第2章

AndhetoldthemoftheGreatMammothsandLizards,aslongasatrain,thatwanderedoverthemountainsinthosetimes,nibblingfromthetree—tops。Andoftentheygotsointerestedlistening,thatwhenhehadfinishedtheyfoundtheirfirehadgonerightout;andtheyhadtoscurryroundtogetmoresticksandbuildanewone。

NowwhentheKing’sarmyhadgonebackandtoldtheKingthattheycouldn’tfindtheDoctor,theKingsentthemoutagainandtoldthemtheymuststayinthejungletilltheycaughthim。Soallthistime,whiletheDoctorandhisanimalsweregoingalongtowardstheLandoftheMonkeys,thinkingthemselvesquitesafe,theywerestillbeingfollowedbytheKing’smen。

IfChee—Cheehadknownthis,hewouldmostlikelyhavehiddenthemagain。Buthedidn’tknowit。

OnedayChee—Cheeclimbedupahighrockandlookedoutoverthetree—tops。AndwhenhecamedownhesaidtheywerenowquiteclosetotheLandoftheMonkeysandwouldsoonbethere。

Andthatsameevening,sureenough,theysawChee—Chee’scousinandalotofothermonkeys,whohadnotyetgotsick,sittinginthetreesbytheedgeofaswamp,lookingandwaitingforthem。Andwhentheysawthefamousdoctorreallycome,thesemonkeysmadeatremendousnoise,cheeringandwavingleavesandswingingoutofthebranchestogreethim。

Theywantedtocarryhisbagandhistrunkandeverythinghehad——andoneofthebiggeronesevencarriedGub—Gubwhohadgottiredagain。Thentwoofthemrushedoninfronttotellthesickmonkeysthatthegreatdoctorhadcomeatlast。

ButtheKing’smen,whowerestillfollowing,hadheardthenoiseofthemonkeyscheering;

andtheyatlastknewwheretheDoctorwas,andhastenedontocatchhim。

ThebigmonkeycarryingGub—Gubwascomingalongbehindslowly,andhesawtheCaptainofthearmysneakingthroughthetrees。

SohehurriedaftertheDoctorandtoldhimtorun。

Thentheyallranharderthantheyhadeverrunintheirlives;andtheKing’smen,comingafterthem,begantoruntoo;andtheCaptainranhardestofall。

ThentheDoctortrippedoverhismedicine—

bagandfelldowninthemud,andtheCaptainthoughthewouldsurelycatchhimthistime。

ButtheCaptainhadverylongears——thoughhishairwasveryshort。AndashesprangforwardtotakeholdoftheDoctor,oneofhisearscaughtfastinatree;andtherestofthearmyhadtostopandhelphim。

BythistimetheDoctorhadpickedhimselfup,andontheywentagain,runningandrunning。

AndChee—Cheeshouted,\"It’sallright!Wehaven’tfartogonow!\"

ButbeforetheycouldgetintotheLandoftheMonkeys,theycametoasteepcliffwithariverflowingbelow。ThiswastheendoftheKingdomofJolliginki;andtheLandoftheMonkeyswasontheotherside——acrosstheriver。

AndJip,thedog,lookeddownovertheedgeofthesteep,steepcliffandsaid,\"Golly!Howareweevergoingtogetacross?\"

\"Oh,dear!\"saidGub—Gub。\"TheKing’smenarequiteclosenow——Lookatthem!Iamafraidwearegoingtobetakenbacktoprisonagain。\"Andhebegantoweep。

Butthebigmonkeywhowascarryingthepigdroppedhimonthegroundandcriedouttotheothermonkeys。

\"Boys——abridge!Quick!——Makeabridge!

We’veonlyaminutetodoit。They’vegottheCaptainloose,andhe’scomingonlikeadeer。

Getlively!Abridge!Abridge!\"

TheDoctorbegantowonderwhattheyweregoingtomakeabridgeoutof,andhegazedaroundtoseeiftheyhadanyboardshiddenanyplace。

Butwhenhelookedbackatthecliff,there,hangingacrosstheriver,wasabridgeallreadyforhim——madeoflivingmonkeys!Forwhilehisbackwasturned,themonkeys——quickasaflash——hadmadethemselvesintoabridge,justbyholdinghandsandfeet。

AndthebigoneshoutedtotheDoctor,\"Walkover!Walkover——allofyou——hurry!\"

Gub—Gubwasabitscared,walkingonsuchanarrowbridgeatthatdizzyheightabovetheriver。Buthegotoverallright;andsodidallofthem。

JohnDolittlewasthelasttocross。Andjustashewasgettingtotheotherside,theKing’smencamerushinguptotheedgeofthecliff。

Thentheyshooktheirfistsandyelledwithrage。Fortheysawtheyweretoolate。TheDoctorandallhisanimalsweresafeintheLandoftheMonkeysandthebridgewaspulledacrosstotheotherside。

ThenChee—CheeturnedtotheDoctorandsaid,\"Manygreatexplorersandgray—beardednaturalistshavelainlongweekshiddeninthejunglewaitingtoseethemonkeysdothattrick。

Butweneverletawhitemangetaglimpseofitbefore。Youarethefirsttoseethefamous`BridgeofApes。’\"

AndtheDoctorfeltverypleased。

THEEIGHTHCHAPTER

THELEADEROFTHELIONS

JOHNDOLITTLEnowbecamedreadfully,awfullybusy。

Hefoundhundredsandthousandsofmonkeyssick——gorillas,orangoutangs,chimpanzees,dog—facedbaboons,marmosettes,graymonkeys,redones——allkinds。Andmanyhaddied。

Thefirstthinghedidwastoseparatethesickonesfromthewellones。ThenhegotChee—Cheeandhiscousintobuildhimalittlehouseofgrass。Thenextthing:hemadeallthemonkeyswhowerestillwellcomeandbevaccinated。

Andforthreedaysandthreenightsthemonkeyskeptcomingfromthejunglesandthevalleysandthehillstothelittlehouseofgrass,wheretheDoctorsatalldayandallnight,vaccinatingandvaccinating。

Thenhehadanotherhousemade——abigone,withalotofbedsinit;andheputallthesickonesinthishouse。

Butsomanyweresick,therewerenotenoughwellonestodothenursing。Sohesentmessagestotheotheranimals,likethelionsandtheleopardsandtheantelopes,tocomeandhelpwiththenursing。

ButtheLeaderoftheLionswasaveryproudcreature。AndwhenhecametotheDoctor’sbighousefullofbedsheseemedangryandscornful。

\"Doyoudaretoaskme,Sir?\"hesaid,glaringattheDoctor。\"Doyoudaretoaskme——ME,THEKINGOFBEASTS,towaitonalotofdirtymonkeys?Why,Iwouldn’teveneatthembetweenmeals!\"

Althoughthelionlookedveryterrible,theDoctortriedhardnottoseemafraidofhim。

\"Ididn’taskyoutoeatthem,\"hesaidquietly。

\"Andbesides,they’renotdirty。They’veallhadabaththismorning。YOURcoatlooksasthoughitneededbrushing——badly。Nowlisten,andI’lltellyousomething:thedaymaycomewhenthelionsgetsick。Andifyoudon’thelptheotheranimalsnow,thelionsmayfindthemselvesleftallalonewhenTHEYareintrouble。Thatoftenhappenstoproudpeople。\"

