第2章
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  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。

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