第3章

Soonthefrontendoftheshipbegantogodownanddown，fasterandfaster——tilltheboatlookedalmostasthoughitwerestandingonitshead；andthepirateshadtoclingtotherailsandthemastsandtheropesandanythingtokeepfromslidingoff。Thenthesearushedroaringinandthroughallthewindowsandthedoors。Andatlasttheshipplungedrightdowntothebottomofthesea，makingadreadfulgurglingsound；andthesixbadmenwereleftbobbingaboutinthedeepwaterofthebay。

Someofthemstartedtoswimfortheshoresoftheisland；whileotherscameandtriedtogetontotheboatwheretheDoctorwas。ButJipkeptsnappingattheirnoses，sotheywereafraidtoclimbupthesideoftheship。

Thensuddenlytheyallcriedoutingreatfear，"THESHARKS!Thesharksarecoming!Letusgetontotheshipbeforetheyeatus!Help，help!——Thesharks!Thesharks!"

AndnowtheDoctorcouldsee，alloverthebay，thebacksofbigfishesswimmingswiftlythroughthewater。

Andonegreatsharkcameneartotheship，andpokinghisnoseoutofthewaterhesaidtotheDoctor，"AreyouJohnDolittle，thefamousanimal—doctor？"

"Yes，"saidDoctorDolittle。"Thatismyname。"

"Well，"saidtheshark，"weknowthesepiratestobeabadlot——especiallyBenAli。Iftheyareannoyingyou，wewillgladlyeatthemupforyou——andthenyouwon’tbetroubledanymore。"

"Thankyou，"saidtheDoctor。"Thisisreallymostattentive。ButIdon’tthinkitwillbenecessarytoeatthem。Don’tletanyofthemreachtheshoreuntilItellyou——justkeepthemswimmingabout，willyou？AndpleasemakeBenAliswimoverherethatImaytalktohim。"

SothesharkwentoffandchasedBenAliovertotheDoctor。

"Listen，BenAli，"saidJohnDolittle，leaningovertheside。"Youhavebeenaverybadman；andIunderstandthatyouhavekilledmanypeople。Thesegoodsharksherehavejustofferedtoeatyouupforme——and’twouldindeedbeagoodthingiftheseaswereridofyou。

ButifyouwillpromisetodoasItellyou，I

wellletyougoinsafety。"

"WhatmustIdo？"askedthepirate，lookingdownsidewaysatthebigsharkwhowassmellinghislegunderthewater。

"Youmustkillnomorepeople，"saidtheDoctor；"youmuststopstealing；youmustneversinkanothership；youmustgiveupbeingapiratealtogether。"

"ButwhatshallIdothen？"askedBenAli。

"HowshallIlive？"

"Youandallyourmenmustgoontothisislandandbebird—seed—farmers，"theDoctoranswered。"Youmustgrowbird—seedforthecanaries。"

TheBarbaryDragonturnedpalewithanger。

"GROWBIRD—SEED!"hegroanedindisgust。

"Can’tIbeasailor？"

"No，"saidtheDoctor，"youcannot。Youhavebeenasailorlongenough——andsentmanystoutshipsandgoodmentothebottomofthesea。Fortherestofyourlifeyoumustbelapeacefulfarmer。Thesharkiswaiting。Donotwasteanymoreofhistime。Makeupyourmind。"

"ThunderandLightning!"BenAlimuttered——"BIRD—SEED!"Thenhelookeddownintothewateragainandsawthegreatfishsmellinghisotherleg。

"Verywell，"hesaidsadly。"We’llbefarmers。"

"Andremember，"saidtheDoctor，"thatifyoudonotkeepyourpromise——ifyoustartkillingandstealingagain，Ishallhearofit，becausethecanarieswillcomeandtellme。

AndbeverysurethatIwillfindawaytopunishyou。ForthoughImaynotbeabletosailashipaswellasyou，solongasthebirdsandthebeastsandthefishesaremyfriends，Idonothavetobeafraidofapiratechief——eventhoughhecallhimself`TheDragonofBarbary。’Nowgoandbeagoodfarmerandliveinpeace。"

ThentheDoctorturnedtothebigshark，andwavinghishandhesaid，"Allright。Letthemswimsafelytotheland。"

THESIXTEENTHCHAPTER

TOO—TOO，THELISTENER

HAVINGthankedthesharksagainfortheirkindness，theDoctorandhispetssetoffoncemoreontheirjourneyhomeintheswiftshipwiththethreeredsails。

Astheymovedoutintotheopensea，theanimalsallwentdownstairstoseewhattheirnewboatwaslikeinside；whiletheDoctorleantontherailatthebackoftheshipwithapipeinhismouth，watchingtheCanaryIslandsfadeawayintheblueduskoftheevening。

Whilehewasstandingthere，wonderinghowthemonkeysweregettingon——andwhathisgardenwouldlooklikewhenhegotbacktoPuddleby，Dab—Dabcametumblingupthestairs，allsmilesandfullofnews。

"Doctor!"shecried。"Thisshipofthepi—

ratesissimplybeautiful——absolutely。Thebedsdownstairsaremadeofprimrosesilk——withhundredsofbigpillowsandcushions；therearethick，softcarpetsonthefloors；thedishesaremadeofsilver；andthereareallsortsofgoodthingstoeatanddrink——specialthings；thelarder——well，it’sjustlikeashop，that’sall。

Youneversawanythinglikeitinyourlife——

Justthink——theykeptfivedifferentkindsofsardines，thosemen!Comeandlook……Oh，andwefoundalittleroomdowntherewiththedoorlocked；andweareallcrazytogetinandseewhat’sinside。Jipsaysitmustbewherethepirateskepttheirtreasure。Butwecan’topenthedoor。Comedownandseeifyoucanletusin。"

