首页 >出版文学> The Story of Doctor Dolittle>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。