One day, Henry wanted to rest, but Percy was talking to some engines. He was telling them about the time he had braved bad weather to help Thomas.

“It was raining hard. Water swirled under my boiler. I couldn’t see where I was going, but I struggled on.”

“Oooh, Percy, you are brave.”

“Well, it wasn’t anything, really. Water’s nothing to an engine with determination.”

“Tell us more, Percy.”

“What are you engines doing here?” hissed Henry. “This shed is for Sir Topham Hatt’s engines. Go away! Silly things!” Henry snorted.

“They’re not silly.” Percy had been enjoying himself.

“They are silly, and so are you. ‘Water’s nothing to an engine with determination.’ Huh!”

“Anyway,” said cheeky Percy, “I’m not afraid of water. I like it.” He ran off to the harbor singing:

“Once an engine attached to a train

Was afraid of a few drops of rain.…”

“No one ever lets me forget the time I wouldn’t come out of the tunnel in case the rain spoiled my paint,” huffed Henry.

Thomas was looking at a board on the quay. DANGER.

“We mustn’t go past it,” he said. “That’s orders.”

“Why?”

“ ‘DANGER’ means falling down something,” said Thomas. “I went past ‘DANGER’ once and fell down a mine.”

“I can’t see a mine,” said Percy. He didn’t know that the foundations of the quay had sunk. The rails now sloped downward to the sea.

“Stupid board!” said Percy.

Percy made a plan.

One day, he whispered to the cars, “Will you give me a bump when we get to the quay?”

The cars had never been asked to bump an engine before. They giggled and chattered about it.

“Driver doesn’t know my plan,” chuckled Percy.

“On! On! On!” laughed the cars.

Percy thought they were helping. “I’ll pretend to stop at the station, but the cars will push me past the board. Then I’ll make them stop. I can do that whenever I like.”

Every wise engine knows that you cannot trust freight cars.

“Go on! Go on!” they yelled, and bumped Percy’s Driver and Fireman off the footplate.

“Ow!” said Percy, sliding past the board.

Percy was frantic. “That’s enough!”

Percy was sunk.

“You are a very disobedient engine.”

Percy knew that voice. “Please, Sir, get me out, Sir. I’m truly sorry, Sir.”

“No, Percy, we cannot do that till high tide. I hope it will teach you to take care of yourself.”

“Yes, Sir.”

It was dark when they brought floating cranes to rescue Percy. He was too cold and stiff to move by himself.

Next day, he was sent to the Works on Henry’s freight train.

“Well, well, well!” chuckled Henry. “Did you like the water?”

“No!”

“I am surprised. You need more determination, Percy. ‘Water’s nothing to an engine with determination,’ you know. Perhaps you will like it better next time.”

Percy is quite determined that there won’t be a next time!