘Because…becauseit’sridiculous,that’swhy.’‘YouknowwhatIthinkisridiculous?’theCentipedesaid,grinningawayas
usual. ‘Idon’tmean tobe rude,but I think it is ridiculous tohaveearson thesidesofone’shead.Itcertainlylooksridiculous.Yououghttotakeapeekinthemirrorsomedayandseeforyourself.’‘Pest!’ cried the Earthworm. ‘Why must you always be so rude and
rambunctioustoeveryone?YououghttoapologizetoJamesatonce.’
Twenty-five
James didn’t want the Earthworm and the Centipede to get into anotherargument,sohesaidquicklytotheEarthworm,‘Tellme,doyouplayanykindofmusic?’‘No,butIdoother things,someofwhicharereallyquiteextraordinary’the
Earthwormsaid,brightening.‘Suchaswhat?’askedJames.‘Well,’theEarthwormsaid.‘Nexttimeyoustandinafieldorinagardenand
look around you, then just remember this: that every grain of soil upon thesurface of the land, every tiny little bit of soil that you can see has actuallypassed through thebodyofanEarthwormduring the last fewyears! Isn’t thatwonderful?’‘It’snotpossible!’saidJames.‘Mydearboy,it’safact.’‘Youmeanyouactuallyswallowsoil?’‘Likemad,’theEarthwormsaidproudly.‘Inoneendandouttheother.’‘Butwhat’sthepoint?’‘Whatdoyoumean,what’sthepoint?’‘Whydoyoudoit?’‘Wedoitforthefarmers.Itmakesthesoilniceandlightandcrumblysothat
thingswillgrowwellinit.Ifyoureallywanttoknow,thefarmerscouldn’tdowithoutus.Weareessential.Wearevital.Soit isonlynatural that thefarmershouldloveus.Helovesusevenmore,Ibelieve,thanhelovestheLadybird.’‘TheLadybird!’saidJames,turningtolookather.‘Dotheyloveyou,too?’‘Iamtold that theydo,’ theLadybirdansweredmodestly,blushingallover.
‘Infact,IunderstandthatinsomeplacesthefarmersloveussomuchthattheygooutandbuyliveLadybirdsbythesackfulandtakethemhomeandsetthemfree in their fields.Theyareverypleasedwhen theyhave lotsofLadybirds intheirfields.’‘Butwhy?’Jamesasked.‘Becausewegobbleupallthenastylittleinsectsthataregobblingupallthe
farmer’scrops.Ithelpsenormously,andweourselvesdon’tchargeapennyforourservices.’
‘I think you’re wonderful,’ James told her. ‘Can I ask you one specialquestion?’‘Pleasedo.’‘Well, is it really true that I can tell howold aLadybird isbycountingher
spots?’
‘Ohno, that’s just a children’s story,’ theLadybird said. ‘Wenever changeourspots.Someofus,ofcourse,arebornwithmorespots thanothers,butweneverchangethem.ThenumberofspotsthataLadybirdhasissimplyawayofshowingwhichbranchofthefamilyshebelongsto.I,forexample,asyoucanseeforyourself,amaNine-SpottedLadybird.Iamverylucky.Itisafinethingtobe.’‘It is, indeed,’ said James,gazingat thebeautiful scarlet shellwith thenine
blackspotsonit.‘On the other hand,’ the Ladybird went on, ’some of my less fortunate
relatives have no more than two spots altogether on their shells! Can youimaginethat?TheyarecalledTwo-SpottedLadybirds,andverycommonandill-mannered they are, I regret to say. And then, of course, you have the Five-Spotted Ladybirds as well. They are much nicer than the Two-Spotted ones,althoughImyselffindthematrifletoosaucyformytaste.’‘Buttheyareallofthemloved?’saidJames.‘Yes,’theLadybirdansweredquietly.‘Theyareallofthemloved.’‘Itseemsthatalmosteveryonearoundhereis loved!’saidJames.‘Hownice
thisis!’‘Notme!’criedtheCentipedehappily.‘IamapestandI‘mproudofit!Oh,I
amsuchashockingdreadfulpest!’‘Hear,hear,’theEarthwormsaid.‘Butwhataboutyou,MissSpider?’askedJames.‘Aren’tyoualsomuchloved
intheworld?’
‘Alas,no,’MissSpideranswered, sighing longand loud. ‘Iamnot lovedatall.AndyetIdonothingbutgood.AlldaylongIcatchfliesandmosquitoesinmywebs.Iamadecentperson.’‘Iknowyouare,’saidJames.‘ItisveryunfairthewayweSpidersaretreated,’MissSpiderwenton.‘Why,
only last week your own horrible Aunt Sponge flushed my poor dear fatherdowntheplug-holeinthebathtub.’‘Oh,howawful!’criedJames.‘I watched the whole thing from a corner up in the ceiling,’ Miss Spider
murmured.‘Itwasghastly.Weneversawhimagain.’Alargetearrolleddownhercheekandfellwithasplashonthefloor.
‘Butisitnotveryunluckytokillaspider?’Jamesinquired,lookingaroundattheothers.‘Ofcourseit’sunluckytokillaspider!’shoutedtheCentipede.‘It’saboutthe
unluckiestthinganyonecando.LookwhathappenedtoAuntSpongeaftershe’ddonethat!Bump!Weallfeltit,didn’twe,asthepeachwentoverher?Oh,whatalovelybumpthatmusthavebeenforyou,MissSpider!’‘It was very satisfactory,’ Miss Spider answered. Will you sing us a song
aboutit,please?’SotheCentipededid.
‘AuntSpongewasterrificallyfat,Andtremendouslyflabbyatthat.HertummyandwaistWereassoggyaspaste–Itwasworseontheplacewhereshesat!
Soshesaid,“Imustmakemyselfflat.Imustmakemyselfsleekasacat.
IshalldowithoutdinnerTomakemyselfthinner.”Butalongcamethepeach!Oh,thebeautifulpeach!Andmadeherfarthinnerthanthat!’
‘Thatwasverynice,’MissSpidersaid.‘NowsingoneaboutAuntSpiker.’‘Withpleasure,’theCentipedeanswered,grinning:
‘AuntSpikerwasthinasawire,Anddryasabone,onlydrier.ShewassolongandthinIfyoucarriedherinYoucoulduseherforpokingthefire!
‘“Imustdosomethingquickly,”shefrowned.‘IwantFAT.Iwantpounduponpound!ImusteatlotsandlotsOfmarshmallowsandchocsTillIstartbulgingoutallaround.”
‘“Ah,yes,”sheannounced,“IhaveswornThatI’llaltermyfigurebydawn!”Criedthepeachwithasnigger,“I’LLalteryourfigure–”Andironedheroutonthelawn!’
EverybodyclappedandcalledoutformoresongsfromtheCentipede,whoatoncelaunchedintohisfavouritesongofall:
‘OnceuponatimeWhenpigswereswineAndmonkeyschewedtobaccoAndhenstooksnuff
TomakethemselvestoughAndtheduckssaidquack-quack-quacko,AndporcupinesDrankfierywinesAndgoatsatetapiocaAndOldMotherHubbardGotstuckinthec–’
‘Lookout,Centipede!’criedJames.‘Lookout!’