SotheDoctorwentdownstairsandhesawthatitwasindeedabeautifulship。Hefoundtheanimalsgatheredroundalittledoor，alltalkingatonce，tryingtoguesswhatwasinside。

TheDoctorturnedthehandlebutitwouldn’topen。Thentheyallstartedtohuntforthekey。

Theylookedunderthemat；theylookedunderallthecarpets；theylookedinallthecupboardsanddrawersandlockers——inthebigchestsintheship’sdining—room；theylookedeverywhere。

Whiletheyweredoingthistheydiscoveredalotofnewandwonderfulthingsthatthepiratesmusthavestolenfromotherships：Kashmirshawlsasthinasacobweb，embroideredwithflowersofgold；jarsoffinetobaccofromJamaica；carvedivoryboxesfullofRussiantea；anoldviolinwithastringbrokenandapictureontheback；asetofbigchess—men，carvedoutofcoralandamber；awalking—stickwhichhadaswordinsideitwhenyoupulledthehandle；sixwine—glasseswithturquoiseandsilverroundtherims；andalovelygreatsugar—bowl，madeofmothero’pearl。Butnowhereinthewholeboatcouldtheyfindakeytofitthatlock。

Sotheyallcamebacktothedoor，andJippeeredthroughthekey—hole。Butsomethinghadbeenstoodagainstthewallontheinsideandhecouldseenothing。

Whiletheywerestandingaround，wonderingwhattheyshoulddo，theowl，Too—Too，suddenlysaid，"Sh!——Listen!——Idobelievethere’ssomeoneinthere!"

Theyallkeptstillamoment。ThentheDoctorsaid，"Youmustbemistaken，Too—Too。Idon’thearanything。"

"I’msureofit，"saidtheowl。"Sh!——Thereitisagain——Don’tyouhearthat？"

"No，Idonot，"saidtheDoctor。"Whatkindofasoundisit？"

"Ihearthenoiseofsomeoneputtinghishandinhispocket，"saidtheowl。

"Butthatmakeshardlyanysoundatall，"saidtheDoctor。"Youcouldn’thearthatouthere。"

"Pardonme，butIcan，"saidToo—Too。"I

tellyouthereissomeoneontheothersideofthatdoorputtinghishandinhispocket。AlmosteverythingmakesSOMEnoise——ifyourearsareonlysharpenoughtocatchit。Batscanhearamolewalkinginhistunnelundertheearth——andtheythinkthey’regoodhearers。Butweowlscantellyou，usingonlyoneear，thecolorofakittenfromthewayitwinksinthedark。"

"Well，well!"saidtheDoctor。"Yousurpriseme。That’sveryinteresting……Listenagainandtellmewhathe’sdoingnow。"

"I’mnotsureyet，"saidToo—Too，"ifit’samanatall。Maybeit’sawoman。Liftmeupandletmelistenatthekey—holeandI’llsoontellyou。"

SotheDoctorliftedtheowlupandheldhimclosetothelockofthedoor。

AfteramomentToo—Toosaid，"Nowhe’srubbinghisfacewithhislefthand。Itisasmallhandandasmallface。

ItMIGHTbeawoman——No。Nowhepusheshishairbackoffhisforehead——It’samanallright。"

"Womensometimesdothat，"saidtheDoctor。

"True，"saidtheowl。"Butwhentheydo，theirlonghairmakesquiteadifferentsound……Sh!Makethatfidgetypigkeepstill。

NowallholdyourbreathamomentsoIcanlistenwell。Thisisverydifficult，whatI’mdoingnow——andthepeskydoorissothick!Sh!

Everybodyquitestill——shutyoureyesanddon’tbreathe。"

Too—Tooleaneddownandlistenedagainveryhardandlong。

AtlasthelookedupintotheDoctor’sfaceandsaid，"Themaninthereisunhappy。Heweeps。

Hehastakencarenottoblubberorsniffle，lestweshouldfindoutthatheiscrying。ButI

heard——quitedistinctly——thesoundofatearfallingonhissleeve。"

"Howdoyouknowitwasn’tadropofwaterfallingofftheceilingonhim？"askedGub—Gub。

"Pshaw!——Suchignorance!"sniffedToo—

Too。"Adropofwaterfallingofftheceilingwouldhavemadetentimesasmuchnoise!"

"Well，"saidtheDoctor，"ifthepoorfellow’sunhappy，we’vegottogetinandseewhat’sthematterwithhim。Findmeanaxe，andI’llchopthedoordown。"

THESEVENTEENTHCHAPTER

THEOCEANGOSSIPS

RIGHTawayanaxewasfound。AndtheDoctorsoonchoppedaholeinthedoorbigenoughtoclamberthrough。

Atfirsthecouldseenothingatall，itwassodarkinside。

Sohestruckamatch。

Theroomwasquitesmall；nowindow；theceiling，low。Forfurnituretherewasonlyonelittlestool。Allroundtheroombigbarrelsstoodagainstthewalls，fastenedatthebottomsotheywouldn’ttumblewiththerollingoftheship；andabovethebarrels，pewterjugsofallsizeshungfromwoodenpegs。Therewasastrong，wineysmell。Andinthemiddleofthefloorsatalittleboy，abouteightyearsold，cryingbitterly。

"Ideclare，itisthepirates’rum—room!"

saidJipinawhisper。

"Yes。Veryrum!"saidGub—Gub。

"Thesmellmakesmegiddy。"

Thelittleboyseemedratherfrightenedtofindamanstandingtherebeforehimandallthoseanimalsstaringinthroughtheholeinthebrokendoor。ButassoonashesawJohnDolittle’sfacebythelightofthematch，hestoppedcryingandgotup。

