And first , he knew not why , he looked upward , with his hands clasped , and from that moment his eyes were pinned to the west . He had promised the thrushes to begin by making short voyages , with them to his guides , but far away he saw the Kensington Gardens beckoning to him beneath the bridge , and he could not wait . His face was flushed , but he never looked back ; there was an exultation in his little breast that drove out fear . Was Peter the least gallant of the English mariners who have sailed westward to meet the Unknown ? At first , his boat turned round and round , and he was driven back to the place of his starting , whereupon he shortened sail , by removing one of the sleeves , and was forthwith carried backward by a contrary breeze , to his no small peril . He now let go the sail , with the result that he was drifted toward the far shore , where are black shadows he knew not the dangers of , but suspected them , and so once more hoisted his night-gown and went roomer of the shadows until he caught a favouring wind , which bore him westward , but at so great a speed that he was like to be broke against the bridge . Which , having avoided , he passed under the bridge and came , to his great rejoicing , within full sight of the delectable Gardens . But having tried to cast anchor , which was a stone at the end of a piece of the kite-string , he found no bottom , and was fain to hold off , seeking for moorage , and , feeling his way , he buffeted against a sunken reef that cast him overboard by the greatness of the shock , and he was near to being drowned , but clambered back into the vessel . There now arose a mighty storm , accompanied by roaring of waters , such as he had never heard the like , and he was tossed this way and that , and his hands so numbed with the cold that he could not close them . Having escaped the danger of which , he was mercifully carried into a small bay , where his boat rode at peace . Nevertheless , he was not yet in safety ; for , on pretending to disembark , he found a multitude of small people drawn up on the shore to contest his landing ; and shouting shrilly to him to be off , for it was long past Lock-out Time . This , with much brandishing of their holly-leaves , and also a company of them carried an arrow which some boy had left in the Gardens , and this they were prepared to use as a battering-ram . Then Peter , who knew them for the fairies , called out that he was not an ordinary human and had no desire to do them displeasure , but to be their friend , nevertheless , having found a jolly harbour , he was in no temper to draw off there-from , and he warned them if they sought to mischief him to stand to their harms . So saying ; he boldly leapt ashore , and they gathered around him with intent to slay him , but there then arose a great cry among the women , and it was because they had now observed that his sail was a baby 's night-gown . Whereupon , they straightway loved him , and grieved that their laps were too small , the which I can not explain , except by saying that such is the way of women . The men-fairies now sheathed their weapons on observing the behaviour of their women , on whose intelligence they set great store , and they led him civilly to their queen , who conferred upon him the courtesy of the Gardens after Lock-out Time , and henceforth Peter could go whither he chose , and the fairies had orders to put him in comfort . Such was his first voyage to the Gardens , and you may gather from the antiquity of the language that it took place a long time ago . But Peter never grows any older , and if we could be watching for him under the bridge to-night -LRB- but , of course , we ca n't -RRB- , I daresay we should see him hoisting his night-gown and sailing or paddling toward us in the Thrush 's Nest . When he sails , he sits down , but he stands up to paddle . I shall tell you presently how he got his paddle .
Long before the time for the opening of the gates comes he steals back to the island , for people must not XXXXX him -LRB- he is not so human as all that -RRB- , but this gives him hours for play , and he plays exactly as real children play .
called carried close leapt led observed saying see sits turned