第3章

Soonthefrontendoftheshipbegantogodownanddown,fasterandfaster——tilltheboatlookedalmostasthoughitwerestandingonitshead;andthepirateshadtoclingtotherailsandthemastsandtheropesandanythingtokeepfromslidingoff。Thenthesearushedroaringinandthroughallthewindowsandthedoors。Andatlasttheshipplungedrightdowntothebottomofthesea,makingadreadfulgurglingsound;andthesixbadmenwereleftbobbingaboutinthedeepwaterofthebay。

Someofthemstartedtoswimfortheshoresoftheisland;whileotherscameandtriedtogetontotheboatwheretheDoctorwas。ButJipkeptsnappingattheirnoses,sotheywereafraidtoclimbupthesideoftheship。

Thensuddenlytheyallcriedoutingreatfear,\"THESHARKS!Thesharksarecoming!Letusgetontotheshipbeforetheyeatus!Help,help!——Thesharks!Thesharks!\"

AndnowtheDoctorcouldsee,alloverthebay,thebacksofbigfishesswimmingswiftlythroughthewater。

Andonegreatsharkcameneartotheship,andpokinghisnoseoutofthewaterhesaidtotheDoctor,\"AreyouJohnDolittle,thefamousanimal—doctor?\"

\"Yes,\"saidDoctorDolittle。\"Thatismyname。\"

\"Well,\"saidtheshark,\"weknowthesepiratestobeabadlot——especiallyBenAli。Iftheyareannoyingyou,wewillgladlyeatthemupforyou——andthenyouwon’tbetroubledanymore。\"

\"Thankyou,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Thisisreallymostattentive。ButIdon’tthinkitwillbenecessarytoeatthem。Don’tletanyofthemreachtheshoreuntilItellyou——justkeepthemswimmingabout,willyou?AndpleasemakeBenAliswimoverherethatImaytalktohim。\"

SothesharkwentoffandchasedBenAliovertotheDoctor。

\"Listen,BenAli,\"saidJohnDolittle,leaningovertheside。\"Youhavebeenaverybadman;andIunderstandthatyouhavekilledmanypeople。Thesegoodsharksherehavejustofferedtoeatyouupforme——and’twouldindeedbeagoodthingiftheseaswereridofyou。

ButifyouwillpromisetodoasItellyou,I

wellletyougoinsafety。\"

\"WhatmustIdo?\"askedthepirate,lookingdownsidewaysatthebigsharkwhowassmellinghislegunderthewater。

\"Youmustkillnomorepeople,\"saidtheDoctor;\"youmuststopstealing;youmustneversinkanothership;youmustgiveupbeingapiratealtogether。\"

\"ButwhatshallIdothen?\"askedBenAli。

\"HowshallIlive?\"

\"Youandallyourmenmustgoontothisislandandbebird—seed—farmers,\"theDoctoranswered。\"Youmustgrowbird—seedforthecanaries。\"

TheBarbaryDragonturnedpalewithanger。

\"GROWBIRD—SEED!\"hegroanedindisgust。

\"Can’tIbeasailor?\"

\"No,\"saidtheDoctor,\"youcannot。Youhavebeenasailorlongenough——andsentmanystoutshipsandgoodmentothebottomofthesea。Fortherestofyourlifeyoumustbelapeacefulfarmer。Thesharkiswaiting。Donotwasteanymoreofhistime。Makeupyourmind。\"

\"ThunderandLightning!\"BenAlimuttered——\"BIRD—SEED!\"Thenhelookeddownintothewateragainandsawthegreatfishsmellinghisotherleg。

\"Verywell,\"hesaidsadly。\"We’llbefarmers。\"

\"Andremember,\"saidtheDoctor,\"thatifyoudonotkeepyourpromise——ifyoustartkillingandstealingagain,Ishallhearofit,becausethecanarieswillcomeandtellme。

AndbeverysurethatIwillfindawaytopunishyou。ForthoughImaynotbeabletosailashipaswellasyou,solongasthebirdsandthebeastsandthefishesaremyfriends,Idonothavetobeafraidofapiratechief——eventhoughhecallhimself`TheDragonofBarbary。’Nowgoandbeagoodfarmerandliveinpeace。\"

ThentheDoctorturnedtothebigshark,andwavinghishandhesaid,\"Allright。Letthemswimsafelytotheland。\"

THESIXTEENTHCHAPTER

TOO—TOO,THELISTENER

HAVINGthankedthesharksagainfortheirkindness,theDoctorandhispetssetoffoncemoreontheirjourneyhomeintheswiftshipwiththethreeredsails。

Astheymovedoutintotheopensea,theanimalsallwentdownstairstoseewhattheirnewboatwaslikeinside;whiletheDoctorleantontherailatthebackoftheshipwithapipeinhismouth,watchingtheCanaryIslandsfadeawayintheblueduskoftheevening。

Whilehewasstandingthere,wonderinghowthemonkeysweregettingon——andwhathisgardenwouldlooklikewhenhegotbacktoPuddleby,Dab—Dabcametumblingupthestairs,allsmilesandfullofnews。

\"Doctor!\"shecried。\"Thisshipofthepi—

ratesissimplybeautiful——absolutely。Thebedsdownstairsaremadeofprimrosesilk——withhundredsofbigpillowsandcushions;therearethick,softcarpetsonthefloors;thedishesaremadeofsilver;andthereareallsortsofgoodthingstoeatanddrink——specialthings;thelarder——well,it’sjustlikeashop,that’sall。

Youneversawanythinglikeitinyourlife——

Justthink——theykeptfivedifferentkindsofsardines,thosemen!Comeandlook……Oh,andwefoundalittleroomdowntherewiththedoorlocked;andweareallcrazytogetinandseewhat’sinside。Jipsaysitmustbewherethepirateskepttheirtreasure。Butwecan’topenthedoor。Comedownandseeifyoucanletusin。\"