"Youaren’toneofthepirates，areyou？"heasked。

AndwhentheDoctorthrewbackhisheadandlaughedlongandloud，thelittleboysmiledtooandcameandtookhishand。

"Youlaughlikeafriend，"hesaid——"notlikeapirate。Couldyoutellmewheremyuncleis？"

"IamafraidIcan’t，"saidtheDoctor。

"Whendidyouseehimlast？"

"Itwasthedaybeforeyesterday，"saidtheboy。"Iandmyunclewereoutfishinginourlittleboat，whenthepiratescameandcaughtus。Theysunkourfishing—boatandbroughtusbothontothisship。Theytoldmyunclethattheywantedhimtobeapiratelikethem——forhewascleveratsailingashipinallweathers。

Buthesaidhedidn’twanttobeapirate，becausekillingpeopleandstealingwasnoworkforagoodfishermantodo。Thentheleader，BenAli，gotveryangryandgnashedhisteeth，andsaidtheywouldthrowmyuncleintotheseaifhedidn’tdoastheysaid。Theysentmedownstairs；andIheardthenoiseofafightgoingonabove。Andwhentheyletmecomeupagainnextday，myunclewasnowheretobeseen。Iaskedthepirateswherehewas；buttheywouldn’ttellme。Iamverymuchafraidtheythrewhimintotheseaanddrownedhim。"

Andthelittleboybegantocryagain。

"Wellnow——waitaminute，"saidtheDoctor。

"Don’tcry。Let’sgoandhaveteainthedining—

room，andwe’lltalkitover。Maybeyouruncleisquitesafeallthetime。Youdon’tKNOW

thathewasdrowned，doyou？Andthat’ssomething。Perhapswecanfindhimforyou。Firstwe’llgoandhavetea——withstrawberry—jam；

andthenwewillseewhatcanbedone。"

Alltheanimalshadbeenstandingaroundlisteningwithgreatcuriosity。Andwhentheyhadgoneintotheship’sdining—roomandwerehavingtea，Dab—DabcameupbehindtheDoctor’schairandwhispered。

"Asktheporpoisesiftheboy’sunclewasdrowned——they’llknow。"

"Allright，"saidtheDoctor，takingasecondpieceofbread—and—jam。

"Whatarethosefunny，clickingnoisesyouaremakingwithyourtongue？"askedtheboy。

"Oh，Ijustsaidacoupleofwordsinduck—

language，"theDoctoranswered。"ThisisDab—Dab，oneofmypets。"

"Ididn’tevenknowthatduckshadalanguage，"saidtheboy。"Arealltheseotheranimalsyourpets，too？Whatisthatstrange—

lookingthingwithtwoheads？"

"Sh!"theDoctorwhispered。"Thatisthepushmi—pullyu。Don’tlethimseewe’retalkingabouthim——hegetssodreadfullyembarrassed……

Tellme，howdidyoucometobelockedupinthatlittleroom？"

"Thepiratesshutmeintherewhentheyweregoingofftostealthingsfromanothership。

WhenIheardsomeonechoppingonthedoor，Ididn’tknowwhoitcouldbe。Iwasverygladtofinditwasyou。Doyouthinkyouwillbeabletofindmyuncleforme？"

"Well，wearegoingtotryveryhard，"saidtheDoctor。"Nowwhatwasyouruncleliketolookat？"

"Hehadredhair，"theboyanswered——"veryredhair，andthepictureofananchortattooedonhisarm。Hewasastrongman，akinduncleandthebestsailorintheSouthAtlantic。Hisfishing—boatwascalledTheSaucySally——acutter—riggedsloop。"

"What’s`cutterigsloop’？"whisperedGub—

Gub，turningtoJip。

"Sh!——That’sthekindofashipthemanhad，"

saidJip。"Keepstill，can’tyou？"

"Oh，"saidthepig，"isthatall？Ithoughtitwassomethingtodrink。"

SotheDoctorlefttheboytoplaywiththeanimalsinthedining—room，andwentupstairstolookforpassingporpoises。

Andsoonawholeschoolcamedancingandjumpingthroughthewater，ontheirwaytoBrazil。

WhentheysawtheDoctorleaningontherailofhisship，theycameovertoseehowhewasgettingon。

AndtheDoctoraskedthemiftheyhadseenanythingofamanwithredhairandananchortattooedonhisarm。

"DoyoumeanthemasterofTheSaucySally？"

askedtheporpoises。

"Yes，"saidtheDoctor。"That’stheman。

Hashebeendrowned？"

"Hisfishing—sloopwassunk，"saidtheporpoises——"forwesawitlyingonthebottomofthesea。Buttherewasnobodyinsideit，becausewewentandlooked。"

"Hislittlenephewisontheshipwithmehere，"saidtheDoctor。"Andheisterriblyafraidthatthepiratesthrewhisuncleintothesea。Wouldyoubesogoodastofindoutforme，forsure，whetherhehasbeendrownedornot？"

"Oh，heisn’tdrowned，"saidtheporpoises。

"Ifhewere，wewouldbesuretohaveheardofitfromthedeep—seaDecapods。Wehearallthesalt—waternews。Theshell—fishcallus`TheOceanGossips。’No——tellthelittleboywearesorrywedonotknowwherehisuncleis；butwearequitecertainhehasn’tbeendrownedinthesea。"

SotheDoctorrandownstairswiththenewsandtoldthenephew，whoclappedhishandswithhappiness。Andthepushmi—pullyutookthelittleboyonhisbackandgavehimarideroundthedining—roomtable；whilealltheotheranimalsfollowedbehind，beatingthedish—coverswithspoons，pretendingitwasaparade。

