THE
StoryofDOCTORDOLITTLE
BEINGTHE
HISTORYOFHISPECULIARLIFE
ATHOMEANDASTONISHINGADVENTURES
INFOREIGNPARTSNEVERBEFOREPRINTED。
TO
ALLCHILDREN
CHILDRENINYEARSANDCHILDRENINHEART
IDEDICATETHISSTORY
Therearesomeofusnowreachingmiddleagewhodiscoverthemselvestobelamentingthepastinonerespectifinnoneother，thattherearenobookswrittennowforchildrencomparablewiththoseofthirtyyearsago。I
saywrittenFORchildrenbecausethenewpsychologicalbusinessofwritingABOUTthemasthoughtheyweresmallpillsorhatchedinsomeespeciallyscientificmethodisextremelypopulartoday。Writingforchildrenratherthanaboutthemisverydifficultaseverybodywhohastrieditknows。Itcanonlybedone，Iamconvinced，bysomebodyhavingagreatdealofthechildinhisownoutlookandsensibilities。Suchwastheauthorof"TheLittleDuke"and"TheDoveintheEagle’sNest，"suchtheauthorof"AFlatironforaFarthing，"and"TheStoryofaShortLife。"Such，aboveall，theauthorof"AliceinWonderland。"Grownupsimaginethattheycandothetrickbyadoptingbabylanguageandtalkingdowntotheirverycriticalaudience。Thereneverwasagreatermistake。
Theimaginationoftheauthormustbeachild’simaginationandyetmaturelyconsistent，sothattheWhiteQueenin"Alice，"forinstance，isseenjustasachildwouldseeher，butshecontinuesalwaysherselfthroughallherdistressingadventures。Thesupremetouchofthewhiterabbitpullingonhiswhiteglovesashehastensisagainabsolutelythechild’svision，butthewhiterabbitasguideandintroducerofAlice’sadventuresbelongstomaturegrowninsight。
Geniusesarerareand，withoutbeingatallanunduepraiseroftimespast，onecansaywithouthesitationthatuntiltheappearanceofHughLofting，thesuccessorofMissYonge，Mrs。
Ewing，Mrs。GattyandLewisCarrollhadnotappeared。IrememberthedelightwithwhichsomesixmonthsagoIpickedupthefirst"Dolittle"bookintheHampshirebookshopatSmithCollegeinNorthampton。OneofMr。
Lofting’spictureswasquiteenoughforme。
ThepicturethatIlighteduponwhenIfirstopenedthebookwastheoneofthemonkeysmakingachainwiththeirarmsacrossthegulf。
ThenIlookedfurtheranddiscoveredBumporeadingfairystoriestohimself。AndthenlookedagainandtherewasapictureofJohnDolittle’shouse。
ButpicturesarenotenoughalthoughmostauthorsdrawsobadlythatifoneofthemhappenstohavethegeniusforlinethatMr。Loftingshowstheremustbe，onefeels，somethinginhiswritingaswell。Thereis。Youcannotreadthefirstparagraphofthebook，whichbeginsintherightway"Onceuponatime"withoutknowingthatMr。Loftingbelievesinhisstoryquiteasmuchasheexpectsyouto。Thatisthefirstessentialforastoryteller。Thenyoudiscoverasyoureadonthathehastherighteyefortherightdetail。Whatchild—inquiringmindcouldresistthisintriguingsentencetobefoundonthesecondpageofthebook：
"Besidesthegold—fishinthepondatthebottomofhisgarden，hehadrabbitsinthepantry，whitemiceinhispiano，asquirrelinthelinenclosetandahedgehoginthecellar。"