Twenty-six
TheCentipede,whohadbegundancingwildlyroundthedeckduringthissong,hadsuddenlygonetooclosetothedownwardcurvingedgeofthepeach,andforthree awful seconds he had stood teetering on the brink, swinging his legsfranticallyincirclesinanefforttostophimselffromfallingoverbackwardintospace.Butbeforeanyonecouldreachhim–downhewent!Hegaveashriekofterror as he fell, and the others, rushing to the side and peering over, sawhispoor long body tumbling over and over through the air, getting smaller andsmalleruntilitwasoutofsight.‘Silkworm!’yelledJames.‘Quick!Startspinning!’TheSilkwormsighed, for shewasstillvery tired fromspinningall that silk
fortheseagulls,butshedidasshewastold.‘I‘mgoingdownafterhim!’criedJames,grabbingthesilkstringasitstarted
comingoutoftheSilkwormandtyingtheendofitaroundhiswaist.‘TherestofyouholdontoSilkwormsoIdon’tpullheroverwithme,andlateron, ifyoufeelthreetugsonthestring,starthaulingmeupagain!’He jumped, and he went tumbling down after the Centipede, down, down,
down towards the seabelow, andyou can imaginehowquickly theSilkwormhadtospintokeepupwiththespeedofhisfall.‘We’ll never see either of them again!’ cried the Ladybird. ‘Oh, dear! Oh
dear!Justwhenwewereallsohappy,too!’Miss Spider, theGlowworm, and theLadybird all began to cry. So did the
Earthworm.‘Idon’tcareabitabouttheCentipede,’theEarthwormsobbed.‘ButIreallydidlovethatlittleboy.’Verysoftly,theOld-Green-GrasshopperstartedtoplaytheFuneralMarchon
hisviolin,andbythetimehehadfinished,everyone,includinghimself,wasinafloodoftears.Suddenly, there came three sharp tugs on the rope. ‘Pull!’ shouted theOld-
Green-Grasshopper.‘Everyonegetbehindmeandpull!’
Therewasaboutamileofstringtobehauledin,buttheyallworkedlikemad,andintheend,overthesideofthepeach,thereappearedadripping-wetJameswithadripping-wetCentipedeclinging tohim tightlywithall forty-twoofhislegs.‘Hesavedme!’gaspedtheCentipede.‘Heswamaroundinthemiddleofthe
AtlanticOceanuntilhefoundme!’‘Mydearboy,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid,pattingJamesontheback.‘I
docongratulateyou.’‘Myboots!’ cried theCentipede. ‘Just look atmy precious boots!They are
ruinedbythewater!’‘Bequiet!’theEarthwormsaid.‘Youareluckytobealive.’‘Arewestillgoingupandup?’askedJames.‘Wecertainlyare,’answeredtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Andit’sbeginning
togetdark.’‘Iknow.It’llsoonbenight.’‘Whydon’tweallgodownbelowandkeepwarmuntiltomorrowmorning?’
MissSpidersuggested.‘No,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘Ithinkthatwouldbeveryunwise.It
willbesafer ifweall stayuphere through thenightandkeepwatch.Then, ifanythinghappens,weshallanywaybereadyforit.’
Twenty-seven
JamesHenryTrotterandhiscompanionscrouchedclosetogetherontopofthepeachasthenightbeganclosinginaroundthem.Cloudslikemountainstoweredhigh above their heads on all sides, mysterious, menacing, overwhelming.Graduallyitgrewdarkeranddarker,andthenapalethree-quartermooncameupover the tops of the clouds and cast an eerie light over thewhole scene. Thegiantpeachswayedgentlyfromsidetosideasitfloatedalong,andthehundredsof silky white strings going upward from its stem were beautiful in themoonlight.Soalsowasthegreatflockofseagullsoverhead.Therewasnot a soundanywhere.Travellingupon thepeachwasnot in the
leastliketravellinginanaeroplane.Theaeroplanecomesclatteringandroaringthrough the sky, andwhatevermight be lurking secretly up there in the greatcloud-mountainsgoesrunningforcoveratitsapproach.Thatiswhypeoplewhotravelinaeroplanesneverseeanything.Butthepeach…ah,yes…thepeachwasasoft,stealthytraveller,makingno
noise at all as it floated along.And several timesduring that long silent nightridehighupoverthemiddleoftheoceaninthemoonlight,Jamesandhisfriendssawthingsthatnoonehadeverseenbefore.
Once,astheydriftedsilentlypastamassivewhitecloud,theysawonthetopof it a group of strange, tall, wispy-looking things that were about twice theheight of ordinarymen. Theywere not easy to see at first because theywere
almost as white as the cloud itself, but as the peach sailed closer, it becameobvious that these ‘things’ were actually living creatures – tall, wispy,wraithlike,shadowy,whitecreatureswholookedasthoughtheyweremadeoutofamixtureofcotton-woolandcandyflossandthinwhitehairs.‘Oooooooooooooh!’theLadybirdsaid.‘Idon’tlikethisatall!’‘Ssshh!’ James whispered back. ‘Don’t let them hear you! They must be
Cloud-Men!’‘Cloud-Men!’theymurmured,huddlingclosertogetherforcomfort.‘Ohdear,
ohdear!’
‘I‘m glad I‘m blind and can’t see them,’ the Earthworm said, ‘or I wouldprobablyscream.’‘Ihopetheydon’tturnroundandseeus,’MissSpiderstammered.‘Doyouthinktheywouldeatus?’theEarthwormasked.‘Theywouldeatyou,’theCentipedeanswered,grinning.‘Theywouldcutyou
uplikeasalamiandeatyouinthinslices.’ThepoorEarthwormbegantoquiveralloverwithfright.‘Butwhataretheydoing?’theOld-Green-Grasshopperwhispered.‘Idon’tknow,’Jamesansweredsoftly.‘Let’swatchandsee.’TheCloud-Menwereallstandinginagroup,andtheyweredoingsomething
peculiarwith theirhands.First, theywouldreachout(allof thematonce)andgrab handfuls of cloud. Then theywould roll these handfuls of cloud in theirfingers until they turned intowhat looked like largewhitemarbles.Then theywouldtossthemarblestoonesideandquicklygrabmorebitsofcloudandstart
overagain.Itwas all very silent andmysterious.The pile ofmarbles beside themkept
growinglargerandlarger.Soontherewasatruckloadofthemthereatleast.‘Theymust be absolutelymad!’ the Centipede said. ‘There’s nothing to be
afraidofhere!’‘Bequiet,youpest!’theEarthwormwhispered.‘Weshallallbeeatenifthey
seeus!’But theCloud-Menweremuch toobusywithwhat theyweredoing tohave
noticedthegreatpeachfloatingsilentlyupbehindthem.Then thewatcherson thepeach sawoneof theCloud-Men raisinghis long
wispyarmsabovehisheadandtheyheardhimshouting,‘Allright,boys!That’senough!Get the shovels!’And all the otherCloud-Men immediately let out astrangehigh-pitchedwhoopofjoyandstartedjumpingupanddownandwavingtheirarmsintheair.Thentheypickedupenormousshovelsandrushedovertothepileofmarblesandbeganshovellingthemasfastastheycouldoverthesideofthecloud,intospace.‘Downtheygo!’theychantedastheyworked.
‘Downtheygo!
Hailandsnow!Freezesandsneezesandnoseswillblow!’