THEEIGHTEENTHCHAPTER

SMELLS

YOURunclemustnowbeFOUND，"saidtheDoctor——"thatisthenextthing——nowthatweknowhewasn’tthrownintothesea。"

ThenDab—Dabcameuptohimagainandwhispered，"Asktheeaglestolookfortheman。Nolivingcreaturecanseebetterthananeagle。Whentheyaremileshighintheairtheycancounttheantscrawlingontheground。Asktheeagles。"

SotheDoctorsentoneoftheswallowsofftogetsomeeagles。

Andinaboutanhourthelittlebirdcamebackwithsixdifferentkindsofeagles：aBlackEagle，aBaldEagle，aFishEagle，aGoldenEagle，anEagle—Vulture，andaWhite—tailedSeaEagle。Twiceashighastheboytheywere，eachoneofthem。Andtheystoodontherailoftheship，likeround—shoulderedsoldiersallinarow，sternandstillandstiff；whiletheirgreat，gleaming，blackeyesshotdartingglanceshereandthereandeverywhere。

Gub—Gubwasscaredofthemandgotbehindabarrel。Hesaidhefeltasthoughthoseterribleeyeswerelookingrightinsideofhimtoseewhathehadstolenforlunch。

AndtheDoctorsaidtotheeagles，"Amanhasbeenlost——afishermanwithredhairandananchormarkedonhisarm。Wouldyoubesokindastoseeifyoucanfindhimforus？Thisboyistheman’snephew。"

Eaglesdonottalkverymuch。Andalltheyansweredintheirhuskyvoiceswas，"Youmaybesurethatwewilldoourbest——forJohnDolittle。"

Thentheyflewoff——andGub—Gubcameoutfrombehindhisbarreltoseethemgo。Upandupanduptheywent——higherandhigherandhigherstill。Then，whentheDoctorcouldonlyjustseethem，theypartedcompanyandstartedgoingoffalldifferentways——North，East，SouthandWest，lookingliketinygrainsofblacksandcreepingacrossthewide，bluesky。

"Mygracious!"saidGub—Gubinahushedvoice。"Whataheight!Iwondertheydon’tscorchtheirfeathers——sonearthesun!"

Theyweregonealongtime。Andwhentheycamebackitwasalmostnight。

AndtheeaglessaidtotheDoctor，"Wehavesearchedalltheseasandallthecountriesandalltheislandsandallthecitiesandallthevillagesinthishalfoftheworld。

Butwehavefailed。InthemainstreetofGibraltarwesawthreeredhairslyingonawheel—

barrowbeforeabaker’sdoor。Buttheywerenotthehairsofaman——theywerethehairsoutofafur—coat。Nowhere，onlandorwater，couldweseeanysignofthisboy’suncle。AndifWE

couldnotseehim，thenheisnottobeseen……

ForJohnDolittle——wehavedoneourbest。"

Thenthesixgreatbirdsflappedtheirbigwingsandflewbacktotheirhomesinthemountainsandtherocks。

"Well，"saidDab—Dab，aftertheyhadgone，"whatarewegoingtodonow？Theboy’suncleMUSTbefound——there’snotwowaysaboutthat。Theladisn’toldenoughtobeknockingaroundtheworldbyhimself。Boysaren’tlikeducklings——theyhavetobetakencareoftillthey’requiteold……IwishChee—Cheewerehere。Hewouldsoonfindtheman。GoodoldChee—Chee!Iwonderhowhe’sgettingon!"

"IfweonlyhadPolynesiawithus，"saidthewhitemouse。"SHEwouldsoonthinkofsomeway。Doyourememberhowshegotusalloutofprison——thesecondtime？My，butshewasacleverone!"

"Idon’tthinksomuchofthoseeagle—

fellows，"saidJip。"They’rejustconceited。Theymayhaveverygoodeyesightandallthat；butwhenyouaskthemtofindamanforyou，theycan’tdoit——andtheyhavethecheektocomebackandsaythatnobodyelsecoulddoit。

They’rejustconceited——likethatcollieinPuddleby。AndIdon’tthinkawholelotofthosegossipyoldporpoiseseither。Alltheycouldtelluswasthatthemanisn’tinthesea。Wedon’twanttoknowwhereheISN’T——wewanttoknowwhereheIS。"

"Oh，don’ttalksomuch，"saidGub—Gub。

"It’seasytotalk；butitisn’tsoeasytofindamanwhenyouhavegotthewholeworldtohunthimin。Maybethefisherman’shairhasturnedwhite，worryingabouttheboy；andthatwaswhytheeaglesdidn’tfindhim。Youdon’tknoweverything。You’rejusttalking。Youarenotdoinganythingtohelp。Youcouldn’tfindtheboy’suncleanymorethantheeaglescould——youcouldn’tdoaswell。"

"Couldn’tI？"saidthedog。"That’sallyouknow，youstupidpieceofwarmbacon!Ihaven’tbeguntotryyet，haveI？Youwaitandsee!"