AndthenwhenyoureadalittlefurtheryouwilldiscoverthattheDoctorisnotmerelyapegonwhomtohangexcitingandvariousadventuresbutthatheishimselfamanoforiginalandlivelycharacter。Heisaverykindly，generousman，andanyonewhohaseverwrittenstorieswillknowthatitismuchmoredifficulttomakekindly，generouscharactersinterestingthanunkindlyandmeanones。ButDolittleisinteresting。Itisnotonlythatheisquaintbutthatheiswiseandknowswhatheisabout。Thereader，howeveryoung，whomeetshimgetsverysoonasensethatifhewereintrouble，notnecessarilymedical，hewouldgotoDolittleandaskhisadviceaboutit。Dolittleseemstoextendhishandfromthepageandgraspthatofhisreader，andIcanseehimgoingdownthecenturiesakindofPiedPiperwiththousandsofchildrenathisheels。Butnotonlyisheadarlingandaliveandcrediblebuthiscreatorhasalsomanagedtoinvesteverybodyelseinthebookwiththesamekindoflife。
Nowthisbusinessofgivinglifetoanimals，makingthemtalkandbehavelikehumanbeings，isanextremelydifficultone。LewisCarrollabsolutelyconqueredthedifficulties，butI
amnotsurethatanyoneafterhimuntilHughLoftinghasreallymanagedthetrick；eveninsuchamasterpieceas"TheWindintheWillows"
wearenotquiteconvinced。JohnDolittle’sfriendsareconvincingbecausetheircreatorneverforcesthemtodeserttheirowncharacteristics。Polynesia，forinstance，isnaturalfromfirsttolast。ShereallydoescareabouttheDoctorbutshecaresasabirdwouldcare，havingalwayssomeplacetowhichsheisgoingwhenherbusinesswithherfriendsisover。AndwhenMr。Loftinginventsfantasticanimalshegivesthemakindofcrediblepossibilitywhichisextraordinarilyconvincing。Itwillbeimpossibleforanyonewhohasreadthisbooknottobelieveintheexistenceofthepushmi—pullyu，whowouldbecredibleenoughevenweretherenodrawingofit，butthepictureonpage145
settlesthematterofhistruthonceandforall。
Infactthisbookisaworkofgeniusand，asalwayswithworksofgenius，itisdifficulttoanalyzetheelementsthathavegonetomakeit。Thereispoetryhereandfantasyandhumor，alittlepathosbut，aboveall，anumberofcreationsinwhoseexistenceeverybodymustbelievewhethertheybechildrenoffouroroldmenofninetyorprosperousbankersofforty—five。I
don’tknowhowMr。Loftinghasdoneit；I
don’tsupposethatheknowshimself。Thereitis——thefirstrealchildren’sclassicsince"Alice。"
HUGHWALPOLE。
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
IPUDDLEBY
IIANIMALLANGUAGE
IIIMOREMONEYTROUBLES
IVAMESSAGEFROMAFRICA
VTHEGREATJOURNEY
VIPOLYNESIAANDTHEKING
VIITHEBRIDGEOFAPES
VIIITHELEADEROFTHELIONS
IXTHEMONKEYSCOUNCIL
XTHERARESTANIMALOFALL
XITHEBLACKPRINCE
XIIMEDICINEANDMAGIC
XIIIREDSAILSANDBLUEWINGS
XIVTHERATSWARNING
XVTHEBARBARYDRAGON
XVITOO—TOO，THELISTENER
XVIITHEOCEANGOSSIPS
XVIIISMELLS
XIXTHEROCK
XXTHEFISHERMAN’STOWN
XXIHOMEAGAIN
THESTORYOFDOCTORDOLITTLE
THESTORYOF
DOCTORDOLITTLE
THEFIRSTCHAPTER
PUDDLEBY
ONCEuponatime，manyyearsagowhenourgrandfatherswerelittlechildren——therewasadoctor；andhisnamewasDolittle——