‘It’shailstones!’whisperedJamesexcitedly.‘They‘vebeenmakinghailstonesandnowtheyareshoweringthemdownontothepeopleintheworldbelow!’‘Hailstones?’theCentipedesaid.‘That’sridiculous!Thisissummertime.You
don’thavehailstonesinsummertime.’‘Theyarepractisingforthewinter,’Jamestoldhim.‘Idon’tbelieveit!’shoutedtheCentipede,raisinghisvoice.‘Ssshh!’ the others whispered. And James said softly, ‘For heaven’s sake,
Centipede,don’tmakesomuchnoise.’The Centipede roared with laughter. ‘Those imbeciles couldn’t hear
anything!’ he cried. ‘They’re deaf as doorknobs! You watch!’ And beforeanyonecouldstophim,hehadcuppedhisfrontfeettohismouthandwasyellingattheCloud-Menasloudashecould.‘Idiots!’heyelled.‘Nincompoops!Half-wits! Blunderheads! Asses! What on earth do you think you’re doing overthere!’Theeffectwasimmediate.TheCloud-Menjumpedroundasiftheyhadbeen
stungbywasps.Andwhentheysawthegreatgoldenpeachfloatingpast themnot fiftyyardsaway in thesky, theygaveayelpofsurpriseanddropped theirshovelstotheground.Andtheretheystoodwiththemoonlightstreamingdownall over them, absolutely motionless, like a group of tall white hairy statues,staringandstaringatthegiganticfruitasitwentsailingby.Thepassengersonthepeach(allexcepttheCentipede)satfrozenwithterror,
lookingbackattheCloud-Menandwonderingwhatwasgoingtohappennext.‘Nowyou‘vedone it,you loathsomepest!’whispered theEarthworm to the
Centipede.‘I‘mnotfrightenedof them!’shoutedtheCentipede,andtoshoweverybody
once again that he wasn‘t, he stood up to his full height and started dancingaboutandmakinginsultingsignsattheCloud-Menwithallforty-twoofhislegs.ThisevidentlyinfuriatedtheCloud-Menbeyondbelief.Allatonce,theyspun
round and grabbed great handfuls of hailstones and rushed to the edge of thecloudandstartedthrowingthematthepeach,shriekingwithfuryallthetime.‘Lookout!’criedJames.‘Quick!Liedown!Lieflatonthedeck!’Itwasluckytheydid!Alargehailstonecanhurtyouasmuchasarockora
lumpofleadifitisthrownhardenough–andmygoodness,howthoseCloud-
Men could throw! The hailstones came whizzing through the air like bulletsfromamachine-gun,andJamescouldhear themsmashingagainst thesidesofthe peach and burying themselves in the peach fleshwith horrible squelchingnoises–plop!plop!plop!plop!Andthenping!ping!ping!astheybouncedoffthepoorLadybird’sshellbecauseshecouldn’tlieasflatastheothers.Andthencrack! as oneof themhit theCentipede right on thenose andcrack! again asanotheronehithimsomewhereelse.‘Ow!’hecried.‘Ow!Stop!Stop!Stop!’But the Cloud-Men had no intention of stopping. James could see them
rushingaboutonthecloudlikealotofhugehairyghosts,pickinguphailstonesfrom the pile, dashing to the edge of the cloud, hurling the hailstones at thepeach,dashingbackagaintogetmore,andthen,whenthepileofstoneswasallgone, they simplygrabbedhandfuls of cloud andmade asmanymore as theywanted,andmuchbiggeronesnow,someofthemaslargeascannonballs.‘Quickly!’criedJames.‘Downthetunnelorwe’llallbewipedout!’Therewasa rush for the tunnelentrance, andhalf aminute later everybody
was safely downstairs inside the stone of the peach, tremblingwith fright andlisteningtothenoiseofthehailstonesastheycamecrashingagainstthesideofthepeach.‘I‘mawreck!’groanedtheCentipede.‘Iamwoundedallover!’‘Itservesyouright,’saidtheEarthworm.‘Wouldsomebodykindlylookandseeifmyshell iscracked?’theLadybird
said.‘Giveussomelight!’shoutedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Ican‘t!’wailedtheGlowworm.‘They‘vebrokenmybulb!’‘Thenputinanotherone!’theCentipedesaid.‘Bequietamoment,’saidJames.‘Listen!Idobelieve they’renothittingus
anymore!’They all stopped talking and listened. Yes – the noise had ceased. The
hailstoneswerenolongersmashingagainstthepeach.‘We‘veleftthembehind!’‘Theseagullsmusthavepulledusawayoutofdanger.‘Hooray!Let’sgoupandsee!’Cautiously,withJamesgoingfirst,theyallclimbedbackupthetunnel.James
poked his head out and looked around. ‘It’s all clear!’ he called. ‘I can’t seethemanywhere!’
Twenty-eight
Onebyone,thetravellerscameoutagainontothetopofthepeachandgazedcarefullyaround.Themoonwasstillshiningasbrightlyasever,andtherewerestillplentyofhugeshimmeringcloud-mountainsonallsides.ButtherewerenoCloud-Meninsightnow.‘Thepeachisleaking!’shoutedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,peeringoverthe
side.‘It’sfullofholesandthejuiceisdrippingouteverywhere!’‘That does it!’ cried the Earthworm. ‘If the peach is leaking then we shall
surelysink!’‘Don’tbeanass!’theCentipedetoldhim.‘We’renotinthewaternow!’‘Oh,look!’shoutedtheLadybird.‘Look,look,look!Overthere!’Everybodyswungroundtolook.Inthedistanceanddirectlyaheadofthem,theynowsawamostextraordinary
sight.Itwasakindofarch,acolossalcurvy-shapedthingthatreachedhighupinto theskyandcamedownagainatbothends.Theendswere restinguponahugeflatcloudthatwasasbigasadesert.‘Nowwhatintheworldisthat?’askedJames.‘It’sabridge!’‘It’sanenormoushoopcutinhalf!’‘It’sagianthorseshoestandingupsidedown!’‘Stopme if I‘mwrong,’murmured the Centipede, goingwhite in the face,
‘butmightthosenotbeCloud-Menclimbingalloverit?’Therewasadreadfulsilence.Thepeachfloatedcloserandcloser.‘TheyareCloud-Men!’‘Therearehundredsofthem!’‘Thousands!’‘Millions!’‘Idon’twanttohearaboutit!’shriekedthepoorblindEarthworm.‘I’drather
beontheendofafishhookandusedasbaitthancomeupagainstthoseterriblecreaturesagain!’‘I’d rather be fried alive and eaten by a Mexican!’ wailed the Old-Green-
Grasshopper.‘Pleasekeepquiet,’whisperedJames.‘It’souronlyhope.’
Theycrouchedverystillon topof thepeach,staringat theCloud-Men.Thewhole surface of the cloudwas literally swarming with them, and therewerehundredsmoreupaboveclimbingaboutonthatmonstrouscrazyarch.‘Butwhatisthatthing?’whisperedtheLadybird.‘Andwhataretheydoingto
it?’‘Idon’tcarewhatthey’redoingtoit!’theCentipedesaid,scuttlingovertothe
tunnelentrance.‘I‘mnotstayinguphere!Good-bye!’Buttherestofthemweretoofrightenedortoohypnotizedbythewholeaffair
tomakeamove.‘Doyouknowwhat?’Jameswhispered.‘What?’theysaid.‘What?’‘Thatenormousarch–theyseemtobepaintingit!They‘vegotpotsofpaint
andbigbrushes!Youlook!’Andhewasquiteright.Thetravellerswerecloseenoughnowtoseethatthis
wasexactlywhattheCloud-Menweredoing.Theyallhadhugebrushesintheirhandsandtheyweresplashingthepaintontothegreatcurvyarchinafrenzyofspeed, so fast, in fact, that in a few minutes the whole of the arch becamecovered with the most glorious colours – reds, blues, greens, yellows, andpurples.‘It’sarainbow!’everyonesaidatonce.‘Theyaremakingarainbow!’‘Oh,isn’titbeautiful!’‘Justlookatthosecolours!’‘Centipede!’ they shouted. ‘Youmust comeup and see this!’Theywere so
enthralledby thebeautyandbrillianceof the rainbow that they forgot tokeeptheirvoiceslowanylonger.TheCentipedepokedhisheadcautiouslyoutofthetunnelentrance.‘Well, well, well,’ he said. ‘I‘ve always wondered how those things were
made.Butwhyalltheropes?Whataretheydoingwiththoseropes?’‘Goodheavens,theyarepushingitoffthecloud!’criedJames.‘Thereitgoes!
