They all heard it -- pirates , boys , Wendy ; and immediately every head was blown in one direction ; not to the water whence the sound proceeded , but toward Hook . All knew that what was about to happen concerned him alone , and that from being actors they were suddenly become spectators . Very frightful was it to see the change that came over him . It was as if he had been clipped at every joint . He fell in a little heap . The sound came steadily nearer ; and in advance of it came this ghastly thought , ` The crocodile is about to board the ship . ' Even the iron claw hung inactive ; as if knowing that it was no intrinsic part of what the attacking force wanted . Left so fearfully alone , any other man would have lain with his eyes shut where he fell : but the gigantic brain of Hook was still working , and under its guidance he crawled on his knees along the deck as far from the sound as he could go . The pirates respectfully cleared a passage for him , and it was only when he brought up against the bulwarks that he spoke . ` Hide me , ' he cried hoarsely . They gathered round him ; all eyes averted from the thing that was coming aboard . They had no thought of fighting it . It was Fate . Only when Hook was hidden from them did curiosity loosen the limbs of the boys so that they could rush to the ship 's side to see the crocodile climbing it . Then they got the strangest surprise of this Night of Nights ; for it was no crocodile that was coming to their aid . It was Peter . He signed to them not to give vent to any cry of admiration that might rouse suspicion . Then he went on ticking . CHAPTER XV ` HOOK OR ME THIS TIME ' Odd things happen to all of us on our way through life without our noticing for a time that they have happened . Thus , to take an instance , we suddenly discover that we have been deaf in one ear for we do n't know how long , but , say , half an hour .
Now such an experience had come that night to XXXXX .
CHAPTER Hook Left Peter Wendy XV bulwarks hour limbs ship