JohnDolittle，M。D。"M。D。"meansthathewasaproperdoctorandknewawholelot。
Helivedinalittletowncalled，Puddleby—
on—the—Marsh。Allthefolks，youngandold，knewhimwellbysight。Andwheneverhewalkeddownthestreetinhishighhateveryonewouldsay，"TheregoestheDoctor!——He’sacleverman。"Andthedogsandthechildrenwouldallrunupandfollowbehindhim；andeventhecrowsthatlivedinthechurch—towerwouldcawandnodtheirheads。
Thehousehelivedin，ontheedgeofthetown，wasquitesmall；buthisgardenwasverylargeandhadawidelawnandstoneseatsandweeping—willowshangingover。Hissister，SarahDolittle，washousekeeperforhim；buttheDoctorlookedafterthegardenhimself。
Hewasveryfondofanimalsandkeptmanykindsofpets。Besidesthegold—fishinthepondatthebottomofhisgarden，hehadrabbitsinthepantry，whitemiceinhispiano，asquirrelinthelinenclosetandahedgehoginthecellar。
Hehadacowwithacalftoo，andanoldlamehorse—twenty—fiveyearsofage——andchickens，andpigeons，andtwolambs，andmanyotheranimals。ButhisfavoritepetswereDab—Dabtheduck，Jipthedog，Gub—Gubthebabypig，Polynesiatheparrot，andtheowlToo—Too。
Hissisterusedtogrumbleaboutalltheseanimalsandsaidtheymadethehouseuntidy。
AndonedaywhenanoldladywithrheumatismcametoseetheDoctor，shesatonthehedgehogwhowassleepingonthesofaandnevercametoseehimanymore，butdroveeverySaturdayallthewaytoOxenthorpe，anothertowntenmilesoff，toseeadifferentdoctor。
Thenhissister，SarahDolittle，cametohimandsaid，"John，howcanyouexpectsickpeopletocomeandseeyouwhenyoukeepalltheseanimalsinthehouse？It’safinedoctorwouldhavehisparlorfullofhedgehogsandmice!That’sthefourthpersonagetheseanimalshavedrivenaway。SquireJenkinsandtheParsonsaytheywouldn’tcomenearyourhouseagain——nomatterhowsicktheyare。Wearegettingpoorereveryday。Ifyougoonlikethis，noneofthebestpeoplewillhaveyouforadoctor。"
"ButIliketheanimalsbetterthanthe`bestpeople’，"saidtheDoctor。
"Youareridiculous，"saidhissister，andwalkedoutoftheroom。
So，astimewenton，theDoctorgotmoreandmoreanimals；andthepeoplewhocametoseehimgotlessandless。Tillatlasthehadnooneleft——excepttheCat’s—meat—Man，whodidn’tmindanykindofanimals。ButtheCat’s—meatManwasn’tveryrichandheonlygotsickonceayear——atChristmas—time，whenheusedtogivetheDoctorsixpenceforabottleofmedicine。
Sixpenceayearwasn’tenoughtoliveon——
eveninthosedays，longago；andiftheDoctorhadn’thadsomemoneysavedupinhismoney—
box，nooneknowswhatwouldhavehappened。
Andhekeptongettingstillmorepets；andofcourseitcostalottofeedthem。Andthemoneyhehadsavedupgrewlittlerandlittler。
Thenhesoldhispiano，andletthemiceliveinabureau—drawer。Butthemoneyhegotforthattoobegantogo，sohesoldthebrownsuitheworeonSundaysandwentonbecomingpoorerandpoorer。
Andnow，whenhewalkeddownthestreetinhishighhat，peoplewouldsaytooneanother，"TheregoesJohnDolittle，M。D。!TherewasatimewhenhewasthebestknowndoctorintheWestCountry——Lookathimnow——Hehasn’tanymoneyandhisstockingsarefullofholes!"