SotheDoctorwentdownstairsandhesawthatitwasindeedabeautifulship。Hefoundtheanimalsgatheredroundalittledoor,alltalkingatonce,tryingtoguesswhatwasinside。

TheDoctorturnedthehandlebutitwouldn’topen。Thentheyallstartedtohuntforthekey。

Theylookedunderthemat;theylookedunderallthecarpets;theylookedinallthecupboardsanddrawersandlockers——inthebigchestsintheship’sdining—room;theylookedeverywhere。

Whiletheyweredoingthistheydiscoveredalotofnewandwonderfulthingsthatthepiratesmusthavestolenfromotherships:Kashmirshawlsasthinasacobweb,embroideredwithflowersofgold;jarsoffinetobaccofromJamaica;carvedivoryboxesfullofRussiantea;anoldviolinwithastringbrokenandapictureontheback;asetofbigchess—men,carvedoutofcoralandamber;awalking—stickwhichhadaswordinsideitwhenyoupulledthehandle;sixwine—glasseswithturquoiseandsilverroundtherims;andalovelygreatsugar—bowl,madeofmothero’pearl。Butnowhereinthewholeboatcouldtheyfindakeytofitthatlock。

Sotheyallcamebacktothedoor,andJippeeredthroughthekey—hole。Butsomethinghadbeenstoodagainstthewallontheinsideandhecouldseenothing。

Whiletheywerestandingaround,wonderingwhattheyshoulddo,theowl,Too—Too,suddenlysaid,\"Sh!——Listen!——Idobelievethere’ssomeoneinthere!\"

Theyallkeptstillamoment。ThentheDoctorsaid,\"Youmustbemistaken,Too—Too。Idon’thearanything。\"

\"I’msureofit,\"saidtheowl。\"Sh!——Thereitisagain——Don’tyouhearthat?\"

\"No,Idonot,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Whatkindofasoundisit?\"

\"Ihearthenoiseofsomeoneputtinghishandinhispocket,\"saidtheowl。

\"Butthatmakeshardlyanysoundatall,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Youcouldn’thearthatouthere。\"

\"Pardonme,butIcan,\"saidToo—Too。\"I

tellyouthereissomeoneontheothersideofthatdoorputtinghishandinhispocket。AlmosteverythingmakesSOMEnoise——ifyourearsareonlysharpenoughtocatchit。Batscanhearamolewalkinginhistunnelundertheearth——andtheythinkthey’regoodhearers。Butweowlscantellyou,usingonlyoneear,thecolorofakittenfromthewayitwinksinthedark。\"

\"Well,well!\"saidtheDoctor。\"Yousurpriseme。That’sveryinteresting……Listenagainandtellmewhathe’sdoingnow。\"

\"I’mnotsureyet,\"saidToo—Too,\"ifit’samanatall。Maybeit’sawoman。Liftmeupandletmelistenatthekey—holeandI’llsoontellyou。\"

SotheDoctorliftedtheowlupandheldhimclosetothelockofthedoor。

AfteramomentToo—Toosaid,\"Nowhe’srubbinghisfacewithhislefthand。Itisasmallhandandasmallface。

ItMIGHTbeawoman——No。Nowhepusheshishairbackoffhisforehead——It’samanallright。\"

\"Womensometimesdothat,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"True,\"saidtheowl。\"Butwhentheydo,theirlonghairmakesquiteadifferentsound……Sh!Makethatfidgetypigkeepstill。

NowallholdyourbreathamomentsoIcanlistenwell。Thisisverydifficult,whatI’mdoingnow——andthepeskydoorissothick!Sh!

Everybodyquitestill——shutyoureyesanddon’tbreathe。\"

Too—Tooleaneddownandlistenedagainveryhardandlong。

AtlasthelookedupintotheDoctor’sfaceandsaid,\"Themaninthereisunhappy。Heweeps。

Hehastakencarenottoblubberorsniffle,lestweshouldfindoutthatheiscrying。ButI

heard——quitedistinctly——thesoundofatearfallingonhissleeve。\"

\"Howdoyouknowitwasn’tadropofwaterfallingofftheceilingonhim?\"askedGub—Gub。

\"Pshaw!——Suchignorance!\"sniffedToo—

Too。\"Adropofwaterfallingofftheceilingwouldhavemadetentimesasmuchnoise!\"

\"Well,\"saidtheDoctor,\"ifthepoorfellow’sunhappy,we’vegottogetinandseewhat’sthematterwithhim。Findmeanaxe,andI’llchopthedoordown。\"

THESEVENTEENTHCHAPTER

THEOCEANGOSSIPS

RIGHTawayanaxewasfound。AndtheDoctorsoonchoppedaholeinthedoorbigenoughtoclamberthrough。

Atfirsthecouldseenothingatall,itwassodarkinside。

Sohestruckamatch。

Theroomwasquitesmall;nowindow;theceiling,low。Forfurnituretherewasonlyonelittlestool。Allroundtheroombigbarrelsstoodagainstthewalls,fastenedatthebottomsotheywouldn’ttumblewiththerollingoftheship;andabovethebarrels,pewterjugsofallsizeshungfromwoodenpegs。Therewasastrong,wineysmell。Andinthemiddleofthefloorsatalittleboy,abouteightyearsold,cryingbitterly。

\"Ideclare,itisthepirates’rum—room!\"

saidJipinawhisper。

\"Yes。Veryrum!\"saidGub—Gub。

\"Thesmellmakesmegiddy。\"

Thelittleboyseemedratherfrightenedtofindamanstandingtherebeforehimandallthoseanimalsstaringinthroughtheholeinthebrokendoor。ButassoonashesawJohnDolittle’sfacebythelightofthematch,hestoppedcryingandgotup。