Theyareloweringitdowntotheearthwithropes!’‘And I’ll tell you something else,’ the Centipede said sharply. ‘If I‘m not
greatlymistaken,weourselvesaregoingtobumprightintoit!’‘Blessmysoul,he’sright!’theOld-Green-Grasshopperexclaimed.Therainbowwasnowdanglingintheairbelowthecloud.Thepeachwasalso
just below the level of the cloud, and it was heading directly towards therainbow,travellingratherfast.‘Wearelost!’MissSpidercried,wringingherfeetagain.‘Theendhascome!’
‘Ican’tstandit!’wailedtheEarthworm.‘Tellmewhat’shappening!’‘We’regoingtomissit!’shoutedtheLadybird.‘No,we’renot!’‘Yes,weare!’‘Yes!–Yes!–No!–Oh,myheavens!’‘Holdon,everybody!’Jamescalledout,andsuddenlytherewasatremendous
thudasthepeachwentcrashingintothetopoftherainbow.Thiswasfollowedbyanawfulsplinteringnoiseastheenormousrainbowsnappedrightacrossthemiddleandbecametwoseparatepieces.
The next thing that happenedwas extremly unfortunate. The ropes that theCloud-Menhadbeenusingforloweringtherainbowgottangledupwiththesilkstrings that went up from the peach to the seagulls! The peach was trapped!Panic and pandemonium broke out among the travellers, and James HenryTrotter, glancing up quickly, saw the faces of a thousand furious Cloud-Menpeeringdownathimovertheedgeofthecloud.Thefaceshadalmostnoshapeatallbecauseofthelongwhitehairsthatcoveredthem.Therewerenonoses,nomouths,noears,nochins–only theeyeswerevisible ineachface, twosmall
blackeyesglintingmalevolentlythroughthehairs.Then came themost frightening thing of all.OneCloud-Man, a huge hairy
creaturewhomusthavebeen fourteen feet tall at least, suddenly stoodupandmadeatremendousleapoffthesideofthecloud,tryingtogettooneofthesilkstringsabovethepeach.Jamesandhisfriendssawhimgoflyingthroughtheairabovethem,hisarmsoutstretchedinfrontofhim,reachingfortheneareststring,andtheysawhimgrabitandclingtoitwithhishandsandlegs.Andthen,veryveryslowly,handoverhand,hebegantocomedownthestring.‘Mercy!Help!Saveus!’criedtheLadybird.‘He’s coming down to eat us!’ wailed the Old-Green-Grasshopper. ‘Jump
overboard!’‘Then eat theEarthworm first!’ shouted theCentipede. ‘It’s no good eating
me,I‘mfullofboneslikeakipper!’
‘Centipede!’ yelled James. ‘Quickly! Bite through that string, the one he’scomingdownon!’TheCentipederushedovertothestemofthepeachandtookthesilkstringin
his teeth andbit through itwith one snapof his jaws. Immediately, far abovethem,asingleseagullwasseentocomeawayfromtherestoftheflockandgoflyingoffwitha longstringtrailingfromitsneck.Andclingingdesperatelytotheendofthestring,shoutingandcursingwithfury,wasthehugehairyCloud-Man.Up and up hewent, swinging across themoonlit sky, and JamesHenryTrotter,watchinghimwithdelight, said, ‘Mygoodness,hemustweighalmost
nothingatallforoneseagulltobeabletopullhimuplikethat!Hemustbeallhairandair!’The rest of the Cloud-Men were so flabbergasted at seeing one of their
company carried away in this manner that they let go the ropes they wereholdingand thenofcoursedownwent the rainbow,bothhalvesof it together,tumbling towards the earth below. This freed the peach,which at once begansailingawayfromthatterriblecloud.Butthetravellerswerenotintheclearyet.TheinfuriatedCloud-Menjumped
upandranafterthemalongthecloud,peltingthemmercilesslywithallsortsofhard and horrible objects. Empty paint buckets, paint brushes, stepladders,stools, saucepans, frying-pans, rotten eggs, dead rats, bottles of hair-oil –anything those brutes could lay their hands on came raining down upon thepeach.OneCloud-Man,takingverycarefulaim,tippedagallonofthickpurplepaintovertheedgeofthecloudrightontotheCentipedehimself.The Centipede screamed with anger. ‘My legs!’ he cried. ‘They are all
stickingtogether!Ican’twalk!Andmyeyelidswon’topen!Ican’tsee!Andmyboots!Mybootsareruined!’But for themoment everyonewas far too busy dodging the things that the
Cloud-MenwerethrowingtopayanyattentiontotheCentipede.‘Thepaint isdrying!’hemoaned. ‘It’sgoinghard! I can’tmovemy legs! I
can’tmoveanything!’‘You can stillmove yourmouth,’ the Earthworm said. ‘And that is a great
pity.’‘James!’bawledtheCentipede.‘Pleasehelpme!Washoffthispaint!Scrape
itoff!Anything!’
Twenty-nine
Itseemedlikealongtimebeforetheseagullswereabletopullthepeachawayfrom that horrible rainbow-cloud. But they managed it at last, and theneverybodygatheredaroundthewretchedCentipedeandbeganarguingaboutthebestwaytogetthepaintoffhisbody.Hereallydidlookasight.Hewaspurpleallover,andnowthatthepaintwas
beginning to dry and harden, he was forced to sit very stiff and upright, asthoughhewereencased incement.Andall forty-twoofhis legswerestickingout straight in front of him, like rods.He tried to say something, but his lipswouldn’tmove.Allhecoulddonowwastomakegurglingnoisesinhisthroat.The Old-Green-Grasshopper reached out and touched him carefully on the
stomach.‘Buthowcoulditpossiblyhavedriedsoquickly?’heasked.‘It’s rainbow-paint,’ James answered. ‘Rainbow-paint dries very quick and
veryhard.’