Butthedogsandthecatsandthechildrenstillranupandfollowedhimthroughthetown——thesameastheyhaddonewhenhewasrich。
THESECONDCHAPTER
ANIMALLANGUAGE
IThappenedonedaythattheDoctorwassittinginhiskitchentalkingwiththeCat’s—meat—Manwhohadcometoseehimwithastomach—ache。
"Whydon’tyougiveupbeingapeople’sdoctor，andbeananimal—doctor？"
askedtheCat’s—meat—Man。
Theparrot，Polynesia，wassittinginthewindowlookingoutattherainandsingingasailor—songtoherself。
Shestoppedsingingandstartedtolisten。
"Yousee，Doctor，"theCat’s—meat—Manwenton，"youknowallaboutanimals——muchmorethanwhattheseherevetsdo。Thatbookyouwrote——aboutcats，why，it’swonderful!Ican’treadorwritemyself——ormaybe_I_’Dwritesomebooks。Butmywife，Theodosia，she’sascholar，sheis。Andshereadyourbooktome。Well，it’swonderful——that’sallcanbesaid——wonderful。
Youmighthavebeenacatyourself。Youknowthewaytheythink。Andlisten：youcanmakealotofmoneydoctoringanimals。Doyouknowthat？Yousee，I’dsendalltheoldwomenwhohadsickcatsordogstoyou。Andiftheydidn’tgetsickfastenough，IcouldputsomethinginthemeatIsell’emtomake’emsick，see？"
"Oh，no，"saidtheDoctorquickly。"Youmustn’tdothat。Thatwouldn’tberight。"
"Oh，Ididn’tmeanrealsick，"answeredtheCat’s—meat—Man。"Justalittlesomethingtomakethemdroopy—likewaswhatIhadreferenceto。Butasyousay，maybeitain’tquitefairontheanimals。Butthey’llgetsickanyway，becausetheoldwomenalwaysgive’emtoomuchtoeat。Andlook，allthefarmers’roundaboutwhohadlamehorsesandweaklambs——
they’dcome。Beananimal—doctor。"
WhentheCat’s—meat—ManhadgonetheparrotflewoffthewindowontotheDoctor’stableandsaid，"Thatman’sgotsense。That’swhatyououghttodo。Beananimal—doctor。Givethesillypeopleup——iftheyhaven’tbrainsenoughtoseeyou’rethebestdoctorintheworld。Takecareofanimalsinstead——THEY’llsoonfinditout。
Beananimal—doctor。"
"Oh，thereareplentyofanimal—doctors，"saidJohnDolittle，puttingtheflower—potsoutsideonthewindow—silltogettherain。
"Yes，thereAREplenty，"saidPolynesia。"Butnoneofthemareanygoodatall。Nowlisten，Doctor，andI’lltellyousomething。Didyouknowthatanimalscantalk？"
"Iknewthatparrotscantalk，"saidtheDoctor。
"Oh，weparrotscantalkintwolanguages——
people’slanguageandbird—language，"saidPolynesiaproudly。"IfIsay，`Pollywantsacracker，’youunderstandme。Buthearthis：
Ka—kaoi—ee，fee—fee？"
"GoodGracious!"criedtheDoctor。"Whatdoesthatmean？"
"Thatmeans，`Istheporridgehotyet？’——inbird—language。"
"My!Youdon’tsayso!"saidtheDoctor。
"Younevertalkedthatwaytomebefore。"
"Whatwouldhavebeenthegood？"saidPolynesia，dustingsomecracker—crumbsoffherleftwing。"Youwouldn’thaveunderstoodmeifIhad。"
"Tellmesomemore，"saidtheDoctor，allexcited；andherushedovertothedresser—drawerandcamebackwiththebutcher’sbookandapencil。"Nowdon’tgotoofast——andI’llwriteitdown。Thisisinteresting——veryinteresting——somethingquitenew。GivemetheBirds’
A。B。C。first——slowlynow。"
