And Tom sat upon the buoy long days , long weeks , looking out to sea , and wondering when the water-babies would come back ; and yet they never came . Then he began to ask all the strange things which came in out of the sea if they had seen any ; and some said `` Yes , '' and some said nothing at all . He asked the bass and the pollock ; but they were so greedy after the shrimps that they did not care to answer him a word . Then there came in a whole fleet of purple sea-snails , floating along , each on a sponge full of foam , and Tom said , `` Where do you come from , you pretty creatures ? and have you seen the water - babies ? '' And the sea-snails answered , `` Whence we come we know not ; and whither we are going , who can tell ? We float out our life in the mid-ocean , with the warm sunshine above our heads , and the warm gulf-stream below ; and that is enough for us . Yes ; perhaps we have seen the water-babies . We have seen many strange things as we sailed along . '' And they floated away , the happy stupid things , and all went ashore upon the sands . Then there came in a great lazy sunfish , as big as a fat pig cut in half ; and he seemed to have been cut in half too , and squeezed in a clothes-press till he was flat ; but to all his big body and big fins he had only a little rabbit 's mouth , no bigger than Tom 's ; and , when Tom questioned him , he answered in a little squeaky feeble voice : `` I 'm sure I do n't know ; I 've lost my way . I meant to go to the Chesapeake , and I 'm afraid I 've got wrong somehow . Dear me ! it was all by following that pleasant warm water . I 'm sure I 've lost my way . '' And , when Tom asked him again , he could only answer , `` I 've lost my way . Do n't talk to me ; I want to think . '' But , like a good many other people , the more he tried to think the less he could think ; and Tom saw him blundering about all day , till the coast-guardsmen saw his big fin above the water , and rowed out , and struck a boat-hook into him , and took him away . They took him up to the town and showed him for a penny a head , and made a good day 's work of it . But of course Tom did not know that .
Then there came by a shoal of porpoises , rolling as they went -- papas , and mammas , and little children -- and all quite smooth and shiny , because the fairies French-polish them every morning ; and they sighed so softly as they came XXXXX , that Tom took courage to speak to them : but all they answered was , `` Hush , hush , hush ; '' for that was all they had learnt to say .
above by from in into like than till to upon