\"Youaren’toneofthepirates,areyou?\"heasked。

AndwhentheDoctorthrewbackhisheadandlaughedlongandloud,thelittleboysmiledtooandcameandtookhishand。

\"Youlaughlikeafriend,\"hesaid——\"notlikeapirate。Couldyoutellmewheremyuncleis?\"

\"IamafraidIcan’t,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Whendidyouseehimlast?\"

\"Itwasthedaybeforeyesterday,\"saidtheboy。\"Iandmyunclewereoutfishinginourlittleboat,whenthepiratescameandcaughtus。Theysunkourfishing—boatandbroughtusbothontothisship。Theytoldmyunclethattheywantedhimtobeapiratelikethem——forhewascleveratsailingashipinallweathers。

Buthesaidhedidn’twanttobeapirate,becausekillingpeopleandstealingwasnoworkforagoodfishermantodo。Thentheleader,BenAli,gotveryangryandgnashedhisteeth,andsaidtheywouldthrowmyuncleintotheseaifhedidn’tdoastheysaid。Theysentmedownstairs;andIheardthenoiseofafightgoingonabove。Andwhentheyletmecomeupagainnextday,myunclewasnowheretobeseen。Iaskedthepirateswherehewas;buttheywouldn’ttellme。Iamverymuchafraidtheythrewhimintotheseaanddrownedhim。\"

Andthelittleboybegantocryagain。

\"Wellnow——waitaminute,\"saidtheDoctor。

\"Don’tcry。Let’sgoandhaveteainthedining—

room,andwe’lltalkitover。Maybeyouruncleisquitesafeallthetime。Youdon’tKNOW

thathewasdrowned,doyou?Andthat’ssomething。Perhapswecanfindhimforyou。Firstwe’llgoandhavetea——withstrawberry—jam;

andthenwewillseewhatcanbedone。\"

Alltheanimalshadbeenstandingaroundlisteningwithgreatcuriosity。Andwhentheyhadgoneintotheship’sdining—roomandwerehavingtea,Dab—DabcameupbehindtheDoctor’schairandwhispered。

\"Asktheporpoisesiftheboy’sunclewasdrowned——they’llknow。\"

\"Allright,\"saidtheDoctor,takingasecondpieceofbread—and—jam。

\"Whatarethosefunny,clickingnoisesyouaremakingwithyourtongue?\"askedtheboy。

\"Oh,Ijustsaidacoupleofwordsinduck—

language,\"theDoctoranswered。\"ThisisDab—Dab,oneofmypets。\"

\"Ididn’tevenknowthatduckshadalanguage,\"saidtheboy。\"Arealltheseotheranimalsyourpets,too?Whatisthatstrange—

lookingthingwithtwoheads?\"

\"Sh!\"theDoctorwhispered。\"Thatisthepushmi—pullyu。Don’tlethimseewe’retalkingabouthim——hegetssodreadfullyembarrassed……

Tellme,howdidyoucometobelockedupinthatlittleroom?\"

\"Thepiratesshutmeintherewhentheyweregoingofftostealthingsfromanothership。

WhenIheardsomeonechoppingonthedoor,Ididn’tknowwhoitcouldbe。Iwasverygladtofinditwasyou。Doyouthinkyouwillbeabletofindmyuncleforme?\"

\"Well,wearegoingtotryveryhard,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Nowwhatwasyouruncleliketolookat?\"

\"Hehadredhair,\"theboyanswered——\"veryredhair,andthepictureofananchortattooedonhisarm。Hewasastrongman,akinduncleandthebestsailorintheSouthAtlantic。Hisfishing—boatwascalledTheSaucySally——acutter—riggedsloop。\"

\"What’s`cutterigsloop’?\"whisperedGub—

Gub,turningtoJip。

\"Sh!——That’sthekindofashipthemanhad,\"

saidJip。\"Keepstill,can’tyou?\"

\"Oh,\"saidthepig,\"isthatall?Ithoughtitwassomethingtodrink。\"

SotheDoctorlefttheboytoplaywiththeanimalsinthedining—room,andwentupstairstolookforpassingporpoises。

Andsoonawholeschoolcamedancingandjumpingthroughthewater,ontheirwaytoBrazil。

WhentheysawtheDoctorleaningontherailofhisship,theycameovertoseehowhewasgettingon。

AndtheDoctoraskedthemiftheyhadseenanythingofamanwithredhairandananchortattooedonhisarm。

\"DoyoumeanthemasterofTheSaucySally?\"

askedtheporpoises。

\"Yes,\"saidtheDoctor。\"That’stheman。

Hashebeendrowned?\"

\"Hisfishing—sloopwassunk,\"saidtheporpoises——\"forwesawitlyingonthebottomofthesea。Buttherewasnobodyinsideit,becausewewentandlooked。\"

\"Hislittlenephewisontheshipwithmehere,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Andheisterriblyafraidthatthepiratesthrewhisuncleintothesea。Wouldyoubesogoodastofindoutforme,forsure,whetherhehasbeendrownedornot?\"

\"Oh,heisn’tdrowned,\"saidtheporpoises。

\"Ifhewere,wewouldbesuretohaveheardofitfromthedeep—seaDecapods。Wehearallthesalt—waternews。Theshell—fishcallus`TheOceanGossips。’No——tellthelittleboywearesorrywedonotknowwherehisuncleis;butwearequitecertainhehasn’tbeendrownedinthesea。\"

SotheDoctorrandownstairswiththenewsandtoldthenephew,whoclappedhishandswithhappiness。Andthepushmi—pullyutookthelittleboyonhisbackandgavehimarideroundthedining—roomtable;whilealltheotheranimalsfollowedbehind,beatingthedish—coverswithspoons,pretendingitwasaparade。