\"ThelionsareneverINtrouble——theyonlyMAKEtrouble,\"saidtheLeader,turninguphisnose。Andhestalkedawayintothejungle,feelinghehadbeenrathersmartandclever。

Thentheleopardsgotproudtooandsaidtheywouldn’thelp。Andthenofcoursetheantelopes——althoughtheyweretooshyandtimidtoberudetotheDoctorlikethelion——THEY

pawedtheground,andsmiledfoolishly,andsaidtheyhadneverbeennursesbefore。

AndnowthepoorDoctorwasworriedfrantic,wonderingwherehecouldgethelpenoughtotakecareofallthesethousandsofmonkeysinbed。

ButtheLeaderoftheLions,whenhegotbacktohisden,sawhiswife,theQueenLioness,comerunningouttomeethimwithherhairuntidy。

\"Oneofthecubswon’teat,\"shesaid。\"I

don’tknowWHATtodowithhim。Hehasn’ttakenathingsincelastnight。\"

Andshebegantocryandshakewithnervousness——

forshewasagoodmother,eventhoughshewasalioness。

SotheLeaderwentintohisdenandlookedathischildren——twoverycunninglittlecubs,lyingonthefloor。Andoneofthemseemedquitepoorly。

Thentheliontoldhiswife,quiteproudly,justwhathehadsaidtotheDoctor。Andshegotsoangryshenearlydrovehimoutoftheden。

\"YouneverDIDhaveagrainofsense!\"shescreamed。\"AlltheanimalsfromheretotheIndianOceanaretalkingaboutthiswonderfulman,andhowhecancureanykindofsickness,andhowkindheis——theonlymaninthewholeworldwhocantalkthelanguageoftheanimals!

Andnow,NOW——whenwehaveasickbabyonourhands,youmustgoandoffendhim!Yougreatbooby!NobodybutafooliseverrudetoaGOODdoctor。You——,\"andshestartedpullingherhusband’shair。

\"Gobacktothatwhitemanatonce,\"sheyelled,\"andtellhimyou’resorry。Andtakealltheotherempty—headedlionswithyou——

andthosestupidleopardsandantelopes。ThendoeverythingtheDoctortellsyou。Workhard!Andperhapshewillbekindenoughtocomeandseethecublater。Nowbeoff!——

HURRY,Itellyou!You’renotfittobeafather!\"

Andshewentintothedennextdoor,whereanothermother—lionlived,andtoldherallaboutit。

SotheLeaderoftheLionswentbacktotheDoctorandsaid,\"IhappenedtobepassingthiswayandthoughtI’dlookin。Gotanyhelpyet?\"

\"No,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Ihaven’t。

AndI’mdreadfullyworried。\"

\"Help’sprettyhardtogetthesedays,\"saidthelion。\"Animalsdon’tseemtowanttoworkanymore。Youcan’tblamethem——inaway……Well,seeingyou’reindifficulties,Idon’tminddoingwhatIcan——justtoobligeyou——

solongasIdon’thavetowashthecreatures。

AndIhavetoldalltheotherhuntinganimalstocomeanddotheirshare。Theleopardsshouldbehereanyminutenow……Oh,andbytheway,we’vegotasickcubathome。I

don’tthinkthere’smuchthematterwithhimmyself。Butthewifeisanxious。Ifyouarearoundthatwaythisevening,youmighttakealookathim,willyou?\"

ThentheDoctorwasveryhappy;forallthelionsandtheleopardsandtheantelopesandthegiraffesandthezebras——alltheanimalsoftheforestsandthemountainsandtheplains——cametohelphiminhiswork。Thereweresomanyofthemthathehadtosendsomeaway,andonlykeptthecleverest。

Andnowverysoonthemonkeysbegantogetbetter。Attheendofaweekthebighousefullofbedswashalfempty。Andattheendofthesecondweekthelastmonkeyhadgotwell。

ThentheDoctor’sworkwasdone;andhewassotiredhewenttobedandsleptforthreedayswithouteventurningover。

THENINTHCHAPTER

THEMONKEYS’COUNCIL

CHEE—CHEEstoodoutsidetheDoctor’sdoor,keepingeverybodyawaytillhewokeup。ThenJohnDolittletoldthemonkeysthathemustnowgobacktoPuddleby。

Theywereverysurprisedatthis;fortheyhadthoughtthathewasgoingtostaywiththemforever。Andthatnightallthemonkeysgottogetherinthejungletotalkitover。

AndtheChiefChimpanzeeroseupandsaid,\"Whyisitthegoodmanisgoingaway?Ishenothappyherewithus?\"

Butnoneofthemcouldanswerhim。

ThentheGrandGorillagotupandsaid,\"Ithinkweallshouldgotohimandaskhimtostay。Perhapsifwemakehimanewhouseandabiggerbed,andpromisehimplentyofmonkey—servantstoworkforhimandtomakelifepleasantforhim——perhapsthenhewillnotwishtogo。\"

ThenChee—Cheegotup;andalltheotherswhispered,\"Sh!Look!Chee—Chee,thegreatTraveler,isabouttospeak!\"

AndChee—Cheesaidtotheothermonkeys,\"Myfriends,IamafraiditisuselesstoasktheDoctortostay。HeowesmoneyinPuddleby;

andhesayshemustgobackandpayit。\"

Andthemonkeysaskedhim,\"WhatisMONEY?\"

ThenChee—CheetoldthemthatintheLandoftheWhiteMenyoucouldgetnothingwithoutmoney;

youcouldDOnothingwithoutmoney——thatitwasalmostimpossibletoLIVEwithoutmoney。

Andsomeofthemasked,\"Butcanyounoteveneatanddrinkwithoutpaying?\"

ButChee—Cheeshookhishead。Andthenhetoldthemthatevenhe,whenhewaswiththeorgan—grinder,hadbeenmadetoaskthechildrenformoney。

AndtheChiefChimpanzeeturnedtotheOldestOrangoutangandsaid,\"Cousin,surelytheseMenbestrangecreatures!Whowouldwishtoliveinsuchaland?Mygracious,howpaltry!\"

ThenChee—Cheesaid,\"Whenwewerecomingtoyouwehadnoboattocrosstheseainandnomoneytobuyfoodtoeatonourjourney。Soamanlentussomebiscuits;andwesaidwewouldpayhimwhenwecameback。Andweborrowedaboatfromasailor;butitwasbrokenontherockswhenwereachedtheshoresofAfrica。NowtheDoctorsayshemustgobackandgetthesailoranotherboat——becausethemanwaspoorandhisshipwasallhehad。\"

Andthemonkeyswereallsilentforawhile,sittingquitestilluponthegroundandthinkinghard。

AtlasttheBiggestBaboongotupandsaid,\"Idonotthinkweoughttoletthisgoodmanleaveourlandtillwehavegivenhimafinepresenttotakewithhim,sothathemayknowwearegratefulforallthathehasdoneforus。\"

Andalittle,tinyredmonkeywhowassittingupinatreeshouteddown,\"Ithinkthattoo!\"