ThenJipwenttotheDoctorandsaid，"Asktheboyifhehasanythinginhispocketsthatbelongedtohisuncle，willyou，please？"

SotheDoctoraskedhim。Andtheboyshowedthemagoldringwhichheworeonapieceofstringaroundhisneckbecauseitwastoobigforhisfinger。Hesaidhisunclegaveittohimwhentheysawthepiratescoming。

Jipsmelttheringandsaid，"That’snogood。Askhimifhehasanythingelsethatbelongedtohisuncle。"

Thentheboytookfromhispocketagreat，bigredhandkerchiefandsaid，"Thiswasmyuncle’stoo。"

Assoonastheboypulleditout，Jipshouted，"SNUFF，byJingo!——BlackRappeesnuff。

Don’tyousmellit？Hisuncletooksnuff——

Askhim，Doctor。"

TheDoctorquestionedtheboyagain；

andhesaid，"Yes。Myuncletookalotofsnuff。"

"Fine!"saidJip。"Theman’sasgoodasfound。’Twillbeaseasyasstealingmilkfromakitten。TelltheboyI’llfindhisuncleforhiminlessthanaweek。Letusgoupstairsandseewhichwaythewindisblowing。"

"Butitisdarknow，"saidtheDoctor。"Youcan’tfindhiminthedark!"

"Idon’tneedanylighttolookforamanwhosmellsofBlackRappeesnuff，"saidJipasheclimbedthestairs。"Ifthemanhadahardsmell，likestring，now——orhotwater，itwouldbedifferent。ButSNUFF!——Tut，tut!"

"Doeshotwaterhaveasmell？"askedtheDoctor。

"Certainlyithas，"saidJip。"Hotwatersmellsquitedifferentfromcoldwater。Itiswarmwater——orice——thathasthereallydifficultsmell。Why，Ioncefollowedamanfortenmilesonadarknightbythesmellofthehotwaterhehadusedtoshavewith——forthepoorfellowhadnosoap……Nowthen，letusseewhichwaythewindisblowing。Windisveryimportantinlong—distancesmelling。Itmustn’tbetoofierceawind——andofcourseitmustblowtherightway。Anice，steady，dampbreezeisthebestofall……Ha!——ThiswindisfromtheNorth。"

ThenJipwentuptothefrontoftheshipandsmeltthewind；andhestartedmutteringtohimself，"Tar；Spanishonions；keroseneoil；wetraincoats；crushedlaurel—leaves；rubberburning；

lace—curtainsbeingwashed——No，mymistake，lace—curtainshangingouttodry；andfoxes——

hundredsof’em——cubs；and——"

"Canyoureallysmellallthosedifferentthingsinthisonewind？"askedtheDoctor。

"Why，ofcourse!"saidJip。"Andthoseareonlyafewoftheeasysmells——thestrongones。

Anymongrelcouldsmellthosewithacoldinthehead。Waitnow，andI’lltellyousomeoftheharderscentsthatarecomingonthiswind——afewofthedaintyones。"

Thenthedogshuthiseyestight，pokedhisnosestraightupintheairandsniffedhardwithhismouthhalf—open。

Foralongtimehesaidnothing。Hekeptasstillasastone。Hehardlyseemedtobebreathingatall。Whenatlasthebegantospeak，itsoundedalmostasthoughheweresinging，sadly，inadream。

"Bricks，"hewhispered，verylow——"oldyellowbricks，crumblingwithageinagarden—

wall；thesweetbreathofyoungcowsstandinginamountain—stream；theleadroofofadove—

cote——orperhapsagranary——withthemid—daysunonit；blackkidgloveslyinginabureau—

drawerofwalnut—wood；adustyroadwithahorses’drinking—troughbeneaththesycamores；

littlemushroomsburstingthroughtherottingleaves；and——and——and——"

"Anyparsnips？"askedGub—Gub。

"No，"saidJip。"Youalwaysthinkofthingstoeat。Noparsnipswhatever。Andnosnuff——

plentyofpipesandcigarettes，andafewcigars。

Butnosnuff。WemustwaittillthewindchangestotheSouth。"

"Yes，it’sapoorwind，that，"saidGub—Gub。

"Ithinkyou’reafake，Jip。Whoeverheardoffindingamaninthemiddleoftheoceanjustbysmell!Itoldyouyoucouldn’tdoit。"

"Lookhere，"saidJip，gettingreallyangry。

"You’regoingtogetabiteonthenoseinamin—

ute!Youneedn’tthinkthatjustbecausetheDoctorwon’tletusgiveyouwhatyoudeserve，thatyoucanbeascheekyasyoulike!"

"Stopquarreling!"saidtheDoctor——"Stopit!Life’stooshort。Tellme，Jip，wheredoyouthinkthosesmellsarecomingfrom？"

"FromDevonandWales——mostofthem，"

saidJip——"Thewindiscomingthatway。"

"Well，well!"saidtheDoctor。"Youknowthat’sreallyquiteremarkable——quite。Imustmakeanoteofthatformynewbook。Iwonderifyoucouldtrainmetosmellaswellasthat……

Butno——perhapsI’mbetteroffthewayIam。

`Enoughisasgoodasafeast，’theysay。

Let’sgodowntosupper。I’mquitehungry。"

"SoamI，"saidGub—Gub。

THENINETEENTHCHAPTER

THEROCK

UPtheygot，earlynextmorning，outofthesilkenbeds；

andtheysawthatthesunwasshiningbrightlyandthatthewindwasblowingfromtheSouth。

JipsmelttheSouthwindforhalfanhour。ThenhecametotheDoctor，shakinghishead。

"Ismellnosnuffasyet，"hesaid。"WemustwaittillthewindchangestotheEast。"

ButevenwhentheEastwindcame，atthreeo’clockthatafternoon，thedogcouldnotcatchthesmellofsnuff。

Thelittleboywasterriblydisappointedandbegantocryagain，sayingthatnooneseemedtobeabletofindhisuncleforhim。ButallJipsaidtotheDoctorwas，"TellhimthatwhenthewindchangestotheWest，I’llfindhisuncleeventhoughhebeinChina——solongasheisstilltakingBlackRappeesnuff。"

ThreedaystheyhadtowaitbeforetheWestwindcame。ThiswasonaFridaymorning，early——justasitwasgettinglight。Afinerainymistlayonthesealikeathinfog。Andthewindwassoftandwarmandwet。

AssoonasJipawokeheranupstairsandpokedhisnoseintheair。ThenhegotmostfrightfullyexcitedandrusheddownagaintowaketheDoctorup。

"Doctor!"hecried。"I’vegotit!Doctor!