THEEIGHTEENTHCHAPTER

SMELLS

YOURunclemustnowbeFOUND,\"saidtheDoctor——\"thatisthenextthing——nowthatweknowhewasn’tthrownintothesea。\"

ThenDab—Dabcameuptohimagainandwhispered,\"Asktheeaglestolookfortheman。Nolivingcreaturecanseebetterthananeagle。Whentheyaremileshighintheairtheycancounttheantscrawlingontheground。Asktheeagles。\"

SotheDoctorsentoneoftheswallowsofftogetsomeeagles。

Andinaboutanhourthelittlebirdcamebackwithsixdifferentkindsofeagles:aBlackEagle,aBaldEagle,aFishEagle,aGoldenEagle,anEagle—Vulture,andaWhite—tailedSeaEagle。Twiceashighastheboytheywere,eachoneofthem。Andtheystoodontherailoftheship,likeround—shoulderedsoldiersallinarow,sternandstillandstiff;whiletheirgreat,gleaming,blackeyesshotdartingglanceshereandthereandeverywhere。

Gub—Gubwasscaredofthemandgotbehindabarrel。Hesaidhefeltasthoughthoseterribleeyeswerelookingrightinsideofhimtoseewhathehadstolenforlunch。

AndtheDoctorsaidtotheeagles,\"Amanhasbeenlost——afishermanwithredhairandananchormarkedonhisarm。Wouldyoubesokindastoseeifyoucanfindhimforus?Thisboyistheman’snephew。\"

Eaglesdonottalkverymuch。Andalltheyansweredintheirhuskyvoiceswas,\"Youmaybesurethatwewilldoourbest——forJohnDolittle。\"

Thentheyflewoff——andGub—Gubcameoutfrombehindhisbarreltoseethemgo。Upandupanduptheywent——higherandhigherandhigherstill。Then,whentheDoctorcouldonlyjustseethem,theypartedcompanyandstartedgoingoffalldifferentways——North,East,SouthandWest,lookingliketinygrainsofblacksandcreepingacrossthewide,bluesky。

\"Mygracious!\"saidGub—Gubinahushedvoice。\"Whataheight!Iwondertheydon’tscorchtheirfeathers——sonearthesun!\"

Theyweregonealongtime。Andwhentheycamebackitwasalmostnight。

AndtheeaglessaidtotheDoctor,\"Wehavesearchedalltheseasandallthecountriesandalltheislandsandallthecitiesandallthevillagesinthishalfoftheworld。

Butwehavefailed。InthemainstreetofGibraltarwesawthreeredhairslyingonawheel—

barrowbeforeabaker’sdoor。Buttheywerenotthehairsofaman——theywerethehairsoutofafur—coat。Nowhere,onlandorwater,couldweseeanysignofthisboy’suncle。AndifWE

couldnotseehim,thenheisnottobeseen……

ForJohnDolittle——wehavedoneourbest。\"

Thenthesixgreatbirdsflappedtheirbigwingsandflewbacktotheirhomesinthemountainsandtherocks。

\"Well,\"saidDab—Dab,aftertheyhadgone,\"whatarewegoingtodonow?Theboy’suncleMUSTbefound——there’snotwowaysaboutthat。Theladisn’toldenoughtobeknockingaroundtheworldbyhimself。Boysaren’tlikeducklings——theyhavetobetakencareoftillthey’requiteold……IwishChee—Cheewerehere。Hewouldsoonfindtheman。GoodoldChee—Chee!Iwonderhowhe’sgettingon!\"

\"IfweonlyhadPolynesiawithus,\"saidthewhitemouse。\"SHEwouldsoonthinkofsomeway。Doyourememberhowshegotusalloutofprison——thesecondtime?My,butshewasacleverone!\"

\"Idon’tthinksomuchofthoseeagle—

fellows,\"saidJip。\"They’rejustconceited。Theymayhaveverygoodeyesightandallthat;butwhenyouaskthemtofindamanforyou,theycan’tdoit——andtheyhavethecheektocomebackandsaythatnobodyelsecoulddoit。

They’rejustconceited——likethatcollieinPuddleby。AndIdon’tthinkawholelotofthosegossipyoldporpoiseseither。Alltheycouldtelluswasthatthemanisn’tinthesea。Wedon’twanttoknowwhereheISN’T——wewanttoknowwhereheIS。\"

\"Oh,don’ttalksomuch,\"saidGub—Gub。

\"It’seasytotalk;butitisn’tsoeasytofindamanwhenyouhavegotthewholeworldtohunthimin。Maybethefisherman’shairhasturnedwhite,worryingabouttheboy;andthatwaswhytheeaglesdidn’tfindhim。Youdon’tknoweverything。You’rejusttalking。Youarenotdoinganythingtohelp。Youcouldn’tfindtheboy’suncleanymorethantheeaglescould——youcouldn’tdoaswell。\"

\"Couldn’tI?\"saidthedog。\"That’sallyouknow,youstupidpieceofwarmbacon!Ihaven’tbeguntotryyet,haveI?Youwaitandsee!\"

ThenJipwenttotheDoctorandsaid,\"Asktheboyifhehasanythinginhispocketsthatbelongedtohisuncle,willyou,please?\"

SotheDoctoraskedhim。Andtheboyshowedthemagoldringwhichheworeonapieceofstringaroundhisneckbecauseitwastoobigforhisfinger。Hesaidhisunclegaveittohimwhentheysawthepiratescoming。

Jipsmelttheringandsaid,\"That’snogood。Askhimifhehasanythingelsethatbelongedtohisuncle。\"

Thentheboytookfromhispocketagreat,bigredhandkerchiefandsaid,\"Thiswasmyuncle’stoo。\"

