One said it was a keg of brandy , and another that it was a cocoa-nut , and another that it was a buoy loose , and another that it was a black diver , and wanted to fire at it , which would not have been pleasant for the mayor : but just then such a yell came out of a great hole in the middle of it that the midshipman in charge guessed what it was , and bade pull up to it as fast as they could . So somehow or other the Jack-tars got the lobster out , and set the mayor free , and put him ashore at the Barbican . He never went lobster-catching again ; and we will hope he put no more salt in the tobacco , not even to sell his brother 's beer . And that is the story of the Mayor of Plymouth , which has two advantages -- first , that of being quite true ; and second , that of having -LRB- as folks say all good stories ought to have -RRB- no moral whatsoever : no more , indeed , has any part of this book , because it is a fairy tale , you know . And now happened to Tom a most wonderful thing ; for he had not left the lobster five minutes before he came upon a water-baby . A real live water-baby , sitting on the white sand , very busy about a little point of rock . And when it saw Tom it looked up for a moment , and then cried , `` Why , you are not one of us . You are a new baby ! Oh , how delightful ! '' And it ran to Tom , and Tom ran to it , and they hugged and kissed each other for ever so long , they did not know why . But they did not want any introductions there under the water . At last Tom said , `` Oh , where have you been all this while ? I have been looking for you so long , and I have been so lonely . '' `` We have been here for days and days . There are hundreds of us about the rocks . How was it you did not see us , or hear us when we sing and romp every evening before we go home ? '' Tom looked at the baby again , and then he said : `` Well , this is wonderful ! I have seen things just like you again and again , but I thought you were shells , or sea-creatures . I never took you for water-babies like myself . '' Now , was not that very odd ?
So odd , indeed , that you will , no doubt , want XXXXX know how it happened , and why Tom could never find a water-baby till after he had got the lobster out of the pot .
about at before for in like of that to while