Andthentheyallcriedout,makingagreatnoise,\"Yes,yes。LetusgivehimthefinestpresentaWhiteManeverhad!\"

Nowtheybegantowonderandaskoneanotherwhatwouldbethebestthingtogivehim。

Andonesaid,\"Fiftybagsofcocoanuts!\"

Andanother——\"Ahundredbunchesofbananas!——

AtleastheshallnothavetobuyhisfruitintheLandWhereYouPaytoEat!\"

ButChee—Cheetoldthemthatallthesethingswouldbetooheavytocarrysofarandwouldgobadbeforehalfwaseaten。

\"Ifyouwanttopleasehim,\"hesaid,\"givehimananimal。Youmaybesurehewillbekindtoit。Givehimsomerareanimaltheyhavenotgotinthemenageries。\"

Andthemonkeysaskedhim,\"WhatareMENAGERIES?\"

ThenChee—CheeexplainedtothemthatmenagerieswereplacesintheLandoftheWhiteMen,whereanimalswereputincagesforpeopletocomeandlookat。Andthemonkeyswereveryshockedandsaidtooneanother,\"TheseMenarelikethoughtlessyoungones——stupidandeasilyamused。Sh!Itisaprisonhemeans。\"

SothentheyaskedChee—CheewhatrareanimalitcouldbethattheyshouldgivetheDoctor——onetheWhiteMenhadnotseenbefore。

AndtheMajoroftheMarmosettesasked,\"Havetheyaniguanaoverthere?\"

ButChee—Cheesaid,\"Yes,thereisoneintheLondonZoo。\"

Andanotherasked,\"Havetheyanokapi?\"

ButChee—Cheesaid,\"Yes。InBelgium,wheremyorgan—grindertookmefiveyearsago,theyhadanokapiinabigcitytheycallAntwerp。\"

Andanotherasked,\"Havetheyapushmi—pullyu?\"

ThenChee—Cheesaid,\"No。NoWhiteManhaseverseenapushmi—pullyu。Letusgivehimthat。\"

THETENTHCHAPTER

THERARESTANIMALOFALL

PUSHMI—PULLYUSarenowextinct。Thatmeans,therearen’tanymore。Butlongago,whenDoctorDolittlewasalive,thereweresomeofthemstillleftinthedeepestjunglesofAfrica;andeventhentheywerevery,veryscarce。

Theyhadnotail,*butaheadateachend,andsharphornsoneachhead。Theywereveryshyandterriblyhardtocatch。Theblackmengetmostoftheiranimalsbysneakingupbehindthemwhiletheyarenotlooking。Butyoucouldnotdothiswiththepushmi—pullyu——because,nomatterwhichwayyoucametowardshim,hewasalwaysfacingyou。Andbesides,onlyonehalfofhimsleptatatime。Theotherheadwasalwaysawake——andwatching。ThiswaswhytheywerenevercaughtandneverseeninZoos。Thoughmanyofthegreatesthuntsmenandthecleverestmenagerie—keepersspentyearsoftheirlivessearchingthroughthejunglesinallweathersforpushmi—pullyus,notasingleonehadeverbeencaught。Eventhen,yearsago,hewastheonlyanimalintheworldwithtwoheads。

Well,themonkeyssetouthuntingforthisanimalthroughtheforest。Andaftertheyhadgoneagoodmanymiles,oneofthemfoundpeculiarfootprintsneartheedgeofariver;

andtheyknewthatapushmi—pullyumustbeverynearthatspot。

Thentheywentalongthebankoftheriveralittlewayandtheysawaplacewherethegrasswashighandthick;andtheyguessedthathewasinthere。

Sotheyalljoinedhandsandmadeagreatcircleroundthehighgrass。Thepushmi—

pullyuheardthemcoming;andhetriedhardtobreakthroughtheringofmonkeys。Buthecouldn’tdoit。Whenhesawthatitwasnousetryingtoescape,hesatdownandwaitedtoseewhattheywanted。

TheyaskedhimifhewouldgowithDoctorDolittleandbeputonshowintheLandoftheWhiteMen。

Butheshookbothhisheadshardandsaid,\"Certainlynot!\"

Theyexplainedtohimthathewouldnotbeshutupinamenageriebutwouldjustbelookedat。TheytoldhimthattheDoctorwasaverykindmanbuthadn’tanymoney;andpeoplewouldpaytoseeatwo—headedanimalandtheDoctorwouldgetrichandcouldpayfortheboathehadborrowedtocometoAfricain。

Butheanswered,\"No。YouknowhowshyIam——Ihatebeingstaredat。\"Andhealmostbegantocry。

Thenforthreedaystheytriedtopersuadehim。

AndattheendofthethirddayhesaidhewouldcomewiththemandseewhatkindofamantheDoctorwas,first。

Sothemonkeystraveledbackwiththepushmi—pullyu。AndwhentheycametowheretheDoctor’slittlehouseofgrasswas,theyknockedonthedoor。

Theduck,whowaspackingthetrunk,said,\"Comein!\"

AndChee—CheeveryproudlytooktheanimalinsideandshowedhimtotheDoctor。

\"Whatintheworldisit?\"askedJohnDolittle,gazingatthestrangecreature。

\"Lordsaveus!\"criedtheduck。\"Howdoesitmakeupitsmind?\"

\"Itdoesn’tlooktomeasthoughithadany,\"

saidJip,thedog。

\"This,Doctor,\"saidChee—Chee,\"isthepushmi—pullyu——therarestanimaloftheAfricanjungles,theonlytwo—headedbeastintheworld!Takehimhomewithyouandyourfortune’smade。Peoplewillpayanymoneytoseehim。\"

\"ButIdon’twantanymoney,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Yes,youdo,\"saidDab—Dab,theduck。

\"Don’tyourememberhowwehadtopinchandscrapetopaythebutcher’sbillinPuddleby?Andhowareyougoingtogetthesailorthenewboatyouspokeof——unlesswehavethemoneytobuyit?\"

\"Iwasgoingtomakehimone,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Oh,dobesensible!\"criedDab—Dab。

\"Wherewouldyougetallthewoodandthenailstomakeonewith?——Andbesides,whatarewegoingtoliveon?Weshallbepoorerthaneverwhenwegetback。Chee—Chee’sperfectlyright:takethefunny—lookingthingalong,do!\"

\"Well,perhapsthereissomethinginwhatyousay,\"

murmuredtheDoctor。\"Itcertainlywouldmakeanicenewkindofpet。Butdoestheer——

what—do—you—call—itreallywanttogoabroad?\"

\"Yes,I’llgo,\"saidthepushmi—pullyuwhosawatonce,fromtheDoctor’sface,thathewasamantobetrusted。\"Youhavebeensokindtotheanimalshere——andthemonkeystellmethatIamtheonlyonewhowilldo。ButyoumustpromisemethatifIdonotlikeitintheLandoftheWhiteMenyouwillsendmeback。\"

\"Why,certainly——ofcourse,ofcourse,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Excuseme,surelyyouarerelatedtotheDeerFamily,areyounot?\"