Assoonastheboypulleditout,Jipshouted,\"SNUFF,byJingo!——BlackRappeesnuff。

Don’tyousmellit?Hisuncletooksnuff——

Askhim,Doctor。\"

TheDoctorquestionedtheboyagain;

andhesaid,\"Yes。Myuncletookalotofsnuff。\"

\"Fine!\"saidJip。\"Theman’sasgoodasfound。’Twillbeaseasyasstealingmilkfromakitten。TelltheboyI’llfindhisuncleforhiminlessthanaweek。Letusgoupstairsandseewhichwaythewindisblowing。\"

\"Butitisdarknow,\"saidtheDoctor。\"Youcan’tfindhiminthedark!\"

\"Idon’tneedanylighttolookforamanwhosmellsofBlackRappeesnuff,\"saidJipasheclimbedthestairs。\"Ifthemanhadahardsmell,likestring,now——orhotwater,itwouldbedifferent。ButSNUFF!——Tut,tut!\"

\"Doeshotwaterhaveasmell?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"Certainlyithas,\"saidJip。\"Hotwatersmellsquitedifferentfromcoldwater。Itiswarmwater——orice——thathasthereallydifficultsmell。Why,Ioncefollowedamanfortenmilesonadarknightbythesmellofthehotwaterhehadusedtoshavewith——forthepoorfellowhadnosoap……Nowthen,letusseewhichwaythewindisblowing。Windisveryimportantinlong—distancesmelling。Itmustn’tbetoofierceawind——andofcourseitmustblowtherightway。Anice,steady,dampbreezeisthebestofall……Ha!——ThiswindisfromtheNorth。\"

ThenJipwentuptothefrontoftheshipandsmeltthewind;andhestartedmutteringtohimself,\"Tar;Spanishonions;keroseneoil;wetraincoats;crushedlaurel—leaves;rubberburning;

lace—curtainsbeingwashed——No,mymistake,lace—curtainshangingouttodry;andfoxes——

hundredsof’em——cubs;and——\"

\"Canyoureallysmellallthosedifferentthingsinthisonewind?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"Why,ofcourse!\"saidJip。\"Andthoseareonlyafewoftheeasysmells——thestrongones。

Anymongrelcouldsmellthosewithacoldinthehead。Waitnow,andI’lltellyousomeoftheharderscentsthatarecomingonthiswind——afewofthedaintyones。\"

Thenthedogshuthiseyestight,pokedhisnosestraightupintheairandsniffedhardwithhismouthhalf—open。

Foralongtimehesaidnothing。Hekeptasstillasastone。Hehardlyseemedtobebreathingatall。Whenatlasthebegantospeak,itsoundedalmostasthoughheweresinging,sadly,inadream。

\"Bricks,\"hewhispered,verylow——\"oldyellowbricks,crumblingwithageinagarden—

wall;thesweetbreathofyoungcowsstandinginamountain—stream;theleadroofofadove—

cote——orperhapsagranary——withthemid—daysunonit;blackkidgloveslyinginabureau—

drawerofwalnut—wood;adustyroadwithahorses’drinking—troughbeneaththesycamores;

littlemushroomsburstingthroughtherottingleaves;and——and——and——\"

\"Anyparsnips?\"askedGub—Gub。

\"No,\"saidJip。\"Youalwaysthinkofthingstoeat。Noparsnipswhatever。Andnosnuff——

plentyofpipesandcigarettes,andafewcigars。

Butnosnuff。WemustwaittillthewindchangestotheSouth。\"

\"Yes,it’sapoorwind,that,\"saidGub—Gub。

\"Ithinkyou’reafake,Jip。Whoeverheardoffindingamaninthemiddleoftheoceanjustbysmell!Itoldyouyoucouldn’tdoit。\"

\"Lookhere,\"saidJip,gettingreallyangry。

\"You’regoingtogetabiteonthenoseinamin—

ute!Youneedn’tthinkthatjustbecausetheDoctorwon’tletusgiveyouwhatyoudeserve,thatyoucanbeascheekyasyoulike!\"

\"Stopquarreling!\"saidtheDoctor——\"Stopit!Life’stooshort。Tellme,Jip,wheredoyouthinkthosesmellsarecomingfrom?\"

\"FromDevonandWales——mostofthem,\"

saidJip——\"Thewindiscomingthatway。\"

\"Well,well!\"saidtheDoctor。\"Youknowthat’sreallyquiteremarkable——quite。Imustmakeanoteofthatformynewbook。Iwonderifyoucouldtrainmetosmellaswellasthat……

Butno——perhapsI’mbetteroffthewayIam。

`Enoughisasgoodasafeast,’theysay。

Let’sgodowntosupper。I’mquitehungry。\"

\"SoamI,\"saidGub—Gub。

THENINETEENTHCHAPTER

THEROCK

UPtheygot,earlynextmorning,outofthesilkenbeds;

andtheysawthatthesunwasshiningbrightlyandthatthewindwasblowingfromtheSouth。

JipsmelttheSouthwindforhalfanhour。ThenhecametotheDoctor,shakinghishead。

\"Ismellnosnuffasyet,\"hesaid。\"WemustwaittillthewindchangestotheEast。\"

ButevenwhentheEastwindcame,atthreeo’clockthatafternoon,thedogcouldnotcatchthesmellofsnuff。

Thelittleboywasterriblydisappointedandbegantocryagain,sayingthatnooneseemedtobeabletofindhisuncleforhim。ButallJipsaidtotheDoctorwas,\"TellhimthatwhenthewindchangestotheWest,I’llfindhisuncleeventhoughhebeinChina——solongasheisstilltakingBlackRappeesnuff。\"

ThreedaystheyhadtowaitbeforetheWestwindcame。ThiswasonaFridaymorning,early——justasitwasgettinglight。Afinerainymistlayonthesealikeathinfog。Andthewindwassoftandwarmandwet。

AssoonasJipawokeheranupstairsandpokedhisnoseintheair。ThenhegotmostfrightfullyexcitedandrusheddownagaintowaketheDoctorup。

\"Doctor!\"hecried。\"I’vegotit!Doctor!