SothatwasthewaytheDoctorcametoknowthatanimalshadalanguageoftheirownandcouldtalktooneanother。Andallthatafternoon，whileitwasraining，Polynesiasatonthekitchentablegivinghimbirdwordstoputdowninthebook。
Attea—time，whenthedog，Jip，camein，theparrotsaidtotheDoctor，"See，HE’Stalkingtoyou。"
"Lookstomeasthoughhewerescratchinghisear，"saidtheDoctor。
"Butanimalsdon’talwaysspeakwiththeirmouths，"saidtheparrotinahighvoice，raisinghereyebrows。"Theytalkwiththeirears，withtheirfeet，withtheirtails——witheverything。
Sometimestheydon’tWANTtomakeanoise。Doyouseenowthewayhe’stwitchinguponesideofhisnose？"
"What’sthatmean？"askedtheDoctor。
"Thatmeans，`Can’tyouseethatithasstoppedraining？’"Polynesiaanswered。"Heisaskingyouaquestion。Dogsnearlyalwaysusetheirnosesforaskingquestions。"
Afterawhile，withtheparrot’shelp，theDoctorgottolearnthelanguageoftheanimalssowellthathecouldtalktothemhimselfandunderstandeverythingtheysaid。Thenhegaveupbeingapeople’sdoctoraltogether。
AssoonastheCat’s—meat—ManhadtoldeveryonethatJohnDolittlewasgoingtobecomeananimal—doctor，oldladiesbegantobringhimtheirpetpugsandpoodleswhohadeatentoomuchcake；andfarmerscamemanymilestoshowhimsickcowsandsheep。
Onedayaplow—horsewasbroughttohim；
andthepoorthingwasterriblygladtofindamanwhocouldtalkinhorse—language。
"Youknow，Doctor，"saidthehorse，"thatvetoverthehillknowsnothingatall。Hehasbeentreatingmesixweeksnow——forspavins。
WhatIneedisSPECTACLES。Iamgoingblindinoneeye。There’snoreasonwhyhorsesshouldn’twearglasses，thesameaspeople。Butthatstupidmanoverthehillneverevenlookedatmyeyes。Hekeptongivingmebigpills。
Itriedtotellhim；buthecouldn’tunderstandawordofhorse—language。WhatIneedisspectacles。"
"Ofcourse——ofcourse，"saidtheDoctor。
"I’llgetyousomeatonce。"
"Iwouldlikeapairlikeyours，"saidthehorse——"onlygreen。They’llkeepthesunoutofmyeyeswhileI’mplowingtheFifty—AcreField。"
"Certainly，"saidtheDoctor。"Greenonesyoushallhave。"
"Youknow，thetroubleis，Sir，"saidtheplow—horseastheDoctoropenedthefrontdoortolethimout——"thetroubleisthatANYBODY
thinkshecandoctoranimals——justbecausetheanimalsdon’tcomplain。Asamatteroffactittakesamuchcleverermantobeareallygoodanimal—doctorthanitdoestobeagoodpeople’sdoctor。Myfarmer’sboythinksheknowsallabouthorses。Iwishyoucouldseehim——hisfaceissofathelooksasthoughhehadnoeyes——andhehasgotasmuchbrainasapotato—bug。
Hetriedtoputamustard—plasteronmelastweek。"
"Wheredidheputit？"askedtheDoctor。
"Oh，hedidn’tputitanywhere——onme，"saidthehorse。"Heonlytriedto。Ikickedhimintotheduck—pond。"
"Well，well!"saidtheDoctor。
"I’maprettyquietcreatureasarule，"saidthehorse——"verypatientwithpeople——don’tmakemuchfuss。Butitwasbadenoughtohavethatvetgivingmethewrongmedicine。
Andwhenthatred—facedboobystartedtomonkeywithme，Ijustcouldn’tbearitanymore。"
"Didyouhurttheboymuch？"askedtheDoctor。
"Oh，no，"saidthehorse。"Ikickedhimintherightplace。Thevet’slookingafterhimnow。Whenwillmyglassesbeready？"
"I’llhavethemforyounextweek，"saidtheDoctor。"ComeinagainTuesday——Goodmorning!"