\"Yes,\"saidthepushmi—pullyu——\"totheAbyssinianGazellesandtheAsiaticChamois——onmymother’sside。Myfather’sgreat—

grandfatherwasthelastoftheUnicorns。\"

\"Mostinteresting!\"murmuredtheDoctor;

andhetookabookoutofthetrunkwhichDab—

Dabwaspackingandbeganturningthepages。

\"LetusseeifBuffonsaysanything——\"

\"Inotice,\"saidtheduck,\"thatyouonlytalkwithoneofyourmouths。Can’ttheotherheadtalkaswell?\"

\"Oh,yes,\"saidthepushmi—pullyu。\"ButI

keeptheothermouthforeating——mostly。InthatwayIcantalkwhileIameatingwithoutbeingrude。Ourpeoplehavealwaysbeenverypolite。\"

Whenthepackingwasfinishedandeverythingwasreadytostart,themonkeysgaveagrandpartyfortheDoctor,andalltheanimalsofthejunglecame。Andtheyhadpineapplesandmangoesandhoneyandallsortsofgoodthingstoeatanddrink。

Aftertheyhadallfinishedeating,theDoctorgotupandsaid,\"Myfriends:Iamnotcleveratspeakinglongwordsafterdinner,likesomemen;andI

havejusteatenmanyfruitsandmuchhoney。

ButIwishtotellyouthatIamverysadatleavingyourbeautifulcountry。BecauseIhavethingstodointheLandoftheWhiteMen,I

mustgo。AfterIhavegone,remembernevertoletthefliessettleonyourfoodbeforeyoueatit;anddonotsleeponthegroundwhentherainsarecoming。I——er——er——Ihopeyouwillalllivehappilyeverafter。\"

WhentheDoctorstoppedspeakingandsatdown,allthemonkeysclappedtheirhandsalongtimeandsaidtooneanother,\"Letitberememberedalwaysamongourpeoplethathesatandatewithus,here,underthetrees。

ForsurelyheistheGreatestofMen!\"

AndtheGrandGorilla,whohadthestrengthofsevenhorsesinhishairyarms,rolledagreatrockuptotheheadofthetableandsaid,\"Thisstoneforalltimeshallmarkthespot。\"

Andeventothisday,intheheartoftheJungle,thatstonestillisthere。Andmonkey—

mothers,passingthroughtheforestwiththeirfamilies,stillpointdownatitfromthebranchesandwhispertotheirchildren,\"Sh!Thereitis——

look——wheretheGoodWhiteMansatandatefoodwithusintheYearoftheGreatSickness!\"

Then,whenthepartywasover,theDoctorandhispetsstartedouttogobacktotheseashore。

Andallthemonkeyswentwithhimasfarastheedgeoftheircountry,carryinghistrunkandbags,toseehimoff。

THEELEVENTHCHAPTER

THEBLACKPRINCE

BYtheedgeoftherivertheystoppedandsaidfarewell。

Thistookalongtime,becauseallthosethousandsofmonkeyswantedtoshakeJohnDolittlebythehand。

Afterwards,whentheDoctorandhispetsweregoingonalone,Polynesiasaid,\"WemusttreadsoftlyandtalklowaswegothroughthelandoftheJolliginki。IftheKingshouldhearus,hewillsendhissoldierstocatchusagain;forIamsureheisstillveryangryoverthetrickIplayedonhim。\"

\"WhatIamwondering,\"saidtheDoctor,\"iswherewearegoingtogetanotherboattogohomein……Ohwell,perhapswe’llfindonelyingaboutonthebeachthatnobodyisusing。`Neverliftyourfoottillyoucometothestile。’\"

Oneday,whiletheywerepassingthroughaverythickpartoftheforest,Chee—Cheewentaheadofthemtolookforcocoanuts。Andwhilehewasaway,theDoctorandtherestoftheanimals,whodidnotknowthejungle—pathssowell,gotlostinthedeepwoods。Theywanderedaroundandaroundbutcouldnotfindtheirwaydowntotheseashore。

Chee—Chee,whenhecouldnotseethemanywhere,wasterriblyupset。HeclimbedhightreesandlookedoutfromthetopbranchestotryandseetheDoctor’shighhat;hewavedandshouted;hecalledtoalltheanimalsbyname。

Butitwasnouse。Theyseemedtohavedisappearedaltogether。

Indeedtheyhadlosttheirwayverybadly。

Theyhadstrayedalongwayoffthepath,andthejunglewassothickwithbushesandcreepersandvinesthatsometimestheycouldhardlymoveatall,andtheDoctorhadtotakeouthispocket—knifeandcuthiswayalong。Theystumbledintowet,boggyplaces;theygotalltangledupinthickconvolvulus—runners;theyscratchedthemselvesonthorns,andtwicetheynearlylostthemedicine—bagintheunder—brush。

Thereseemednoendtotheirtroubles;andnowherecouldtheycomeuponapath。

Atlast,afterblunderingaboutlikethisformanydays,gettingtheirclothestornandtheirfacescoveredwithmud,theywalkedrightintotheKing’sback—gardenbymistake。TheKing’smencamerunningupatonceandcaughtthem。

ButPolynesiaflewintoatreeinthegarden,withoutanybodyseeingher,andhidherself。

TheDoctorandtherestweretakenbeforetheKing。

\"Ha,ha!\"criedtheKing。\"Soyouarecaughtagain!Thistimeyoushallnotescape。

Takethemallbacktoprisonandputdoublelocksonthedoor。ThisWhiteManshallscrubmykitchen—floorfortherestofhislife!\"

SotheDoctorandhispetswereledbacktoprisonandlockedup。AndtheDoctorwastoldthatinthemorninghemustbeginscrubbingthekitchen—floor。

Theywereallveryunhappy。

\"Thisisagreatnuisance,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"IreallymustgetbacktoPuddleby。ThatpoorsailorwillthinkI’vestolenhisshipifI

don’tgethomesoon……Iwonderifthosehingesareloose。\"

Butthedoorwasverystrongandfirmlylocked。Thereseemednochanceofgettingout。

ThenGub—Gubbegantocryagain。

AllthistimePolynesiawasstillsittinginthetreeinthepalace—garden。Shewassayingnothingandblinkinghereyes。

ThiswasalwaysaverybadsignwithPolynesia。Whenevershesaidnothingandblinkedhereyes,itmeantthatsomebodyhadbeenmakingtrouble,andshewasthinkingoutsomewaytoputthingsright。PeoplewhomadetroubleforPolynesiaorherfriendswerenearlyalwayssorryforitafterwards。

PresentlyshespiedChee—CheeswingingthroughthetreesstilllookingfortheDoctor。

WhenChee—Cheesawher,hecameintohertreeandaskedherwhathadbecomeofhim。

\"TheDoctorandalltheanimalshavebeencaughtbytheKing’smenandlockedupagain,\"

whisperedPolynesia。\"Welostourwayinthejungleandblunderedintothepalace—gardenbymistake。\"

\"Butcouldn’tyouguidethem?\"askedChee—

Chee;andhebegantoscoldtheparrotforlettingthemgetlostwhilehewasawaylookingforthecocoanuts。

\"Itwasallthatstupidpig’sfault,\"saidPolynesia。\"Hewouldkeeprunningoffthepathhuntingforginger—roots。AndIwaskeptsobusycatchinghimandbringinghimback,thatIturnedtotheleft,insteadoftheright,whenwereachedtheswamp。——Sh!——Look!