Doctor!Wakeup!Listen!I’vegotit!

Thewind’sfromtheWestanditsmellsofnothingbutsnuff。Comeupstairsandstarttheship——quick!\"

SotheDoctortumbledoutofbedandwenttotheruddertosteertheship。

\"NowI’llgouptothefront,\"saidJip;\"andyouwatchmynose——whicheverwayIpointit,youturntheshipthesameway。Themancannotbefaroff——withthesmellasstrongasthis。Andthewind’salllovelyandwet。Nowwatchme!\"

SoallthatmorningJipstoodinthefrontpartoftheship,sniffingthewindandpointingthewayfortheDoctortosteer;whilealltheanimalsandthelittleboystoodroundwiththeireyeswideopen,watchingthedoginwonder。

Aboutlunch—timeJipaskedDab—DabtotelltheDoctorthathewasgettingworriedandwantedtospeaktohim。SoDab—DabwentandfetchedtheDoctorfromtheotherendoftheshipandJipsaidtohim,\"Theboy’suncleisstarving。Wemustmaketheshipgoasfastaswecan。\"

\"Howdoyouknowheisstarving?\"askedtheDoctor。

\"BecausethereisnoothersmellintheWestwindbutsnuff,\"saidJip。\"Ifthemanwerecookingoreatingfoodofanykind,Iwouldbeboundtosmellittoo。Buthehasn’tevenfreshwatertodrink。Allheistakingissnuff——inlargepinches。Wearegettingnearertohimallthetime,becausethesmellgrowsstrongereveryminute。Butmaketheshipgoasfastasyoucan,forIamcertainthatthemanisstarving。\"

\"Allright,\"saidtheDoctor;andhesentDab—Dabtoasktheswallowstopulltheship,thesameastheyhaddonewhenthepirateswerechasingthem。

Sothestoutlittlebirdscamedownandoncemoreharnessedthemselvestotheship。

Andnowtheboatwentboundingthroughthewavesataterriblespeed。Itwentsofastthatthefishesintheseahadtojumpfortheirlivestogetoutofthewayandnotberunover。

Andalltheanimalsgottremendouslyexcited;

andtheygaveuplookingatJipandturnedtowatchtheseainfront,tospyoutanylandorislandswherethestarvingmanmightbe。

Buthourafterhourwentbyandstilltheshipwentrushingon,overthesameflat,flatsea;andnolandanywherecameinsight。

Andnowtheanimalsgaveupchatteringandsataroundsilent,anxiousandmiserable。Thelittleboyagaingrewsad。AndonJip’sfacetherewasaworriedlook。

Atlast,lateintheafternoon,justasthesunwasgoingdown,theowl,Too—Too,whowasperchedonthetipofthemast,suddenlystartledthemallbycryingoutatthetopofhisvoice,\"Jip!Jip!Iseeagreat,greatrockinfrontofus——look——wayouttherewheretheskyandthewatermeet。Seethesunshineonit——likegold!Isthesmellcomingfromthere?\"

AndJipcalledback,\"Yes。That’sit。Thatiswherethemanis。

——Atlast,atlast!\"

Andwhentheygotnearertheycouldseethattherockwasverylarge——aslargeasabigfield。

Notreesgrewonit,nograss——nothing。Thegreatrockwasassmoothandasbareasthebackofatortoise。

ThentheDoctorsailedtheshiprightroundtherock。Butnowhereonitcouldamanbeseen。Alltheanimalsscreweduptheireyesandlookedashardastheycould;andJohnDolittlegotatelescopefromdownstairs。

Butnotonelivingthingcouldtheyspy——

notevenagull,norastar—fish,norashredofsea—weed。

Theyallstoodstillandlistened,strainingtheirearsforanysound。Buttheonlynoisetheyheardwasthegentlelappingofthelittlewavesagainstthesidesoftheirship。

Thentheyallstartedcalling,\"Hulloa,there!

——HULLOA!\"tilltheirvoiceswerehoarse。

Butonlytheechocamebackfromtherock。

Andthelittleboyburstintotearsandsaid,\"IamafraidIshallneverseemyuncleanymore!WhatshallItellthemwhenIgethome!\"

ButJipcalledtotheDoctor,\"Hemustbethere——hemust——HEMUST!

Thesmellgoesonnofurther。Hemustbethere,Itellyou!Sailtheshipclosetotherockandletmejumpoutonit。\"

SotheDoctorbroughttheshipascloseashecouldandletdowntheanchor。ThenheandJipgotoutoftheshipontotherock。

Jipatonceputhisnosedownclosetothegroundandbegantorunallovertheplace。Upanddownhewent,backandforth——zig—zagging,twisting,doublingandturning。Andeverywherehewent,theDoctorranbehindhim,closeathisheels——tillhewasterriblyoutofbreath。

AtlastJipletoutagreatbarkandsatdown。

AndwhentheDoctorcamerunninguptohim,hefoundthedogstaringintoabig,deepholeinthemiddleoftherock。

\"Theboy’suncleisdownthere,\"saidJipquietly。\"Nowonderthosesillyeaglescouldn’tseehim!——Ittakesadogtofindaman。\"

SotheDoctorgotdownintothehole,whichseemedtobeakindofcave,ortunnel,runningalongwayundertheground。ThenhestruckamatchandstartedtomakehiswayalongthedarkpassagewithJipfollowingbehind。

TheDoctor’smatchsoonwentout;andhehadtostrikeanotherandanotherandanother。

Atlastthepassagecametoanend;andtheDoctorfoundhimselfinakindoftinyroomwithwallsofrock。

Andthere,inthemiddleoftheroom,hisheadrestingonhisarms,layamanwithveryredhair——fastasleep!