Doctor!Wakeup!Listen!I’vegotit!

Thewind’sfromtheWestanditsmellsofnothingbutsnuff。Comeupstairsandstarttheship——quick!"

SotheDoctortumbledoutofbedandwenttotheruddertosteertheship。

"NowI’llgouptothefront，"saidJip；"andyouwatchmynose——whicheverwayIpointit，youturntheshipthesameway。Themancannotbefaroff——withthesmellasstrongasthis。Andthewind’salllovelyandwet。Nowwatchme!"

SoallthatmorningJipstoodinthefrontpartoftheship，sniffingthewindandpointingthewayfortheDoctortosteer；whilealltheanimalsandthelittleboystoodroundwiththeireyeswideopen，watchingthedoginwonder。

Aboutlunch—timeJipaskedDab—DabtotelltheDoctorthathewasgettingworriedandwantedtospeaktohim。SoDab—DabwentandfetchedtheDoctorfromtheotherendoftheshipandJipsaidtohim，"Theboy’suncleisstarving。Wemustmaketheshipgoasfastaswecan。"

"Howdoyouknowheisstarving？"askedtheDoctor。

"BecausethereisnoothersmellintheWestwindbutsnuff，"saidJip。"Ifthemanwerecookingoreatingfoodofanykind，Iwouldbeboundtosmellittoo。Buthehasn’tevenfreshwatertodrink。Allheistakingissnuff——inlargepinches。Wearegettingnearertohimallthetime，becausethesmellgrowsstrongereveryminute。Butmaketheshipgoasfastasyoucan，forIamcertainthatthemanisstarving。"

"Allright，"saidtheDoctor；andhesentDab—Dabtoasktheswallowstopulltheship，thesameastheyhaddonewhenthepirateswerechasingthem。

Sothestoutlittlebirdscamedownandoncemoreharnessedthemselvestotheship。

Andnowtheboatwentboundingthroughthewavesataterriblespeed。Itwentsofastthatthefishesintheseahadtojumpfortheirlivestogetoutofthewayandnotberunover。

Andalltheanimalsgottremendouslyexcited；

andtheygaveuplookingatJipandturnedtowatchtheseainfront，tospyoutanylandorislandswherethestarvingmanmightbe。

Buthourafterhourwentbyandstilltheshipwentrushingon，overthesameflat，flatsea；andnolandanywherecameinsight。

Andnowtheanimalsgaveupchatteringandsataroundsilent，anxiousandmiserable。Thelittleboyagaingrewsad。AndonJip’sfacetherewasaworriedlook。

Atlast，lateintheafternoon，justasthesunwasgoingdown，theowl，Too—Too，whowasperchedonthetipofthemast，suddenlystartledthemallbycryingoutatthetopofhisvoice，"Jip!Jip!Iseeagreat，greatrockinfrontofus——look——wayouttherewheretheskyandthewatermeet。Seethesunshineonit——likegold!Isthesmellcomingfromthere？"

AndJipcalledback，"Yes。That’sit。Thatiswherethemanis。

——Atlast，atlast!"

Andwhentheygotnearertheycouldseethattherockwasverylarge——aslargeasabigfield。

Notreesgrewonit，nograss——nothing。Thegreatrockwasassmoothandasbareasthebackofatortoise。

ThentheDoctorsailedtheshiprightroundtherock。Butnowhereonitcouldamanbeseen。Alltheanimalsscreweduptheireyesandlookedashardastheycould；andJohnDolittlegotatelescopefromdownstairs。

Butnotonelivingthingcouldtheyspy——

notevenagull，norastar—fish，norashredofsea—weed。

Theyallstoodstillandlistened，strainingtheirearsforanysound。Buttheonlynoisetheyheardwasthegentlelappingofthelittlewavesagainstthesidesoftheirship。

Thentheyallstartedcalling，"Hulloa，there!

——HULLOA!"tilltheirvoiceswerehoarse。

Butonlytheechocamebackfromtherock。

Andthelittleboyburstintotearsandsaid，"IamafraidIshallneverseemyuncleanymore!WhatshallItellthemwhenIgethome!"

ButJipcalledtotheDoctor，"Hemustbethere——hemust——HEMUST!

Thesmellgoesonnofurther。Hemustbethere，Itellyou!Sailtheshipclosetotherockandletmejumpoutonit。"

SotheDoctorbroughttheshipascloseashecouldandletdowntheanchor。ThenheandJipgotoutoftheshipontotherock。

Jipatonceputhisnosedownclosetothegroundandbegantorunallovertheplace。Upanddownhewent，backandforth——zig—zagging，twisting，doublingandturning。Andeverywherehewent，theDoctorranbehindhim，closeathisheels——tillhewasterriblyoutofbreath。

AtlastJipletoutagreatbarkandsatdown。

AndwhentheDoctorcamerunninguptohim，hefoundthedogstaringintoabig，deepholeinthemiddleoftherock。

"Theboy’suncleisdownthere，"saidJipquietly。"Nowonderthosesillyeaglescouldn’tseehim!——Ittakesadogtofindaman。"

SotheDoctorgotdownintothehole，whichseemedtobeakindofcave，ortunnel，runningalongwayundertheground。ThenhestruckamatchandstartedtomakehiswayalongthedarkpassagewithJipfollowingbehind。

TheDoctor’smatchsoonwentout；andhehadtostrikeanotherandanotherandanother。

Atlastthepassagecametoanend；andtheDoctorfoundhimselfinakindoftinyroomwithwallsofrock。

Andthere，inthemiddleoftheroom，hisheadrestingonhisarms，layamanwithveryredhair——fastasleep!