‘I detest paint,’Miss Spider announced. ‘It frightensme. It remindsme ofAuntSpiker–thelateAuntSpiker,Imean–becausethelasttimeshepaintedherkitchenceilingmypoordarlinggrandmothersteppedintoitbymistakewhenitwasstillwet,andthereshestuck.Andallthroughthenightwecouldhearhercallingtous,saying“Help!help!help!”anditwasheartbreakingtolistentoher.Butwhatcouldwedo?Notathinguntilthenextdaywhenthepainthaddried,andthenofcourseweallrushedovertoherandcalmedherdownandgavehersomefood.Believeitornot,shelivedforsixmonthslikethat,upsidedownon
theceilingwithherlegsstuckpermanentlyinthepaint.Shereallydid.Wefedhereveryday.Webroughtherfreshfliesstraightfromtheweb.Butthenonthetwenty-sixth of April last, Aunt Sponge – the late Aunt Sponge, I mean –happenedtoglanceupattheceiling,andshespottedher.“Aspider!”shecried.“Adisgustingspider!Quick!Fetchmethemopwiththelonghandle!”Andthen–Oh,itwassoawfulIcan’tbeartothinkofit…’MissSpiderwipedawayatearand lookedsadlyat theCentipede. ‘Youpoor thing,’shemurmured. ‘Idofeelsorryforyou.’‘It’llnevercomeoff,’theEarthwormsaidbrightly.‘OurCentipedewillnever
move again.Hewill turn into a statue andwe shall be able to put him in themiddleofthelawnwithabird-bathonthetopofhishead.’‘We could try peeling him like a banana,’ the Old-Green-Grasshopper
suggested.‘Orrubbinghimwithsandpaper,’theLadybirdsaid.‘Now if he stuck out his tongue,’ the Earthworm said, smiling a little for
perhapsthefirst timeinhislife,‘ifhestuckitoutreallyfar, thenwecouldallcatchholdofitandstartpulling.Andifwepulledhardenough,wecouldturnhiminsideoutandhewouldhaveanewskin!’Therewasapausewhiletheothersconsideredthisinterestingproposal.‘I think,’ James said slowly, ‘I think that the best thing to do…’ Then he
stopped.‘Whatwasthat?’heaskedquickly.‘Iheardavoice!Iheardsomeoneshouting!’
Thirty
Theyallraisedtheirheads,listening.‘Ssshh!Thereitisagain!’Butthevoicewastoofarawayforthemtohearwhatitwassaying.‘It’saCloud-Man!’MissSpidercried.‘Ijustknowit’saCloud-Man!They’re
afterusagain!’‘It came from above!’ the Earthworm said, and automatically everybody
lookedupward,everybodyexcepttheCentipede,whocouldn’tmove.‘Ouch!’theysaid.‘Help!Mercy!We’regoingtocatchitthistime!’Forwhat
theynowsaw,swirlingandtwistingdirectlyovertheirheads,wasanimmenseblackcloud,a terrible,dangerous, thundery-lookingthingthatbegantorumbleandroarevenastheywerestaringatit.Andthen,fromhighuponthetopofthecloud,thefarawayvoicecamedowntothemonceagain,thistimeveryloudandclear.‘Onwiththefaucets!’itshouted.‘Onwiththefaucets!Onwiththefaucets!’Three seconds later, thewhole underneath of the cloud seemed to split and
burstopenlikeapaperbag,andthen–outcamethewater!Theysawitcoming.Itwasquiteeasy toseebecause itwasn’t just raindrops. Itwasn’t raindropsatall. Itwasagreat solidmassofwater thatmighthavebeena lakeor awholeoceandroppingoutoftheskyontopofthem,anddownitcame,downanddownanddown,crashingfirstontotheseagullsandthenontothepeachitself,whilethe poor travellers shrieked with fear and groped around frantically forsomethingtocatchholdof–thepeachstem,thesilkstrings,anythingtheycouldfind – and all the time thewater came pouring and roaring down upon them,bouncing and smashing and sloshing and slashing and swashing and swirlingandsurgingandwhirlingandgurglingandgushingandrushingandrushing,anditwaslikebeingpinneddownunderneaththebiggestwaterfallintheworldandnotbeingabletogetout.Theycouldn’tspeak.Theycouldn’tsee.Theycouldn’tbreathe.AndJamesHenryTrotter,holdingonmadly tooneof the silk stringsabovethepeachstem,toldhimselfthatthismustsurelybetheendofeverythingatlast.Butthen,justassuddenlyasithadstarted,thedelugestopped.Theywereoutofitanditwasallover.Thewonderfulseagullshadflownrightthroughitand had come out safely on the other side. Once again the giant peach wassailingpeacefullythroughthemysteriousmoonlitsky.
‘Iamdrowned!’gaspedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper,spittingoutwaterbythepint.‘It’sgonerightthroughmyskin!’theEarthwormgroaned.‘Ialwaysthought
myskinwaswaterproofbutitisn’tandnowI‘mfullofrain!’‘Lookatme, lookatme!’ shouted theCentipede excitedly. ‘It’swashedme
clean!Thepaint’sallgone!Icanmoveagain!’
‘That’stheworstnewsI‘vehadinalongtime,’theEarthwormsaid.TheCentipedewasdancingaroundthedeckandturningsomersaultsintheair
andsingingatthetopofhisvoice:
‘Oh,hoorayforthestormandtherain!Icanmove!Idon’tfeelanypain!AndnowI‘mapest,I‘mthebiggestandbest,Themostmarvellouspestonceagain!’
‘Oh,doshutup,’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaid.‘Lookatme!’criedtheCentipede.
‘LookatME!Iamfreed!Iamfreed!Notascratchnorabruisenorableed!TohisgravethisfinegentTheyallthoughttheyhadsentAndIverynearwent!Oh,IVERYnearwent!ButtheycentquitethewrongSentipede!’
Thirty-one
‘Howfastwearegoingallofasudden,’theLadybirdsaid.‘Iwonderwhy?’‘I don’t think the seagulls like this place any better than we do,’ James
answered.‘Iimaginetheywanttogetoutofitassoonastheycan.Theygotabadfrightinthatstormwe‘vejustbeenthrough.’Fasterandfasterflewtheseagulls,skimmingacrosstheskyatatremendous
pace, with the peach trailing out behind them. Cloud after cloud went by oneitherside,allof themghostlywhite in themoonlight,andseveralmore timesduringthenightthetravellerscaughtglimpsesofCloud-Menmovingaroundonthetopsoftheseclouds,workingtheirsinistermagicupontheworldbelow.Oncetheypassedasnowmachineinoperation,with theCloud-Menturning
thehandleandablizzardofsnowflakesblowingoutofthegreatfunnelabove.They saw the huge drums thatwere used formaking thunder, and theCloud-Menbeatingthemfuriouslywithlonghammers.Theysawthefrostfactoriesandthe wind producers and the places where cyclones and tornadoes weremanufacturedandsentspinningdowntowardstheEarth,andonce,deepinthehollow of a large billowy cloud, they spotted something that could only havebeenaCloud-Men’scity.Therewerecaveseverywhererunningintothecloud,and at the entrances to the caves theCloud-Men’swiveswere crouchingoverlittlestoveswithfrying-pansintheirhands,fryingsnowballsfortheirhusbands’suppers.AndhundredsofCloud-Men’schildrenwerefriskingaboutallovertheplaceandshriekingwithlaughterandslidingdownthebillowsofthecloudontoboggans.Anhour later, just beforedawn, the travellers heard a softwhooshing noise
abovetheirheadsandtheyglancedupandsawanimmensegreybatlikecreatureswooping down towards them out of the dark. It circled round and round thepeach, flapping its great wings slowly in the moonlight and staring at thetravellers.Then it uttered a series of long deepmelancholy cries and flewoffagainintothenight.‘Oh,Idowishthemorningwouldcome!’MissSpidersaid,shiveringallover.‘Itwon’tbelongnow,’Jamesanswered.‘Look,it’sgettinglighteroverthere
already.’Theyallsatinsilencewatchingthesunasitcameupslowlyovertherimof
thehorizonforanewday.
Thirty-two
Andwhenfulldaylightcameatlast,theyallgottotheirfeetandstretchedtheirpoorcrampedbodies,andthentheCentipede,whoalwaysseemedtoseethingsfirst,shouted,‘Look!There’slandbelow!’‘He’s right!’ they cried, running to the edgeof the peach andpeering over.