ThenJohnDolittlegotafine，bigpairofgreenspectacles；andtheplow—horsestoppedgoingblindinoneeyeandcouldseeaswellasever。
Andsoonitbecameacommonsighttoseefarm—animalswearingglassesinthecountryroundPuddleby；andablindhorsewasathingunknown。
Andsoitwaswithalltheotheranimalsthatwerebroughttohim。Assoonastheyfoundthathecouldtalktheirlanguage，theytoldhimwherethepainwasandhowtheyfelt，andofcourseitwaseasyforhimtocurethem。
NowalltheseanimalswentbackandtoldtheirbrothersandfriendsthattherewasadoctorinthelittlehousewiththebiggardenwhoreallyWASadoctor。Andwheneveranycreaturesgotsick——notonlyhorsesandcowsanddogs——butallthelittlethingsofthefields，likeharvest—miceandwater—voles，badgersandbats，theycameatoncetohishouseontheedgeofthetown，sothathisbiggardenwasnearlyalwayscrowdedwithanimalstryingtogetintoseehim。
Thereweresomanythatcamethathehadtohavespecialdoorsmadeforthedifferentkinds。
Hewrote"HORSES"overthefrontdoor，"COWS"overthesidedoor，and"SHEEP"onthekitchendoor。Eachkindofanimalhadaseparatedoor——eventhemicehadatinytunnelmadeforthemintothecellar，wheretheywaitedpatientlyinrowsfortheDoctortocomeroundtothem。
Andso，inafewyears’time，everylivingthingformilesandmilesgottoknowaboutJohnDolittle，M。D。AndthebirdswhoflewtoothercountriesinthewintertoldtheanimalsinforeignlandsofthewonderfuldoctorofPuddleby—on—the—Marsh，whocouldunderstandtheirtalkandhelpthemintheirtroubles。
Inthiswayhebecamefamousamongtheanimals——
allovertheworld——betterknowneventhanhehadbeenamongthefolksoftheWestCountry。Andhewashappyandlikedhislifeverymuch。
OneafternoonwhentheDoctorwasbusywritinginabook，Polynesiasatinthewindow——
asshenearlyalwaysdid——lookingoutattheleavesblowingaboutinthegarden。
Presentlyshelaughedaloud。
"Whatisit，Polynesia？"askedtheDoctor，lookingupfromhisbook。
"Iwasjustthinking，"saidtheparrot；andshewentonlookingattheleaves。
"Whatwereyouthinking？"
"Iwasthinkingaboutpeople，"saidPolynesia。
"Peoplemakemesick。Theythinkthey’resowonderful。Theworldhasbeengoingonnowforthousandsofyears，hasn’tit？Andtheonlythinginanimal—languagethatPEOPLEhavelearnedtounderstandisthatwhenadogwagshistailhemeans`I’mglad!’——It’sfunny，isn’tit？Youaretheveryfirstmantotalklikeus。
Oh，sometimespeopleannoymedreadfully——
suchairstheyputon——talkingabout`thedumbanimals。’DUMB!——Huh!WhyIknewamacawoncewhocouldsay`Goodmorning!’insevendifferentwayswithoutonceopeninghismouth。Hecouldtalkeverylanguage——andGreek。Anoldprofessorwithagraybeardboughthim。Buthedidn’tstay。Hesaidtheoldmandidn’ttalkGreekright，andhecouldn’tstandlisteningtohimteachthelanguagewrong。
Ioftenwonderwhat’sbecomeofhim。Thatbirdknewmoregeographythanpeoplewilleverknow。——PEOPLE，Golly!Isupposeifpeopleeverlearntofly——likeanycommonhedge—
sparrow——weshallneverheartheendofit!"
