It was a sanguinary -LSB- cheerful -RSB- affair , and especially interesting as showing one of Peter 's peculiarities , which was that in the middle of a fight he would suddenly change sides . At the Gulch , when victory was still in the balance , sometimes leaning this way and sometimes that , he called out , `` I 'm redskin to-day ; what are you , Tootles ? '' And Tootles answered , `` Redskin ; what are you , Nibs ? '' and Nibs said , `` Redskin ; what are you Twin ? '' and so on ; and they were all redskins ; and of course this would have ended the fight had not the real redskins fascinated by Peter 's methods , agreed to be lost boys for that once , and so at it they all went again , more fiercely than ever . The extraordinary upshot of this adventure was -- but we have not decided yet that this is the adventure we are to narrate . Perhaps a better one would be the night attack by the redskins on the house under the ground , when several of them stuck in the hollow trees and had to be pulled out like corks . Or we might tell how Peter saved Tiger Lily 's life in the Mermaids ' Lagoon , and so made her his ally . Or we could tell of that cake the pirates cooked so that the boys might eat it and perish ; and how they placed it in one cunning spot after another ; but always Wendy snatched it from the hands of her children , so that in time it lost its succulence , and became as hard as a stone , and was used as a missile , and Hook fell over it in the dark . Or suppose we tell of the birds that were Peter 's friends , particularly of the Never bird that built in a tree overhanging the lagoon , and how the nest fell into the water , and still the bird sat on her eggs , and Peter gave orders that she was not to be disturbed . That is a pretty story , and the end shows how grateful a bird can be ; but if we tell it we must also tell the whole adventure of the lagoon , which would of course be telling two adventures rather than just one . A shorter adventure , and quite as exciting , was Tinker Bell 's attempt , with the help of some street fairies , to have the sleeping Wendy conveyed on a great floating leaf to the mainland . Fortunately the leaf gave way and Wendy woke , thinking it was bath-time , and swam back . Or again , we might choose Peter 's defiance of the lions , when he drew a circle round him on the ground with an arrow and dared them to cross it ; and though he waited for hours , with the other boys and Wendy looking on breathlessly from trees , not one of them dared to accept his challenge . Which of these adventures shall we choose ? The best way will be to toss for it . I have tossed , and the lagoon has won . This almost makes one wish that the gulch or the cake or Tink 's leaf had won . Of course I could do it again , and make it best out of three ; however , perhaps fairest to stick to the lagoon . Chapter 8 THE MERMAIDS ' LAGOON If you shut your eyes and are a lucky one , you may see at times a shapeless pool of lovely pale colours suspended in the darkness ; then if you squeeze your eyes tighter , the pool begins to take shape , and the colours become so vivid that with another squeeze they must go on fire .
But just before they go on XXXXX you see the lagoon .
Bell Lagoon Redskin Wendy attack colours fire gulch hours succulence