‘Hooray!Hooray!’‘Itlookslikestreetsandhouses!’‘Buthowenormousitallis!’A vast city, glistening in the early morning sunshine, lay spread out three
thousand feet below them. At that height, the cars were like little beetlescrawling along the streets, and people walking on the pavements looked nolargerthantinygrainsofsoot.‘But what tremendous tall buildings!’ exclaimed the Ladybird. ‘I‘ve never
seenanythinglikethembeforeinEngland.Whichtowndoyouthinkitis?’‘Thiscouldn’tpossiblybeEngland,’saidtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘Thenwhereisit?’askedMissSpider.‘Youknowwhatthosebuildingsare?’shoutedJames,jumpingupanddown
withexcitement.‘Thoseareskyscrapers!SothismustbeAmerica!Andthat,myfriends,meansthatwehavecrossedtheAtlanticOceanovernight!’‘Youdon’tmeanit!’theycried.‘It’snotpossible!’‘It’sincredible!It’sunbelievable!’‘Oh,I‘vealwaysdreamedofgoingtoAmerica!’criedtheCentipede.‘Ihada
friendoncewho–’‘Be quiet!’ said the Earthworm. ‘Who cares about your friend? The thing
we‘ve got to think about now is how on earth are we going to get down toearth?’‘AskJames,’saidtheLadybird.‘I don’t think that should be so very difficult,’ James told them. ‘Allwe’ll
have to do is to cut loose a few seagulls. Not too many, mind you, but justenoughsothattheotherscan’tquitekeepusupintheair.Thendownweshallgo,slowlyandgently,untilwereachtheground.Centipedewillbitethroughthestringsforusoneatatime.’
Thirty-three
Far below them, in theCity ofNewYork, something like pandemoniumwasbreaking out.A great round ball as big as a house had been sighted hoveringhighupintheskyovertheverycentreofManhattan,andthecryhadgoneupthat itwasanenormousbombsentoverbyanothercountry toblowthewholecitytosmithereens.Air-raidsirensbeganwailingineverysection.Allradioandtelevisionprogrammeswereinterruptedwithannouncementsthatthepopulationmustgodownintotheircellarsimmediately.Onemillionpeoplewalkinginthestreets on their way to work looked up into the sky and saw the monsterhovering above them, and started running for the nearest subway entrance totakecover.Generalsgrabbedholdoftelephonesandshoutedorderstoeveryonethey could think of. TheMayor of New York called up the President of theUnitedStatesdowninWashington,D.C.,toaskhimforhelp,andthePresident,whoatthatmomentwashavingbreakfastinhispyjamas,quicklypushedawayhishalf-finishedplateofSugarCrispsandstartedpressingbuttonsrightandleftto summon his Admirals and his Generals. And all the way across the vaststretch of America, in all the fifty States from Alaska to Florida, fromPennsylvaniatoHawaii,thealarmwassoundedandthewordwentoutthatthebiggestbombinthehistoryoftheworldwashoveringoverNewYorkCity,andthatatanymomentitmightgooff.
Thirty-four
‘Comeon,Centipede,bitethroughthefirststring,’Jamesordered.TheCentipedetookoneofthesilkstringsbetweenhisteethandbitthroughit.
Andonceagain(butnotwithanangryCloud-Mandanglingfromtheendofthestringthistime)asingleseagullcameawayfromtherestoftheflockandwentflyingoffonitsown.‘Biteanother,’Jamesordered.TheCentipedebitthroughanotherstring.‘Whyaren’twesinking?’‘Wearesinking!’‘No,we’renot!’‘Don’tforgetthepeachisalotlighternowthanwhenwestartedout,’James
told them. ‘It lost an awful lot of juicewhen all those hailstones hit it in thenight.Cutawaytwomoreseagulls,Centipede!’‘Ah,that’sbetter!’‘Herewego!’‘Nowwereallyaresinking!’‘Yes, this isperfect!Don’tbiteanymore,Centipede,orwe’ll sink too fast!
Gentlydoesit!’Slowly the great peach began losing height, and the buildings and streets
downbelowbegancomingcloserandcloser.‘Doyouthinkwe’llallgetourpicturesinthepaperswhenwegetdown?’the
Ladybirdasked.‘My goodness, I‘ve forgotten to polish my boots!’ the Centipede said.
‘Everyonemusthelpmetopolishmybootsbeforewearrive.’‘Oh, for heaven’s sake!’ said theEarthworm. ‘Can’t you ever stop thinking
about–’Butheneverfinishedhissentence.Forsuddenly…WHOOOSH!…andthey
lookedup and sawahuge four-enginedplane come shootingout of a near-bycloud and gowhizzing past them notmore than twenty feet over their heads.ThiswasactuallytheregularearlymorningpassengerplanecomingintoNewYorkfromChicago,andasitwentby,itslicedrightthrougheverysingleoneofthesilkenstrings,and immediately theseagullsbrokeaway,and theenormous
peach,havingnothing tohold itup in theairany longer,went tumblingdowntowardstheearthlikealumpoflead.‘Help!’criedtheCentipede.‘Saveus!’criedMissSpider.‘Wearelost!’criedtheLadybird.‘Thisistheend!’criedtheOld-Green-Grasshopper.‘James!’ cried the Earthworm. ‘Do something, James! Quickly, do
something!’‘I can‘t!’ cried James. ‘I‘m sorry!Good-bye! Shut your eyes everybody! It
won’tbelongnow!’
Thirty-five
Roundandroundandupsidedownwentthepeachasitplummetedtowardstheearth,andtheywereallclingingdesperatelytothestemtosavethemselvesfrombeingflungintospace.Fasterandfasteritfell.Downanddownanddown,racingcloserandcloserto
thehousesandstreetsbelow,whereitwouldsurelysmashintoamillionpieceswhenithit.AndallthewayalongFifthAvenueandMadisonAvenue,andalongalltheotherstreetsintheCity,peoplewhohadnotyetreachedtheundergroundshelterslookedupandsawitcoming,andtheystoppedrunningandstoodtherestaringinasortofstuporatwhattheythoughtwasthebiggestbombinall theworldfallingoutof theskyon to theirheads.Afewwomenscreamed.Otherskneltdownonthesidewalksandbeganprayingaloud.Strongmenturnedtooneanotherandsaidthingslike,‘Iguessthisisit,Joe,’and‘Good-bye,everybody,good-bye.’ And for the next thirty seconds the whole City held its breath,waitingfortheendtocome.
Thirty-six
‘Good-bye,Ladybird!’gaspedJames,clingingtothestemofthefallingpeach.‘Good-bye,Centipede.Good-bye,everybody!’Therewereonlyafewsecondstogonowand it lookedas though theyweregoing to fall right inamongall thetallestbuildings.Jamescouldseetheskyscrapersrushinguptomeetthematthemostawfulspeed,andmostofthemhadsquareflattops,buttheverytallestofthemallhada top that taperedoff intoa long sharppoint– likeanenormoussilverneedlestickingupintothesky.Anditwaspreciselyontothetopofthisneedlethatthepeachfell!Therewasasquelch.Theneedlewentindeep.Andsuddenly–therewasthe
giant peach, caught and spiked upon the very pinnacle of the Empire StateBuilding.
