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  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!\"

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