There’sPrinceBumpocomingintothegarden!

Hemustnotseeus。——Don’tmove,whateveryoudo!\"

Andthere,sureenough,wasPrinceBumpo,theKing’sson,openingthegarden—gate。Hecarriedabookoffairy—talesunderhisarm。Hecamestrollingdownthegravel—walk,hummingasadsong,tillhereachedastoneseatrightunderthetreewheretheparrotandthemonkeywerehiding。Thenhelaydownontheseatandbeganreadingthefairy—storiestohimself。

Chee—CheeandPolynesiawatchedhim,keepingveryquietandstill。

AfterawhiletheKing’ssonlaidthebookdownandsighedawearysigh。

\"IfIwereonlyaWHITEprince!\"saidhe,withadreamy,far—awaylookinhiseyes。

Thentheparrot,talkinginasmall,highvoicelikealittlegirl,saidaloud,\"Bumpo,someonemightturntheeintoawhiteprinceperchance。\"

TheKing’ssonstartedupofftheseatandlookedallaround。

\"WhatisthisIhear?\"hecried。\"Methoughtthesweetmusicofafairy’ssilvervoicerangfromyonderbower!Strange!\"

\"WorthyPrince,\"saidPolynesia,keepingverystillsoBumpocouldn’tseeher,\"thousayestwingedwordsoftruth。For’tisI,Tripsitinka,theQueenoftheFairies,thatspeaktothee。Iamhidinginarose—bud。\"

\"Ohtellme,Fairy—Queen,\"criedBumpo,claspinghishandsinjoy,\"whoisitcanturnmewhite?\"

\"Inthyfather’sprison,\"saidtheparrot,\"thereliesafamouswizard,JohnDolittlebyname。Manythingsheknowsofmedicineandmagic,andmightydeedshasheperformed。

Yetthykinglyfatherleaveshimlanguishinglongandlingeringhours。Gotohim,braveBumpo,secretly,whenthesunhasset;andbehold,thoushaltbemadethewhitestprincethateverwonfairlady!Ihavesaidenough。I

mustnowgobacktoFairyland。Farewell!\"

\"Farewell!\"criedthePrince。\"Athousandthanks,goodTripsitinka!\"

Andhesatdownontheseatagainwithasmileuponhisface,waitingforthesuntoset。

THETWELFTHCHAPTER

MEDICINEANDMAGIC

VERY,veryquietly,makingsurethatnooneshouldseeher,Polynesiathenslippedoutatthebackofthetreeandflewacrosstotheprison。

ShefoundGub—Gubpokinghisnosethroughthebarsofthewindow,tryingtosniffthecooking—smellsthatcamefromthepalace—

kitchen。ShetoldthepigtobringtheDoctortothewindowbecauseshewantedtospeaktohim。SoGub—GubwentandwoketheDoctorwhowastakinganap。

\"Listen,\"whisperedtheparrot,whenJohnDolittle’sfaceappeared:\"PrinceBumpoiscominghereto—nighttoseeyou。Andyou’vegottofindsomewaytoturnhimwhite。Butbesuretomakehimpromiseyoufirstthathewillopentheprison—doorandfindashipforyoutocrosstheseain。\"

\"Thisisallverywell,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Butitisn’tsoeasytoturnablackmanwhite。

Youspeakasthoughhewereadresstobere—

dyed。It’snotsosimple。`Shalltheleopardchangehisspots,ortheEthiopianhisskin,’youknow?\"

\"Idon’tknowanythingaboutthat,\"saidPolynesiaimpatiently。\"ButyouMUSTturnthismanwhite。Thinkofaway——thinkhard。

You’vegotplentyofmedicinesleftinthebag。

He’lldoanythingforyouifyouchangehiscolor。Itisyouronlychancetogetoutofprison。\"

\"Well,IsupposeitMIGHTbepossible,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Letmesee——,\"andhewentovertohismedicine—bag,murmuringsomethingabout\"liberatedchlorineonanimal—pigment——

perhapszinc—ointment,asatemporarymeasure,spreadthick——\"

Well,thatnightPrinceBumpocamesecretlytotheDoctorinprisonandsaidtohim,\"WhiteMan,Iamanunhappyprince。

YearsagoIwentinsearchofTheSleepingBeauty,whomIhadreadofinabook。Andhavingtraveledthroughtheworldmanydays,Iatlastfoundherandkissedtheladyverygentlytoawakenher——asthebooksaidIshould。

’Tistrueindeedthatsheawoke。Butwhenshesawmyfaceshecriedout,`Oh,he’sblack!’

Andsheranawayandwouldn’tmarryme——butwenttosleepagainsomewhereelse。SoIcameback,fullofsadness,tomyfather’skingdom。

NowIhearthatyouareawonderfulmagicianandhavemanypowerfulpotions。SoIcometoyouforhelp。Ifyouwillturnmewhite,sothatImaygobacktoTheSleepingBeauty,I

willgiveyouhalfmykingdomandanythingbesidesyouask。\"

\"PrinceBumpo,\"saidtheDoctor,lookingthoughtfullyatthebottlesinhismedicine—bag,\"supposingImadeyourhairaniceblondecolor——wouldnotthatdoinsteadtomakeyouhappy?\"

\"No,\"saidBumpo。\"Nothingelsewillsatisfyme。Imustbeawhiteprince。\"

\"Youknowitisveryhardtochangethecolorofaprince,\"saidtheDoctor——\"oneofthehardestthingsamagiciancando。Youonlywantyourfacewhite,doyounot?\"

\"Yes,thatisall,\"saidBumpo。\"BecauseI

shallwearshiningarmorandgauntletsofsteel,liketheotherwhiteprinces,andrideonahorse。\"

\"Mustyourfacebewhiteallover?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"Yes,allover,\"saidBumpo——\"andIwouldlikemyeyesbluetoo,butIsupposethatwouldbeveryhardtodo。\"

\"Yes,itwould,\"saidtheDoctorquickly。

\"Well,IwilldowhatIcanforyou。Youwillhavetobeverypatientthough——youknowwithsomemedicinesyoucanneverbeverysure。I

mighthavetotrytwoorthreetimes。Youhaveastrongskin——yes?Wellthat’sallright。

Nowcomeoverherebythelight——Oh,butbeforeIdoanything,youmustfirstgodowntothebeachandgetashipready,withfoodinit,totakemeacrossthesea。Donotspeakawordofthistoanyone。AndwhenIhavedoneasyouask,youmustletmeandallmyanimalsoutofprison。Promise——bythecrownofJolliginki!\"

SothePrincepromisedandwentawaytogetashipreadyattheseashore。

Whenhecamebackandsaidthatitwasdone,theDoctoraskedDab—Dabtobringabasin。

ThenhemixedalotofmedicinesinthebasinandtoldBumpotodiphisfaceinit。

ThePrinceleaneddownandputhisfacein——rightuptotheears。

Heheldittherealongtime——solongthattheDoctorseemedtogetdreadfullyanxiousandfidgety,standingfirstononelegandthenontheother,lookingatallthebottleshehadusedforthemixture,andreadingthelabelsonthemagainandagain。Astrongsmellfilledtheprison,likethesmellofbrownpaperburning。

AtlastthePrinceliftedhisfaceupoutofthebasin,breathingveryhard。Andalltheanimalscriedoutinsurprise。

ForthePrince’sfacehadturnedaswhiteassnow,andhiseyes,whichhadbeenmud—colored,wereamanlygray!

