首页 >出版文学> The Story of Doctor Dolittle>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!"