Jipwentupandsniffedatsomethinglyingonthegroundbesidehim。TheDoctorstoopedandpickeditup。Itwasanenormoussnuff—

box。AnditwasfullofBlackRappee!

THETWENTIETHCHAPTER

THEFISHERMAN’STOWN

GENTLYthen——verygently,theDoctorwokethemanup。

Butjustatthatmomentthematchwentoutagain。

AndthemanthoughtitwasBenAlicomingback,andhebegantopunchtheDoctorinthedark。

ButwhenJohnDolittletoldhimwhoitwas,andthathehadhislittlenephewsafeonhisship,themanwastremendouslyglad,andsaidhewassorryhehadfoughttheDoctor。Hehadnothurthimmuchthough——becauseitwastoodarktopunchproperly。ThenhegavetheDoctorapinchofsnuff。

AndthemantoldhowtheBarbaryDragonhadputhimontothisrockandlefthimthere,whenhewouldn’tpromisetobecomeapirate;

andhowheusedtosleepdowninthisholebecausetherewasnohouseontherocktokeephimwarm。

Andthenhesaid,\"ForfourdaysIhavehadnothingtoeatordrink。Ihavelivedonsnuff。\"

\"Thereyouare!\"saidJip。\"WhatdidItellyou?\"

Sotheystrucksomemorematchesandmadetheirwayoutthroughthepassageintothedaylight;

andtheDoctorhurriedthemandowntotheboattogetsomesoup。

WhentheanimalsandthelittleboysawtheDoctorandJipcomingbacktotheshipwithared—headedman,theybegantocheerandyellanddanceabouttheboat。Andtheswallowsupabovestartedwhistlingatthetopoftheirvoices——thousandsandmillionsofthem——toshowthattheytooweregladthattheboy’sbraveunclehadbeenfound。Thenoisetheymadewassogreatthatsailorsfaroutatseathoughtthataterriblestormwascoming。\"HarktothatgalehowlingintheEast!\"theysaid。

AndJipwasawfullyproudofhimself——

thoughhetriedhardnottolookconceited。

WhenDab—Dabcametohimandsaid,\"Jip,I

hadnoideayouweresoclever!\"hejusttossedhisheadandanswered,\"Oh,that’snothingspecial。Butittakesadogtofindaman,youknow。Birdsarenogoodforagamelikethat。\"

ThentheDoctoraskedthered—hairedfishermanwherehishomewas。Andwhenhehadtoldhim,theDoctoraskedtheswallowstoguidetheshiptherefirst。

Andwhentheyhadcometothelandwhichthemanhadspokenof,theysawalittlefishing—

townatthefootofarockymountain;andthemanpointedoutthehousewherehelived。

Andwhiletheywerelettingdowntheanchor,thelittleboy’smother(whowasalsotheman’ssister)camerunningdowntotheshoretomeetthem,laughingandcryingatthesametime。

Shehadbeensittingonahillfortwentydays,watchingtheseaandwaitingforthemtoreturn。

AndshekissedtheDoctormanytimes,sothathegiggledandblushedlikeaschool—girl。AndshetriedtokissJiptoo;butheranawayandhidinsidetheship。

\"It’sasillybusiness,thiskissing,\"hesaid。

\"Idon’tholdbyit。LethergoandkissGub—

Gub——ifsheMUSTkisssomething。\"

Thefishermanandhissisterdidn’twanttheDoctortogoawayagaininahurry。Theybeggedhimtospendafewdayswiththem。SoJohnDolittleandhisanimalshadtostayattheirhouseawholeSaturdayandSundayandhalfofMonday。

Andallthelittleboysofthefishing—villagewentdowntothebeachandpointedatthegreatshipanchoredthere,andsaidtooneanotherinwhispers,\"Look!Thatwasapirate—ship——BenAli’s——themostterriblepiratethateversailedtheSevenSeas!Thatoldgentlemanwiththehighhat,who’sstayingupatMrs。Trevelyan’s,HE

tooktheshipawayfromTheBarbaryDragon——andmadehimintoafarmer。Who’dhavethoughtitofhim——himsogentle——likeandall!……Lookatthegreatredsails!Ain’tshethewicked—lookingship——andfast?——My!\"

AllthosetwodaysandahalfthattheDoctorstayedatthelittlefishing—townthepeoplekeptaskinghimouttoteasandluncheonsanddinnersandparties;alltheladiessenthimboxesofflowersandcandies;andthevillage—bandplayedtunesunderhiswindoweverynight。

AtlasttheDoctorsaid,\"Goodpeople,Imustgohomenow。Youhavereallybeenmostkind。Ishallalwaysrememberit。ButImustgohome——forIhavethingstodo。\"

Then,justastheDoctorwasabouttoleave,theMayorofthetowncamedownthestreetandalotofotherpeopleingrandclotheswithhim。AndtheMayorstoppedbeforethehousewheretheDoctorwasliving;andeverybodyinthevillagegatheredroundtoseewhatwasgoingtohappen。

Aftersixpage—boyshadblownonshiningtrumpetstomakethepeoplestoptalking,theDoctorcameoutontothestepsandtheMayorspoke。

\"DoctorJohnDolittle,\"saidhe:\"ItisagreatpleasureformetopresenttothemanwhoridtheseasoftheDragonofBarbarythislittletokenfromthegratefulpeopleofourworthyTown。\"