WhenJohnDolittlelenthimalittlelooking—

glasstoseehimselfin,hesangforjoyandbegandancingaroundtheprison。ButtheDoctoraskedhimnottomakesomuchnoiseaboutit;andwhenhehadclosedhismedicine—baginahurryhetoldhimtoopentheprison—door。

Bumpobeggedthathemightkeepthelooking—

glass,asitwastheonlyoneintheKingdomofJolliginki,andhewantedtolookathimselfalldaylong。ButtheDoctorsaidheneededittoshavewith。

ThenthePrince,takingabunchofcopperkeysfromhispocket,undidthegreatdoublelocks。AndtheDoctorwithallhisanimalsranasfastastheycoulddowntotheseashore;whileBumpoleanedagainstthewalloftheemptydungeon,smilingafterthemhappily,hisbigfaceshininglikepolishedivoryinthelightofthemoon。

WhentheycametothebeachtheysawPolynesiaandChee—Cheewaitingforthemontherocksneartheship。

\"IfeelsorryaboutBumpo,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"IamafraidthatmedicineIusedwillneverlast。Mostlikelyhewillbeasblackaseverwhenhewakesupinthemorning——that’sonereasonwhyIdidn’tliketoleavethemirrorwithhim。Butthenagain,heMIGHTstaywhite——I

hadneverusedthatmixturebefore。Totellthetruth,Iwassurprised,myself,thatitworkedsowell。ButIhadtodosomething,didn’tI?

——Icouldn’tpossiblyscrubtheKing’skitchenfortherestofmylife。Itwassuchadirtykitchen!——Icouldseeitfromtheprison—

window。——Well,well!——PoorBumpo!\"

\"Oh,ofcoursehewillknowwewerejustjokingwithhim,\"saidtheparrot。

\"Theyhadnobusinesstolockusup,\"saidDab—Dab,wagglinghertailangrily。\"Weneverdidthemanyharm。

Servehimright,ifhedoesturnblackagain!Ihopeit’sadarkblack。\"

\"ButHEdidn’thaveanythingtodowithit,\"

saidtheDoctor。\"ItwastheKing,hisfather,whohaduslockedup——itwasn’tBumpo’sfault……IwonderifIoughttogobackandapologize——

Oh,well——I’llsendhimsomecandywhenIgettoPuddleby。Andwhoknows?——

hemaystaywhiteafterall。\"

\"TheSleepingBeautywouldneverhavehim,evenifhedid,\"saidDab—Dab。\"Helookedbetterthewayhewas,Ithought。Buthe’dneverbeanythingbutugly,nomatterwhatcolorhewasmade。\"

\"Still,hehadagoodheart,\"saidtheDoctor——\"romantic,ofcourse——butagoodheart。

Afterall,`handsomeisashandsomedoes。’\"

\"Idon’tbelievethepoorboobyfoundTheSleepingBeautyatall,\"saidJip,thedog。

\"Mostlikelyhekissedsomefarmer’sfatwifewhowastakingasnoozeunderanapple—tree。

Can’tblameherforgettingscared!Iwonderwhohe’llgoandkissthistime。Sillybusiness!\"

Thenthepushmi—pullyu,thewhitemouse,Gub—Gub,Dab—Dab,Jipandtheowl,Too—Too,wentontotheshipwiththeDoctor。ButChee—

Chee,Polynesiaandthecrocodilestayedbehind,becauseAfricawastheirproperhome,thelandwheretheywereborn。

AndwhentheDoctorstoodupontheboat,helookedoverthesideacrossthewater。AndthenherememberedthattheyhadnoonewiththemtoguidethembacktoPuddleby。

Thewide,widesealookedterriblybigandlonesomeinthemoonlight;andhebegantowonderiftheywouldlosetheirwaywhentheypassedoutofsightofland。

Butevenwhilehewaswondering,theyheardastrangewhisperingnoise,highintheair,comingthroughthenight。AndtheanimalsallstoppedsayingGood—byandlistened。

Thenoisegrewlouderandbigger。Itseemedtobecomingnearertothem——asoundliketheAutumnwindblowingthroughtheleavesofapoplar—tree,oragreat,greatrainbeatingdownuponaroof。

AndJip,withhisnosepointingandhistailquitestraight,said,\"Birds!——millionsofthem——flyingfast——that’sit!\"

Andthentheyalllookedup。Andthere,streamingacrossthefaceofthemoon,likeahugeswarmoftinyants,theycouldseethousandsandthousandsoflittlebirds。Soonthewholeskyseemedfullofthem,andstillmorekeptcoming——moreandmore。Thereweresomanythatforalittletheycoveredthewholemoonsoitcouldnotshine,andtheseagrewdarkandblack——likewhenastorm—cloudpassesoverthesun。

Andpresentlyallthesebirdscamedownclose,skimmingoverthewaterandtheland;andthenight—skywasleftclearabove,andthemoonshoneasbefore。Stillneveracallnoracrynorasongtheymade——nosoundbutthisgreatrustlingoffeatherswhichgrewgreaternowthanever。Whentheybegantosettleonthesands,alongtheropesoftheship——anywhereandeverywhereexceptthetrees——theDoctorcouldseethattheyhadbluewingsandwhitebreastsandveryshort,featheredlegs。Assoonastheyhadallfoundaplacetosit,suddenly,therewasnonoiseleftanywhere——allwasquiet;

allwasstill。

AndinthesilentmoonlightJohnDolittlespoke:

\"IhadnoideathatwehadbeeninAfricasolong。ItwillbenearlySummerwhenwegethome。Forthesearetheswallowsgoingback。Swallows,Ithankyouforwaitingforus。Itisverythoughtfulofyou。Nowweneednotbeafraidthatwewillloseourwayuponthesea……Pulluptheanchorandsetthesail!\"

Whentheshipmovedoutuponthewater,thosewhostayedbehind,Chee—Chee,Polynesiaandthecrocodile,grewterriblysad。ForneverintheirliveshadtheyknownanyonetheylikedsowellasDoctorJohnDolittleofPuddleby—on—

the—Marsh。

AndaftertheyhadcalledGood—bytohimagainandagainandagain,theystillstoodthereupontherocks,cryingbitterlyandwavingtilltheshipwasoutofsight。

THETHIRTEENTHCHAPTER

REDSAILSANDBLUEWINGS

SAILINGhomeward,theDoctor’sshiphadtopassthecoastofBarbary。ThiscoastistheseashoreoftheGreatDesert。

Itisawild,lonelyplace——allsandandstones。AnditwasherethattheBarbarypirateslived。

Thesepirates,abadlotofmen,usedtowaitforsailorstobeshipwreckedontheirshores。

Andoften,iftheysawaboatpassing,theywouldcomeoutintheirfastsailing—shipsandchaseit。