Jipwentupandsniffedatsomethinglyingonthegroundbesidehim。TheDoctorstoopedandpickeditup。Itwasanenormoussnuff—

box。AnditwasfullofBlackRappee!

THETWENTIETHCHAPTER

THEFISHERMAN’STOWN

GENTLYthen——verygently，theDoctorwokethemanup。

Butjustatthatmomentthematchwentoutagain。

AndthemanthoughtitwasBenAlicomingback，andhebegantopunchtheDoctorinthedark。

ButwhenJohnDolittletoldhimwhoitwas，andthathehadhislittlenephewsafeonhisship，themanwastremendouslyglad，andsaidhewassorryhehadfoughttheDoctor。Hehadnothurthimmuchthough——becauseitwastoodarktopunchproperly。ThenhegavetheDoctorapinchofsnuff。

AndthemantoldhowtheBarbaryDragonhadputhimontothisrockandlefthimthere，whenhewouldn’tpromisetobecomeapirate；

andhowheusedtosleepdowninthisholebecausetherewasnohouseontherocktokeephimwarm。

Andthenhesaid，"ForfourdaysIhavehadnothingtoeatordrink。Ihavelivedonsnuff。"

"Thereyouare!"saidJip。"WhatdidItellyou？"

Sotheystrucksomemorematchesandmadetheirwayoutthroughthepassageintothedaylight；

andtheDoctorhurriedthemandowntotheboattogetsomesoup。

WhentheanimalsandthelittleboysawtheDoctorandJipcomingbacktotheshipwithared—headedman，theybegantocheerandyellanddanceabouttheboat。Andtheswallowsupabovestartedwhistlingatthetopoftheirvoices——thousandsandmillionsofthem——toshowthattheytooweregladthattheboy’sbraveunclehadbeenfound。Thenoisetheymadewassogreatthatsailorsfaroutatseathoughtthataterriblestormwascoming。"HarktothatgalehowlingintheEast!"theysaid。

AndJipwasawfullyproudofhimself——

thoughhetriedhardnottolookconceited。

WhenDab—Dabcametohimandsaid，"Jip，I

hadnoideayouweresoclever!"hejusttossedhisheadandanswered，"Oh，that’snothingspecial。Butittakesadogtofindaman，youknow。Birdsarenogoodforagamelikethat。"

ThentheDoctoraskedthered—hairedfishermanwherehishomewas。Andwhenhehadtoldhim，theDoctoraskedtheswallowstoguidetheshiptherefirst。

Andwhentheyhadcometothelandwhichthemanhadspokenof，theysawalittlefishing—

townatthefootofarockymountain；andthemanpointedoutthehousewherehelived。

Andwhiletheywerelettingdowntheanchor，thelittleboy’smother（whowasalsotheman’ssister）camerunningdowntotheshoretomeetthem，laughingandcryingatthesametime。

Shehadbeensittingonahillfortwentydays，watchingtheseaandwaitingforthemtoreturn。

AndshekissedtheDoctormanytimes，sothathegiggledandblushedlikeaschool—girl。AndshetriedtokissJiptoo；butheranawayandhidinsidetheship。

"It’sasillybusiness，thiskissing，"hesaid。

"Idon’tholdbyit。LethergoandkissGub—

Gub——ifsheMUSTkisssomething。"

Thefishermanandhissisterdidn’twanttheDoctortogoawayagaininahurry。Theybeggedhimtospendafewdayswiththem。SoJohnDolittleandhisanimalshadtostayattheirhouseawholeSaturdayandSundayandhalfofMonday。

Andallthelittleboysofthefishing—villagewentdowntothebeachandpointedatthegreatshipanchoredthere，andsaidtooneanotherinwhispers，"Look!Thatwasapirate—ship——BenAli’s——themostterriblepiratethateversailedtheSevenSeas!Thatoldgentlemanwiththehighhat，who’sstayingupatMrs。Trevelyan’s，HE

tooktheshipawayfromTheBarbaryDragon——andmadehimintoafarmer。Who’dhavethoughtitofhim——himsogentle——likeandall!……Lookatthegreatredsails!Ain’tshethewicked—lookingship——andfast？——My!"

AllthosetwodaysandahalfthattheDoctorstayedatthelittlefishing—townthepeoplekeptaskinghimouttoteasandluncheonsanddinnersandparties；alltheladiessenthimboxesofflowersandcandies；andthevillage—bandplayedtunesunderhiswindoweverynight。

AtlasttheDoctorsaid，"Goodpeople，Imustgohomenow。Youhavereallybeenmostkind。Ishallalwaysrememberit。ButImustgohome——forIhavethingstodo。"

Then，justastheDoctorwasabouttoleave，theMayorofthetowncamedownthestreetandalotofotherpeopleingrandclotheswithhim。AndtheMayorstoppedbeforethehousewheretheDoctorwasliving；andeverybodyinthevillagegatheredroundtoseewhatwasgoingtohappen。

Aftersixpage—boyshadblownonshiningtrumpetstomakethepeoplestoptalking，theDoctorcameoutontothestepsandtheMayorspoke。

"DoctorJohnDolittle，"saidhe："ItisagreatpleasureformetopresenttothemanwhoridtheseasoftheDragonofBarbarythislittletokenfromthegratefulpeopleofourworthyTown。"