Thirty-seven
Itwasreallyanamazingsight,andintwoorthreeminutes,assoonasthepeoplebelowrealizedthatthisnowcouldn’tpossiblybeabomb,theycamepouringoutofthesheltersandthesubwaystogapeatthemarvel.Thestreetsforhalfamilearound the building were jammedwithmen and women, and when the wordspreadthattherewereactuallylivingthingsmovingaboutonthetopofthegreatroundball,theneveryonewentwildwithexcitement.‘It’saflyingsaucer!’theyshouted.‘TheyarefromOuterSpace!’‘TheyaremenfromMars!’‘OrmaybetheycamefromtheMoon!’Andamanwhohadapairofbinocularstohiseyessaid,‘Theylookpritt-ty
peculiartome,I’lltellyouthat.’Police cars and fire engines came screaming in from all over the city and
pulled up outside the Empire State Building. Two hundred firemen and sixhundredpolicemen swarmed into the building andwent up in the elevators ashighastheycouldgo.Thentheypouredoutontotheobservationroof–whichistheplacewheretouristsstand–justatthebottomofthebigspike.Allthepolicemenwereholdingtheirgunsattheready,withtheirfingerson
thetriggers,andthefiremenwereclutchingtheirhatchets.Butfromwheretheystood, almost directly underneath the peach, they couldn’t actually see thetravellersupontop.‘Ahoythere!’shoutedtheChiefofPolice.‘Comeoutandshowyourselves!’Suddenly,thegreatbrownheadoftheCentipedeappearedoverthesideofthe
peach.His black eyes, as large and round as twomarbles, glared down at thepolicemen and the firemen below. Then hismonstrous ugly face broke into awidegrin.Thepolicemenandthefiremenallstartedshoutingatonce.‘Lookout!’they
cried.‘It’saDragon!’‘It’snotaDragon!It’saWampus!’‘It’saGorgon!’‘It’saSea-serpent!’‘It’saProck!’
‘It’saManticore!’Threefiremenandfivepolicemenfaintedandhadtobecarriedaway.‘It’saSnozzwanger!’criedtheChiefofPolice.‘It’saWhangdoodle!’yelledtheHeadoftheFireDepartment.TheCentipede kept on grinning.He seemed to be enjoying enormously the
commotionthathewascausing.‘Nowseehere!’shoutedtheChiefofPolice,cuppinghishandstohismouth.
‘Youlistentome!Iwantyoutotellmeexactlywhereyou‘vecomefrom!’‘We‘ve come from thousands ofmiles away!’ the Centipede shouted back,
grinningmorebroadlythaneverandshowinghisbrownteeth.‘Thereyouare!’calledtheChiefofPolice.‘ItoldyoutheycamefromMars!’‘Iguessyou’reright!’saidtheHeadoftheFireDepartment.Atthispoint,theOld-Green-Grasshopperpokedhishugegreenheadoverthe
side of the peach, alongside theCentipede’s. Sixmore big strongmen faintedwhentheysawhim.‘That one’s an Oinck!’ screamed the Head of the Fire Department. ‘I just
knowit’sanOinck!’‘OraCockatrice!’yelledtheChiefofPolice.‘Standback,men!Itmayjump
downonusanymoment!’‘Whatoneartharetheytalkingabout?’theOld-Green-Grasshoppersaidtothe
Centipede.‘Searchme,’theCentipedeanswered.‘Buttheyseemtobeinanawfulstew
aboutsomething.’ThenMissSpider’slargeblackmurderous-lookinghead,whichtoastranger
wasprobablythemostterrifyingofall,appearednexttotheGrasshopper‘s.‘Snakes and ladders!’ yelled the Head of the Fire Department. ‘We are
finishednow!It’sagiantScorpula!’‘It’sworsethanthat!’criedtheChiefofPolice.‘It’savermiciousKnid!Oh,
justlookatitsvermiciousgruesomeface!’‘Isthatthekindthateatsfully-grownmenforbreakfast?’theHeadoftheFire
Departmentasked,goingwhiteasasheet.‘I‘mafraiditis,’theChiefofPoliceanswered.‘Oh, please why doesn’t someone help us to get down from here?’ Miss
Spidercalledout.‘It’smakingmegiddy.’
‘Thiscouldbeatrick!’saidtheHeadoftheFireDepartment.‘Don’tanyonemakeamoveuntilIsay!’‘They‘veprobablygotspaceguns!’mutteredtheChiefofPolice.‘Butwe‘vegottodosomething!’theHeadoftheFireDepartmentannounced
grimly. ‘About five million people are standing down there on the streetswatchingus.’‘Thenwhy don’t you put up a ladder?’ theChief of Police asked him. ‘I’ll
standat thebottomandhold itsteadyforyouwhileyougoupandseewhat’shappening.’‘Thanksverymuch!’snappedtheHeadoftheFireDepartment.Soontherewerenolessthansevenlargefantasticfacespeeringdownoverthe
side of the peach – the Centipede‘s, the Old-Green-Grasshopper‘s, MissSpider‘s, the Earthworm‘s, the Ladybird‘s, the Silkworm‘s, and theGlowworm‘s.Andasortofpanicwasbeginningtobreakoutamongthefiremenandthepolicemenontherooftop.Then,allatonce,thepanicstoppedandagreatgaspofastonishmentwentup
allround.Fornow,asmallboywasseentobestandinguptherebesidetheothercreatures.Hishairwasblowing in thewind, andhewas laughingandwavingandcallingout,‘Hello,everybody!Hello!’For a fewmoments, themen below just stood and stared and gaped. They
simplycouldn’tbelievetheireyes.‘Blessmysoul!’criedtheHeadoftheFireDepartment,goingredintheface.
‘Itreallyisalittleboy,isn’tit?’‘Don’tbe frightenedofus,please!’ Jamescalledout. ‘Weare soglad tobe
here!’‘Whataboutthoseothersbesideyou?’shoutedtheChiefofPolice.‘Areany
ofthemdangerous?’‘Of course they’re not dangerous!’ James answered. ‘They’re the nicest
creaturesintheworld!AllowmetointroducethemtoyouonebyoneandthenI‘msureyouwillbelieveme.’
‘Myfriends,thisistheCentipede,andletmemakeitknownHeissosweetandgentlethat(althoughhe’sovergrown)TheQueenofSpain,againandagain,hassummonedhimbyphoneTobaby-sitandsingandknitandbeachaperoneWhennurseisoffandalltheroyalchildrenarealone.’(‘Smallwonder,’saidaFireman,‘they’renolongeronthethrone.’)
‘TheEarthworm,ontheotherhand,’SaidJames,beginningtoexpand,‘IsgreatfordiggingupthelandAndmakingoldsoilsnewer.Moreover,youshouldunderstandHewouldbeabsolutelygrand
FordiggingsubwaytunnelsandFormakingyouasewer.’(TheEarthwormblushedandbeamedwithpride.MissSpiderclappedandcheeredandcried,‘Couldanywordsbetruer?’)
‘AndtheGrasshopper,ladiesandgents,isaboonInmillionsandmillionsofways.YouhaveonlytoaskhimtogiveyouatuneAndheplaysandheplaysandheplays.Asatoyforyourchildrenhe’sperfectlysweet;There’snothingsogoodintheshops–You‘veonlytoticklethesolesofhisfeetAndhehopsandhehopsandhehops.’(‘Hecan’tbeveryfierce!’exclaimedTheHeadofalltheCops.)
‘AndnowwithoutexcuseI’dliketointroduceThischarmingGlowworm,loverofsimplicity.SheiseasytoinstallOnjourceilingoryourwall,
Andalthoughthissmacksabitofeccentricity,It’sreallyrathercleverForthereafteryouwillneverYouwillNEVERNEVERNEVERHavetheslightestneedforusingelectricity.’(Atwhich,nolessthanfifty-twoPolicemencried,‘IfthisistrueThatcreature’llgetsomefabulouspublicity!’)