Whentheycaughtaboatlikethisatsea,theywouldstealeverythingonit;andaftertheyhadtakenthepeopleofftheywouldsinktheshipandsailbacktoBarbarysingingsongsandfeelingproudofthemischieftheyhaddone。Thentheyusedtomakethepeopletheyhadcaughtwritehometotheirfriendsformoney。Andifthefriendssentnomoney,thepiratesoftenthrewthepeopleintothesea。

NowonesunshinydaytheDoctorandDab—

Dabwerewalkingupanddownontheshipforexercise;anicefreshwindwasblowingtheboatalong,andeverybodywashappy。PresentlyDab—Dabsawthesailofanothershipalongwaybehindthemontheedgeofthesea。

Itwasaredsail。

\"Idon’tlikethelookofthatsail,\"saidDab—

Dab。\"Ihaveafeelingitisn’tafriendlyship。

Iamafraidthereismoretroublecomingtous。\"

Jip,whowaslyingneartakinganapinthesun,begantogrowlandtalkinhissleep。

\"Ismellroastbeefcooking,\"hemumbled——

\"underdoneroastbeef——withbrowngravyoverit。\"

\"Goodgracious!\"criedtheDoctor。\"What’sthematterwiththedog?IsheSMELLINGinhissleep——aswellastalking?\"

\"Isupposeheis,\"saidDab—Dab。\"Alldogscansmellintheirsleep。\"

\"Butwhatishesmelling?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"Thereisnoroastbeefcookingonourship。\"

\"No,\"saidDab—Dab。\"Theroastbeefmustbeonthatothershipoverthere。\"

\"Butthat’stenmilesaway,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Hecouldn’tsmellthatfarsurely!\"

\"Oh,yes,hecould,\"saidDab—Dab。\"Youaskhim。\"

ThenJip,stillfastasleep,begantogrowlagainandhislipcurledupangrily,showinghisclean,whiteteeth。

\"Ismellbadmen,\"hegrowled——\"theworstmenIeversmelt。Ismelltrouble。Ismellafight——sixbadscoundrelsfightingagainstonebraveman。Iwanttohelphim。Woof——oo——WOOF!\"

Thenhebarked,loud,andwokehimselfupwithasurprisedlookonhisface。

\"See!\"criedDab—Dab。\"Thatboatisnearernow。

Youcancountitsthreebigsails——allred。

Whoeveritis,theyarecomingafterus……

Iwonderwhotheyare。\"

\"Theyarebadsailors,\"saidJip;\"andtheirshipisveryswift。TheyaresurelythepiratesofBarbary。\"

\"Well,wemustputupmoresailsonourboat,\"saidtheDoctor,\"sowecangofasterandgetawayfromthem。Rundownstairs,Jip,andfetchmeallthesailsyousee。\"

Thedoghurrieddownstairsanddraggedupeverysailhecouldfind。

Butevenwhenallthesewereputuponthemaststocatchthewind,theboatdidnotgonearlyasfastasthepirates’——whichkeptcomingonbehind,closerandcloser。

\"ThisisapoorshipthePrincegaveus,\"saidGub—Gub,thepig——\"theslowesthecouldfind,Ishouldthink。Mightaswelltrytowinaraceinasoup—tureenashopetogetawayfromtheminthisoldbarge。Lookhowneartheyarenow!

——Youcanseethemustachesonthefacesofthemen——sixofthem。Whatarewegoingtodo?\"

ThentheDoctoraskedDab—Dabtoflyupandtelltheswallowsthatpirateswerecomingaftertheminaswiftship,andwhatshouldhedoaboutit。

Whentheswallowsheardthis,theyallcamedownontotheDoctor’sship;andtheytoldhimtounravelsomepiecesoflongropeandmakethemintoalotofthinstringsasquicklyashecould。Thentheendsofthesestringsweretiedontothefrontoftheship;andtheswallowstookholdofthestringswiththeirfeetandflewoff,pullingtheboatalong。

Andalthoughswallowsarenotverystrongwhenonlyoneortwoarebythemselves,itisdifferentwhenthereareagreatlotofthemtogether。Andthere,tiedtotheDoctor’sship,wereathousandstrings;andtwothousandswallowswerepullingoneachstring——allterriblyswiftfliers。

AndinamomenttheDoctorfoundhimselftravelingsofasthehadtoholdhishatonwithbothhands;forhefeltasthoughtheshipitselfwereflyingthroughwavesthatfrothedandboiledwithspeed。

Andalltheanimalsontheshipbegantolaughanddanceaboutintherushingair,forwhentheylookedbackatthepirates’ship,theycouldseethatitwasgrowingsmallernow,insteadofbigger。Theredsailswerebeingleftfar,farbehind。

THEFOURTEENTHCHAPTER

THERATS’WARNING

DRAGGINGashipthroughtheseaishardwork。Andaftertwoorthreehourstheswallowsbegantogettiredinthewingsandshortofbreath。ThentheysentamessagedowntotheDoctortosaythattheywouldhavetotakearestsoon;andthattheywouldpulltheboatovertoanislandnotfaroff,andhideitinadeepbaytilltheyhadgotbreathenoughtogoon。

AndpresentlytheDoctorsawtheislandtheyhadspokenof。Ithadaverybeautiful,high,greenmountaininthemiddleofit。

Whentheshiphadsailedsafelyintothebaywhereitcouldnotbeseenfromtheopensea,theDoctorsaidhewouldgetoffontotheislandtolookforwater——becausetherewasnonelefttodrinkonhisship。Andhetoldalltheanimalstogetouttooandromponthegrasstostretchtheirlegs。

Nowastheyweregettingoff,theDoctornoticedthatawholelotofratswerecomingupfromdownstairsandleavingtheshipaswell。

Jipstartedtorunafterthem,becausechasingratshadalwaysbeenhisfavoritegame。ButtheDoctortoldhimtostop。

Andonebigblackrat,whoseemedtowanttosaysomethingtotheDoctor,nowcreptforwardtimidlyalongtherail,watchingthedogoutofthecornerofhiseye。Andafterhehadcoughednervouslytwoorthreetimes,andcleanedhiswhiskersandwipedhismouth,hesaid,\"Ahem——er——youknowofcoursethatallshipshaveratsinthem,Doctor,doyounot?\"

AndtheDoctorsaid,\"Yes。\"

\"Andyouhaveheardthatratsalwaysleaveasinkingship?\"

\"Yes,\"saidtheDoctor——\"soI’vebeentold。\"

\"People,\"saidtherat,\"alwaysspeakofitwithasneer——asthoughitweresomethingdis—

graceful。Butyoucan’tblameus,canyou?