AndtheMayortookfromhispocketalittletissue—paperpacket，andopeningit，hehandedtotheDoctoraperfectlybeautifulwatchwithrealdiamondsintheback。

ThentheMayorpulledoutofhispocketastilllargerparcelandsaid，"Whereisthedog？"

TheneverybodystartedtohuntforJip。AndatlastDab—Dabfoundhimontheothersideofthevillageinastable—yard，whereallthedogsofthecountry—sidewerestandingroundhimspeechlesswithadmirationandrespect。

WhenJipwasbroughttotheDoctor’sside，theMayoropenedthelargerparcel；andinsidewasadog—collarmadeofsolidgold!Andagreatmurmurofwonderwentupfromthevillage—

folkastheMayorbentdownandfasteneditroundthedog’sneckwithhisownhands。

Forwrittenonthecollarinbigletterswerethesewords："JIP—THECLEVERESTDOGINTHEWORLD。"

Thenthewholecrowdmoveddowntothebeachtoseethemoff。Andafterthered—hairedfishermanandhissisterandthelittleboyhadthankedtheDoctorandhisdogoverandoverandoveragain，thegreat，swiftshipwiththeredsailswasturnedoncemoretowardsPuddlebyandtheysailedouttosea，whilethevillage—

bandplayedmusicontheshore。

THELASTCHAPTER

HOMEAGAIN

MARCHwindshadcomeandgone；April’sshowerswereover；May’sbudshadopenedintoflower；andtheJunesunwasshiningonthepleasantfields，whenJohnDolittleatlastgotbacktohisowncountry。

ButhedidnotyetgohometoPuddleby。

Firsthewenttravelingthroughthelandwiththepushmi—pullyuinagipsy—wagon，stoppingatallthecountry—fairs。Andthere，withtheacrobatsononesideofthemandthePunch—and—

Judyshowontheother，theywouldhangoutabigsignwhichread，"COMEANDSEETHE

MARVELOUSTWO—HEADEDANIMALFROMTHE

JUNGLESOFAFRICA。AdmissionSIXPENCE。"

Andthepushmi—pullyuwouldstayinsidethewagon，whiletheotheranimalswouldlieaboutunderneath。TheDoctorsatinachairinfronttakingthesixpencesandsmilingonthepeopleastheywentin；andDab—Dabwaskeptbusyallthetimescoldinghimbecausehewouldletthechildreninfornothingwhenshewasn’tlooking。

Andmenagerie—keepersandcircus—mencameandaskedtheDoctortosellthemthestrangecreature，sayingtheywouldpayatremendouslotofmoneyforhim。ButtheDoctoralwaysshookhisheadandsaid。

"No。Thepushmi—pullyushallneverbeshutupinacage。Heshallbefreealwaystocomeandgo，likeyouandme。"

Manycurioussightsandhappeningstheysawinthiswanderinglife；buttheyallseemedquiteordinaryafterthegreatthingstheyhadseenanddoneinforeignlands。Itwasveryinterestingatfirst，beingsortofpartofacircus；

butafterafewweekstheyallgotdreadfullytiredofitandtheDoctorandallofthemwerelongingtogohome。

Butsomanypeoplecameflockingtothelittlewagonandpaidthesixpencetogoinsideandseethepushmi—pullyuthatverysoontheDoctorwasabletogiveupbeingashowman。

Andonefineday，whenthehollyhockswereinfullbloom，hecamebacktoPuddlebyarichman，toliveinthelittlehousewiththebiggarden。

Andtheoldlamehorseinthestablewasgladtoseehim；andsoweretheswallowswhohadalreadybuilttheirnestsundertheeavesofhisroofandhadyoungones。AndDab—Dabwasglad，too，togetbacktothehousesheknewsowell——althoughtherewasaterriblelotofdustingtobedone，withcobwebseverywhere。

AndafterJiphadgoneandshownhisgoldencollartotheconceitedcollienext—door，hecamebackandbeganrunningroundthegardenlikeacrazything，lookingfortheboneshehadburiedlongago，andchasingtheratsoutofthetool—shed；whileGub—Gubdugupthehorseradishwhichhadgrownthreefeethighinthecornerbythegarden—wall。

AndtheDoctorwentandsawthesailorwhohadlenthimtheboat，andheboughttwonewshipsforhimandarubber—dollforhisbaby；

andhepaidthegrocerforthefoodhehadlenthimforthejourneytoAfrica。Andheboughtanotherpianoandputthewhitemicebackinit——becausetheysaidthebureau—drawerwasdrafty。

EvenwhentheDoctorhadfilledtheoldmoney—boxonthedresser—shelf，hestillhadalotofmoneyleft；andhehadtogetthreemoremoney—boxes，justasbig，toputtherestin。

"Money，"hesaid，"isaterriblenuisance。

Butit’snicenottohavetoworry。"

"Yes，"saidDab—Dab，whowastoastingmuffinsforhistea，"itisindeed!"

AndwhentheWintercameagain，andthesnowflewagainstthekitchen—window，theDoctorandhisanimalswouldsitroundthebig，warmfireaftersupper；andhewouldreadaloudtothemoutofhisbooks。

ButfarawayinAfrica，wherethemonkeyschatteredinthepalm—treesbeforetheywenttobedunderthebigyellowmoon，theywouldsaytooneanother，"IwonderwhatTheGoodMan’sdoingnow——overthere，intheLandoftheWhiteMen!

Doyouthinkheeverwillcomeback？"

AndPolynesiawouldsqueakoutfromthevines，"Ithinkhewill——Iguesshewill——Ihopehewill!"

Andthenthecrocodilewouldgruntupatthemfromtheblackmudoftheriver，"I’mSUREhewill——Gotosleep!"