the happy hunter made all the haste he could , riding on the basket which had been given him by his friend . his queer boat seemed to go through the water of its own accord , and the distance was much shorter than he had expected , for in a few hours he caught sight of the gate and the roof of the sea king 's palace . and what a large place it was , with its numberless sloping roofs and gables , its huge gateways , and its gray stone walls ! he soon landed , and leaving his basket on the beach , he walked up to the large gateway . the pillars of the gate were made of beautiful red coral , and the gate itself was adorned with glittering gems of all kinds . large katsura trees overshadowed it . our hero had often heard of the wonders of the sea king 's palace beneath the sea , but all the stories he had ever heard fell short of the reality which he now saw for the first time .
what did the happy hunter initially expect of the journey ?
he expected it to take longer .
for the journey to be very long .