‘AndherewehaveMissSpiderWithamileofthreadinsideherWhohaspersonallyrequestedmetosayThatshe‘sNEVERmetMissMuffetOnhercharminglittletuffet–Ifshehadshe‘dNOThavefrightenedheraway.ShouldherlookssometimesalarmyouThenIdon’tthinkitwouldharmyouTorepeatatleastahundredtimesaday:“ImustNEVERkillaspiderImustonlyhelpandguideherAndinviteherinthenurserytoplay.”’(ThePoliceallnoddedslightly,AndtheFiremensmiledpolitely,Andaboutadozenpeoplecried,‘Hooray!’)
‘Andhere’smydarlingLadybird,sobeautjul,sokind,Mygreatestcomfortsincethistripbegan.Shehasfourhundredchildrenandshe’sleftthemallbehind,Butthey’recomingonthenextpeachofthecan.’(TheCopscried,‘She’sentrancing!’AlltheFiremenstarteddancing,Andthecrowdsallstartedcheeringtoaman!)
‘Andnow,theSilkworm,’Jameswenton,‘WhosesilkwillbearcomparisonWithallthegreatestsilksthereareInRomeandPhiladelphia.IfyouwouldsearchthewholeworldthroughFromParaguaytoTimbuctooIdon’tthinkyouwouldfindonebitOfsilkthatcouldcomparewithit.EventheshopsinSingaporeDon’thavethestuff.Andwhatismore,ThisSilkwormhad,I’llhaveyouknow,Thehonour,notsolongago,TospinandweaveandsewandpressTheQueenofEngland’sweddingdress.Andshe’salreadymadeandsent
AwaistcoatforyourPresident.’(‘Well,goodforher!’theCopscriedout,AndallatonceamightyshoutWentuparoundtheEmpireState,Let’sgetthemdownatonce!WhyWAIT?’)
Thirty-eight
Fiveminutes later, theywereall safelydown,and Jameswasexcitedly tellinghisstorytoagroupofflabbergastedofficials.Andsuddenly–everyonewhohadcomeoveronthepeachwasahero!They
wereallescortedtothestepsofCityHall,wheretheMayorofNewYorkmadea speechofwelcome.Andwhilehewasdoing this, onehundred steeplejacks,armedwithropesandladdersandpulleys,swarmeduptothetopoftheEmpireState Building and lifted the giant peach off the spike and lowered it to theground.Then theMayor shouted, ‘Wemust now have a ticker-tape parade for our
wonderfulvisitors!’And so a procession was formed, and in the leading car (which was an
enormousopenlimousine)satJamesandallhisfriends.Next came the giant peach itself. Men with cranes and hooks had quickly
hoisteditontoaverylargetruckandthereitnowsat,lookingjustashugeandproudandbraveasever.Therewas,ofcourse,abitofaholeinthebottomofitwherethespikeoftheEmpireStateBuildinghadgonein,butwhocaredaboutthat–orindeedaboutthepeachjuicethatwasdrippingoutofitontothestreet?Behindthepeach,skiddingaboutallovertheplaceinthepeachjuice,came
theMayor’s limousine, and behind theMayor’s limousine came about twentyotherlimousinescarryingalltheimportantpeopleoftheCity.
And the crowdswentwildwith excitement.They lined the streets and theyleaned out of the windows of the skyscrapers, cheering and yelling andscreamingandclappingandthrowingoutbitsofwhitepaperandticker-tape,andJamesandhisfriendsstoodupintheircarandwavedbackatthemastheywentby.Then a rather curious thing happened. The procession was moving slowly
alongFifthAvenuewhen suddenlya littlegirl in a reddress ranout from thecrowdandshouted,‘Oh,James,James!CouldIpleasehavejustatinytasteofyourmarvellouspeach?’‘Help yourself!’ James shouted back. ‘Eat all you want! It won’t keep for
ever,anyway!’Nosoonerhadhesaidthisthanaboutfiftyotherchildrenexplodedoutofthe
crowdandcamerunningontothestreet.‘Canwehavesome,too?’theycried.‘Ofcourseyoucan!’Jamesanswered.‘Everyonecanhavesome!’The children jumped up on to the truck and swarmed like ants all over the
giantpeach,eatingandeatingtotheirhearts’content.Andasthenewsofwhatwas happening spread quickly from street to street, more andmore boys andgirlscamerunningfromalldirectionstojointhefeast.Soon,therewasatrailofchildren a mile long chasing after the peach as it proceeded slowly up FifthAvenue.Really,itwasafantasticsight.TosomepeopleitlookedasthoughthePiedPiperofHamelinhadsuddenlydescendeduponNewYork.AndtoJames,whohadneverdreamedthattherecouldbesomanychildrenasthisintheworld,itwasthemostmarvellousthingthathadeverhappened.By the time the procession was over, the whole gigantic fruit had been
completelyeatenup, andonly thebigbrownstone in themiddle, lickedcleanandshinybytenthousandeagerlittletongues,wasleftstandingonthetruck.
Thirty-nine
And thus the journey ended. But the travellers lived on. Every one of thembecamerichandsuccessfulinthenewcountry.The Centipede was made Vice-President-in-Charge-of-Sales of a high-class
firmofbootandshoemanufacturers.TheEarthworm,withhislovelypinkskin,wasemployedbyacompanythat
madewomen’sfacecreamstospeakcommercialsontelevision.TheSilkwormandMissSpider,aftertheyhadbothbeentaughttomakenylon
thread instead of silk, set up a factory together andmade ropes for tightropewalkers.TheGlowwormbecamethelightinsidethetorchontheStatueofLiberty,and
thussavedagratefulCityfromhavingtopayahugeelectricitybilleveryyear.TheOld-Green-Grasshopperbecameamemberof theNewYorkSymphony
Orchestra,wherehisplayingwasgreatlyadmired.TheLadybird,whohadbeenhauntedallherlifebythefearthatherhousewas
onfireandherchildrenallgone,marriedtheHeadoftheFireDepartmentandlivedhappilyeverafter.Andasfortheenormouspeachstone–itwassetuppermanentlyinaplaceof
honourinCentralParkandbecameafamousmonument.Butitwasnotonlyafamousmonument. Itwas also a famous house.And inside the famous housetherelivedafamousperson–
JAMESHENRYTROTTER
himself.
And all you had to do any day of theweekwas to go and knock upon thedoor, and thedoorwouldalwaysbeopened toyou, andyouwouldalwaysbeasked to come inside and see the famous roomwhere James had firstmet hisfriends.Andsometimes,ifyouwereverylucky,youwouldfindtheOld-Green-Grasshopper in there as well, resting peacefully in a chair before the fire, orperhaps itwould be the Ladybirdwho had dropped in for a cup of tea and agossip,or theCentipede to showoff anewbatchofparticularly elegantbootsthathehadjustacquired.
Everydayoftheweek,hundredsandhundredsofchildrenfromfarandnearcamepouringinto theCity tosee themarvellouspeachstone in thePark.AndJames Henry Trotter, who once, if you remember, had been the saddest andloneliestlittleboythatyoucouldfind,nowhadallthefriendsandplaymatesintheworld.Andbecausesomanyof themwerealwaysbegginghhn to tellandtellagainthestoryofhisadventuresonthepeach,hethoughtitwouldbeniceifonedayhesatdownandwroteitasabook.Sohedid.Andthatiswhatyouhavejustfinishedreading
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