"You’reawiseoldbird，"saidtheDoctor。
"Howoldareyoureally？Iknowthatparrotsandelephantssometimeslivetobevery，veryold。"
"Icanneverbequitesureofmyage，"saidPolynesia。"It’seitherahundredandeighty—
threeorahundredandeighty—two。ButI
knowthatwhenIfirstcameherefromAfrica，KingCharleswasstillhidingintheoak—tree——
becauseIsawhim。Helookedscaredtodeath。"
THETHIRDCHAPTER
MOREMONEYTROUBLES
ANDsoonnowtheDoctorbegantomakemoneyagain；andhissister，Sarah，boughtanewdressandwashappy。SomeoftheanimalswhocametoseehimweresosickthattheyhadtostayattheDoctor’shouseforaweek。Andwhentheyweregettingbettertheyusedtositinchairsonthelawn。
Andoftenevenaftertheygotwell，theydidnotwanttogoaway——theylikedtheDoctorandhishousesomuch。Andheneverhadthehearttorefusethemwhentheyaskediftheycouldstaywithhim。Sointhiswayhewentongettingmoreandmorepets。
Oncewhenhewassittingonhisgardenwall，smokingapipeintheevening，anItalianorgan—
grindercameroundwithamonkeyonastring。
TheDoctorsawatoncethatthemonkey’scollarwastootightandthathewasdirtyandunhappy。SohetookthemonkeyawayfromtheItalian，gavethemanashillingandtoldhimtogo。Theorgan—grindergotawfullyangryandsaidthathewantedtokeepthemonkey。
ButtheDoctortoldhimthatifhedidn’tgoawayhewouldpunchhimonthenose。JohnDolittlewasastrongman，thoughhewasn’tverytall。SotheItalianwentawaysayingrudethingsandthemonkeystayedwithDoctorDolittleandhadagoodhome。Theotheranimalsinthehousecalledhim"Chee—Chee"——
whichisacommonwordinmonkey—language，meaning"ginger。"
Andanothertime，whenthecircuscametoPuddleby，thecrocodilewhohadabadtooth—
acheescapedatnightandcameintotheDoctor’sgarden。TheDoctortalkedtohimincrocodile—languageandtookhimintothehouseandmadehistoothbetter。Butwhenthecrocodilesawwhatanicehouseitwas——withallthedifferentplacesforthedifferentkindsofanimals——hetoowantedtolivewiththeDoctor。
Heaskedcouldn’thesleepinthefish—pondatthebottomofthegarden，ifhepromisednottoeatthefish。Whenthecircus—mencametotakehimbackhegotsowildandsavagethathefrightenedthemaway。Buttoeveryoneinthehousehewasalwaysasgentleasakitten。
Butnowtheoldladiesgrewafraidtosendtheirlap—dogstoDoctorDolittlebecauseofthecrocodile；andthefarmerswouldn’tbelievethathewouldnoteatthelambsandsickcalvestheybroughttobecured。SotheDoctorwenttothecrocodileandtoldhimhemustgobacktohiscircus。Butheweptsuchbigtears，andbeggedsohardtobeallowedtostay，thattheDoctorhadn’tthehearttoturnhimout。
SothentheDoctor’ssistercametohimandsaid，"John，youmustsendthatcreatureaway。
Nowthefarmersandtheoldladiesareafraidtosendtheiranimalstoyou——justaswewerebeginningtobewelloffagain。Nowweshallberuinedentirely。Thisisthelaststraw。I
willnolongerbehousekeeperforyouifyoudon’tsendawaythatalligator。"
"Itisn’tanalligator，"saidtheDoctor——"it’sacrocodile。"
"Idon’tcarewhatyoucallit，"saidhissister。
"It’sanastythingtofindunderthebed。I
won’thaveitinthehouse。"
"Buthehaspromisedme，"theDoctoranswered，"thathewillnotbiteanyone。Hedoesn’tlikethecircus；andIhaven’tthemoneytosendhimbacktoAfricawherehecomesfrom。Hemindshisownbusinessandonthewholeisverywellbehaved。Don’tbesofussy。"
"ItellyouIWILLNOThavehimaround，"saidSarah。"Heeatsthelinoleum。Ifyoudon’tsendhimawaythisminuteI’ll——I’llgoandgetmarried!"