Afterall,whoWOULDstayonasinkingship,ifhecouldgetoffit?\"

\"It’sverynatural,\"saidtheDoctor——\"verynatural。Iquiteunderstand……Wasthere——

Wasthereanythingelseyouwishedtosay?\"

\"Yes,\"saidtherat。\"I’vecometotellyouthatweareleavingthisone。Butwewantedtowarnyoubeforewego。Thisisabadshipyouhavehere。Itisn’tsafe。Thesidesaren’tstrongenough。Itsboardsarerotten。Beforeto—morrownightitwillsinktothebottomofthesea。\"

\"Buthowdoyouknow?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"Wealwaysknow,\"answeredtherat。\"Thetipsofourtailsgetthattinglyfeeling——likewhenyourfoot’sasleep。Thismorning,atsixo’clock,whileIwasgettingbreakfast,mytailsuddenlybegantotingle。AtfirstIthoughtitwasmyrheumatismcomingback。SoIwentandaskedmyaunthowshefelt——yourememberher?——thelong,piebaldrat,ratherskinny,whocametoseeyouinPuddlebylastSpringwithjaundice?Well——andshesaidHERtailwastinglinglikeeverything!Thenweknew,forsure,thatthisboatwasgoingtosinkinlessthantwodays;andweallmadeupourmindstoleaveitassoonaswegotnearenoughtoanyland。It’sabadship,Doctor。Don’tsailinitanymore,oryou’llbesurelydrowned……

Good—by!Wearenowgoingtolookforagoodplacetoliveonthisisland。\"

\"Good—by!\"saidtheDoctor。\"Andthankyouverymuchforcomingtotellme。Veryconsiderateofyou——very!Givemyregardstoyouraunt。Irememberherperfectly……

Leavethatratalone,Jip!Comehere!Liedown!\"

SothentheDoctorandallhisanimalswentoff,carryingpailsandsaucepans,tolookforwaterontheisland,whiletheswallowstooktheirrest。

\"Iwonderwhatisthenameofthisisland,\"

saidtheDoctor,ashewasclimbingupthemountainside。\"Itseemsapleasantplace。

Whatalotofbirdsthereare!\"

\"Why,thesearetheCanaryIslands,\"saidDab—Dab。\"Don’tyouhearthecanariessinging?\"

TheDoctorstoppedandlistened。

\"Why,tobesure——ofcourse!\"hesaid。

\"Howstupidofme!Iwonderiftheycantelluswheretofindwater。\"

Andpresentlythecanaries,whohadheardallaboutDoctorDolittlefrombirdsofpassage,cameandledhimtoabeautifulspringofcool,clearwaterwherethecanariesusedtotaketheirbath;andtheyshowedhimlovelymeadowswherethebird—seedgrewandalltheothersightsoftheirisland。

Andthepushmi—pullyuwasgladtheyhadcome;becausehelikedthegreengrasssomuchbetterthanthedriedappleshehadbeeneatingontheship。AndGub—Gubsqueakedforjoywhenhefoundawholevalleyfullofwildsugarcane。

Alittlelater,whentheyhadallhadplentytoeatanddrink,andwerelyingontheirbackswhilethecanariessangforthem,twooftheswallowscamehurryingup,veryflusteredandexcited。

\"Doctor!\"theycried,\"thepirateshavecomeintothebay;andthey’veallgotontoyourship。

Theyaredownstairslookingforthingstosteal。

Theyhavelefttheirownshipwithnobodyonit。Ifyouhurryandcomedowntotheshore,youcangetontotheirship——whichisveryfast——andescape。Butyou’llhavetohurry。\"

\"That’sagoodidea,\"saidtheDoctor——\"splendid!\"

Andhecalledhisanimalstogetheratonce,saidGood—bytothecanariesandrandowntothebeach。

Whentheyreachedtheshoretheysawthepirate—ship,withthethreeredsails,standinginthewater;and——justastheswallowshadsaid——therewasnobodyonit;allthepiratesweredownstairsintheDoctor’sship,lookingforthingstosteal。

SoJohnDolittletoldhisanimalstowalkverysoftlyandtheyallcreptontothepirate—ship。

THEFIFTEENTHCHAPTER

THEBARBARYDRAGON

EVERYTHINGwouldhavegoneallrightifthepighadnotcaughtacoldinhisheadwhileeatingthedampsugar—caneontheisland。Thisiswhathappened:

Aftertheyhadpulleduptheanchorwithoutasound,andweremovingtheshipvery,verycarefullyoutofthebay,Gub—Gubsuddenlysneezedsoloudthatthepiratesontheothershipcamerushingupstairstoseewhatthenoisewas。

AssoonastheysawthattheDoctorwasescaping,theysailedtheotherboatrightacrosstheentrancetothebaysothattheDoctorcouldnotgetoutintotheopensea。

Thentheleaderofthesebadmen(whocalledhimself\"BenAli,TheDragon\")shookhisfistattheDoctorandshoutedacrossthewater,\"Ha!Ha!Youarecaught,myfinefriend!

Youweregoingtorunoffinmyship,eh?ButyouarenotagoodenoughsailortobeatBenAli,theBarbaryDragon。Iwantthatduckyou’vegot——andthepigtoo。We’llhavepork—

chopsandroastduckforsupperto—night。AndbeforeIletyougohome,youmustmakeyourfriendssendmeatrunk—fullofgold。\"

PoorGub—Gubbegantoweep;andDab—Dabmadereadytoflytosaveherlife。Buttheowl,Too—Too,whisperedtotheDoctor,\"Keephimtalking,Doctor。Bepleasanttohim。Ouroldshipisboundtosinksoon——theratssaiditwouldbeatthebottomoftheseabeforeto—morrownight——andtheratsareneverwrong。Bepleasant,tilltheshipsinksunderhim。Keephimtalking。\"

\"What,untilto—morrownight!\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Well,I’lldomybest……Letmesee——

WhatshallItalkabout?\"

\"Oh,letthemcomeon,\"saidJip。\"Wecanfightthedirtyrascals。Thereareonlysixofthem。Letthemcomeon。I’dlovetotellthatcollienextdoor,whenwegethome,thatIhadbittenarealpirate。Let’emcome。Wecanfightthem。\"

\"Buttheyhavepistolsandswords,\"saidtheDoctor。\"No,thatwouldneverdo。Imusttalktohim……Lookhere,BenAli——\"

ButbeforetheDoctorcouldsayanymore,thepiratesbegantosailtheshipnearer,laughingwithglee,andsayingonetoanother,\"Whoshallbethefirsttocatchthepig?\"

PoorGub—Gubwasdreadfullyfrightened;

andthepushmi—pullyubegantosharpenhishornsforafightbyrubbingthemonthemastoftheship;whileJipkeptspringingintotheairandbarkingandcallingBenAlibadnamesindog—language。

Butpresentlysomethingseemedtogowrongwiththepirates;theystoppedlaughingandcrackingjokes;theylookedpuzzled;somethingwasmakingthemuneasy。

ThenBenAli,staringdownathisfeet,suddenlybellowedout,\"ThunderandLightning!——Men,THEBOAT’SLEAKING!\"

Andthentheotherpiratespeeredoverthesideandtheysawthattheboatwasindeedgettinglowerandlowerinthewater。AndoneofthemsaidtoBenAli,\"Butsurelyifthisoldboatweresinkingweshouldseetheratsleavingit。\"

AndJipshoutedacrossfromtheothership,\"Yougreatduffers,therearenoratstheretoleave!Theylefttwohoursago!`Ha,ha,’

toyou,`myfinefriends!’\"

Butofcoursethemendidnotunderstandhim。