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!\"