AndtheMayortookfromhispocketalittletissue—paperpacket,andopeningit,hehandedtotheDoctoraperfectlybeautifulwatchwithrealdiamondsintheback。

ThentheMayorpulledoutofhispocketastilllargerparcelandsaid,\"Whereisthedog?\"

TheneverybodystartedtohuntforJip。AndatlastDab—Dabfoundhimontheothersideofthevillageinastable—yard,whereallthedogsofthecountry—sidewerestandingroundhimspeechlesswithadmirationandrespect。

WhenJipwasbroughttotheDoctor’sside,theMayoropenedthelargerparcel;andinsidewasadog—collarmadeofsolidgold!Andagreatmurmurofwonderwentupfromthevillage—

folkastheMayorbentdownandfasteneditroundthedog’sneckwithhisownhands。

Forwrittenonthecollarinbigletterswerethesewords:\"JIP—THECLEVERESTDOGINTHEWORLD。\"

Thenthewholecrowdmoveddowntothebeachtoseethemoff。Andafterthered—hairedfishermanandhissisterandthelittleboyhadthankedtheDoctorandhisdogoverandoverandoveragain,thegreat,swiftshipwiththeredsailswasturnedoncemoretowardsPuddlebyandtheysailedouttosea,whilethevillage—

bandplayedmusicontheshore。

THELASTCHAPTER

HOMEAGAIN

MARCHwindshadcomeandgone;April’sshowerswereover;May’sbudshadopenedintoflower;andtheJunesunwasshiningonthepleasantfields,whenJohnDolittleatlastgotbacktohisowncountry。

ButhedidnotyetgohometoPuddleby。

Firsthewenttravelingthroughthelandwiththepushmi—pullyuinagipsy—wagon,stoppingatallthecountry—fairs。Andthere,withtheacrobatsononesideofthemandthePunch—and—

Judyshowontheother,theywouldhangoutabigsignwhichread,\"COMEANDSEETHE

MARVELOUSTWO—HEADEDANIMALFROMTHE

JUNGLESOFAFRICA。AdmissionSIXPENCE。\"

Andthepushmi—pullyuwouldstayinsidethewagon,whiletheotheranimalswouldlieaboutunderneath。TheDoctorsatinachairinfronttakingthesixpencesandsmilingonthepeopleastheywentin;andDab—Dabwaskeptbusyallthetimescoldinghimbecausehewouldletthechildreninfornothingwhenshewasn’tlooking。

Andmenagerie—keepersandcircus—mencameandaskedtheDoctortosellthemthestrangecreature,sayingtheywouldpayatremendouslotofmoneyforhim。ButtheDoctoralwaysshookhisheadandsaid。

\"No。Thepushmi—pullyushallneverbeshutupinacage。Heshallbefreealwaystocomeandgo,likeyouandme。\"

Manycurioussightsandhappeningstheysawinthiswanderinglife;buttheyallseemedquiteordinaryafterthegreatthingstheyhadseenanddoneinforeignlands。Itwasveryinterestingatfirst,beingsortofpartofacircus;

butafterafewweekstheyallgotdreadfullytiredofitandtheDoctorandallofthemwerelongingtogohome。

Butsomanypeoplecameflockingtothelittlewagonandpaidthesixpencetogoinsideandseethepushmi—pullyuthatverysoontheDoctorwasabletogiveupbeingashowman。

Andonefineday,whenthehollyhockswereinfullbloom,hecamebacktoPuddlebyarichman,toliveinthelittlehousewiththebiggarden。

Andtheoldlamehorseinthestablewasgladtoseehim;andsoweretheswallowswhohadalreadybuilttheirnestsundertheeavesofhisroofandhadyoungones。AndDab—Dabwasglad,too,togetbacktothehousesheknewsowell——althoughtherewasaterriblelotofdustingtobedone,withcobwebseverywhere。

AndafterJiphadgoneandshownhisgoldencollartotheconceitedcollienext—door,hecamebackandbeganrunningroundthegardenlikeacrazything,lookingfortheboneshehadburiedlongago,andchasingtheratsoutofthetool—shed;whileGub—Gubdugupthehorseradishwhichhadgrownthreefeethighinthecornerbythegarden—wall。

AndtheDoctorwentandsawthesailorwhohadlenthimtheboat,andheboughttwonewshipsforhimandarubber—dollforhisbaby;

andhepaidthegrocerforthefoodhehadlenthimforthejourneytoAfrica。Andheboughtanotherpianoandputthewhitemicebackinit——becausetheysaidthebureau—drawerwasdrafty。

EvenwhentheDoctorhadfilledtheoldmoney—boxonthedresser—shelf,hestillhadalotofmoneyleft;andhehadtogetthreemoremoney—boxes,justasbig,toputtherestin。

\"Money,\"hesaid,\"isaterriblenuisance。

Butit’snicenottohavetoworry。\"

\"Yes,\"saidDab—Dab,whowastoastingmuffinsforhistea,\"itisindeed!\"

AndwhentheWintercameagain,andthesnowflewagainstthekitchen—window,theDoctorandhisanimalswouldsitroundthebig,warmfireaftersupper;andhewouldreadaloudtothemoutofhisbooks。

ButfarawayinAfrica,wherethemonkeyschatteredinthepalm—treesbeforetheywenttobedunderthebigyellowmoon,theywouldsaytooneanother,\"IwonderwhatTheGoodMan’sdoingnow——overthere,intheLandoftheWhiteMen!

Doyouthinkheeverwillcomeback?\"

AndPolynesiawouldsqueakoutfromthevines,\"Ithinkhewill——Iguesshewill——Ihopehewill!\"

Andthenthecrocodilewouldgruntupatthemfromtheblackmudoftheriver,\"I’mSUREhewill——Gotosleep!\"