For a day or so he traveled on, stopping only for a little rest and
food, and getting more and more eager and excited all the time as he
neared his destination.

Once the journey came near having an untimely ending for, unheeding
Aunt Sheen's caution as to strange flies, he leaped eagerly at a
particularly beautiful one poised over his head. Fortunately for our
hero a strong puff of wind blew the fly aside at that moment, but not
before the cruel hook which was concealed in it had grazed his tender
mouth.

A good deal scared by his adventure, and feeling much less
self-confident, Sammy swam away, resolved to avoid all suspicious
insects in the future. He had several other narrow escapes at this
stage of his journey, but they are not important enough to mention
here.

But always as he journeyed on the river grew wider and wider, deeper
and deeper. Strange dark shapes passed over his head, strange fish
swam past him, the banks seemed very far away, and the currents were
strong and hard to swim against.

For quite a while there had been a new and delightfully salt taste and
smell to the water, it became stronger and stronger as he went on;
then there was a roar of breakers along the shores, and the swift tide
swept Sammy away from the river's mouth, and out into the vast ocean.