The_Complete_Chronicles_of_Narnia_(volumes_1-7,_in_order_of_publication)

"I think that must have been a different kind, Lu," said Edmund. "They could live in the
air as well as under water. I rather think these can't. By the look of them they'd have
surfaced and started attacking us long ago if they could. They seem very fierce."
"At any rate," said Drinian, but at that moment two sounds were heard. One was a plop.
The other was a voice from the fighting top shouting, "Man overboard!" Then everyone
was busy. Some of the sailors hurried aloft to take in the sail: others hurried below to get
to the oars; and Rhince, who was on duty on the poop, began to put the helm hard over so
as to come round and back to the man who had gone overboard. But by now everyone
knew that it wasn't strictly a man. It was Reepicheep.
"Drat that mouse!" said Drinian. "It's more trouble than all the rest of the ship's company
put together. If there is any scrape to be got into, in it will get! It ought to be put in irons -
keel-hauled - marooned - have its whiskers cut off. Can anyone see the little blighter?"
All this didn't mean that Drinian really disliked Reepicheep. On the contrary he liked him
very much and was therefore frightened about him, and being frightened put him in a bad
temper - just as your mother is much angrier with you for running out into the road in
front of a car than a stranger would be. No one, of course, was afraid of Reepicheep's
drowning, for he was an excellent swimmer; but the three who knew what was going on
below the water were afraid of those long, cruel spears in the hands of the Sea People.
In a few minutes the Dawn Treader had come round and everyone could see the black
blob in the water which was Reepicheep. He was chattering with the greatest excitement
but as his mouth kept on getting filled with water nobody could understand what he was
saying.
"He'll blurt the whole thing out if we don't shut him up," cried Drinian. To prevent this he
rushed to the side and lowered a rope himself, shouting to the sailors, "All right, all right.
Back to your places. I hope I can heave a mouse up without help." And as Reepicheep
began climbing up the rope not very nimbly because his wet fur made him heavy -
Drinian leaned over and whispered to him,
"Don't tell. Not a word."
But when the dripping Mouse had reached the deck it turned out not to be at all interested
in the Sea People.
"Sweet!" he cheeped. "Sweet, sweet!"
"What are you talking about?" asked Drinian crossly. "And you needn't shake yourself all
over me, either."
"I tell you the water's sweet," said the Mouse. "Sweet, fresh. It isn't salt."