"Allright，"saidtheDoctor，"goandgetmarried。Itcan’tbehelped。"Andhetookdownhishatandwentoutintothegarden。
SoSarahDolittlepackedupherthingsandwentoff；andtheDoctorwasleftallalonewithhisanimalfamily。
Andverysoonhewaspoorerthanhehadeverbeenbefore。Withallthesemouthstofill，andthehousetolookafter，andnoonetodothemending，andnomoneycomingintopaythebutcher’sbill，thingsbegantolookverydifficult。ButtheDoctordidn’tworryatall。
"Moneyisanuisance，"heusedtosay。
"We’dallbemuchbetteroffifithadneverbeeninvented。Whatdoesmoneymatter，solongaswearehappy？"
Butsoontheanimalsthemselvesbegantogetworried。AndoneeveningwhentheDoctorwasasleepinhischairbeforethekitchen—firetheybegantalkingitoveramongthemselvesinwhispers。Andtheowl，Too—Too，whowasgoodatarithmetic，figureditoutthattherewasonlymoneyenoughlefttolastanotherweek——
iftheyeachhadonemealadayandnomore。
Thentheparrotsaid，"Ithinkwealloughttodothehouseworkourselves。Atleastwecandothatmuch。Afterall，itisforoursakesthattheoldmanfindshimselfsolonelyandsopoor。"
Soitwasagreedthatthemonkey，Chee—Chee，wastodothecookingandmending；thedogwastosweepthefloors；theduckwastodustandmakethebeds；theowl，Too—Too，wastokeeptheaccounts，andthepigwastodothegardening。TheymadePolynesia，theparrot，housekeeperandlaundress，becauseshewastheoldest。
Ofcourseatfirsttheyallfoundtheirnewjobsveryhardtodo——allexceptChee—Chee，whohadhands，andcoulddothingslikeaman。Buttheysoongotusedtoit；andtheyusedtothinkitgreatfuntowatchJip，thedog，sweepinghistailoverthefloorwitharagtiedontoitforabroom。AfteralittletheygottodotheworksowellthattheDoctorsaidthathehadneverhadhishousekeptsotidyorsocleanbefore。
Inthiswaythingswentalongallrightforawhile；butwithoutmoneytheyfounditveryhard。
Thentheanimalsmadeavegetableandflowerstalloutsidethegarden—gateandsoldradishesandrosestothepeoplethatpassedbyalongtheroad。
Butstilltheydidn’tseemtomakeenoughmoneytopayallthebills——andstilltheDoctorwouldn’tworry。Whentheparrotcametohimandtoldhimthatthefishmongerwouldn’tgivethemanymorefish，hesaid，"Nevermind。Solongasthehenslayeggsandthecowgivesmilkwecanhaveomelettesandjunket。Andthereareplentyofvegetablesleftinthegarden。TheWinterisstillalongwayoff。Don’tfuss。ThatwasthetroublewithSarah——shewouldfuss。IwonderhowSarah’sgettingon——anexcellentwoman——insomeways——Well，well!"
Butthesnowcameearlierthanusualthatyear；andalthoughtheoldlamehorsehauledinplentyofwoodfromtheforestoutsidethetown，sotheycouldhaveabigfireinthekitchen，mostofthevegetablesinthegardenweregone，andtherestwerecoveredwithsnow；andmanyoftheanimalswerereallyhungry。
THEFOURTHCHAPTER
AMESSAGEFROMAFRICA
THATWinterwasaverycoldone。AndonenightinDecember，whentheywereallsittingroundthewarmfireinthekitchen，andtheDoctorwasreadingaloudtothemoutofbookshehadwrittenhimselfinanimal—language，theowl，Too—Too，suddenlysaid，"Sh!What’sthatnoiseoutside？"
Theyalllistened；andpresentlytheyheardthesoundofsomeonerunning。Thenthedoorflewopenandthemonkey，Chee—Chee，ranin，badlyoutofbreath。
"Doctor!"hecried，"I’vejusthadamessagefromacousinofmineinAfrica。Thereisaterriblesicknessamongthemonkeysoutthere。
Theyareallcatchingit——andtheyaredyinginhundreds。Theyhaveheardofyou，andbegyoutocometoAfricatostopthesickness。"
"Whobroughtthemessage？"askedtheDoctor，takingoffhisspectaclesandlayingdownhisbook。
"Aswallow，"saidChee—Chee。"Sheisoutsideontherain—butt。"
"Bringherinbythefire，"saidtheDoctor。
"Shemustbeperishedwiththecold。TheswallowsflewSouthsixweeksago!"
Sotheswallowwasbroughtin，allhuddledandshivering；andalthoughshewasalittleafraidatfirst，shesoongotwarmedupandsatontheedgeofthemantelpieceandbegantotalk。
WhenshehadfinishedtheDoctorsaid，"IwouldgladlygotoAfrica——especiallyinthisbitterweather。ButI’mafraidwehaven’tmoneyenoughtobuythetickets。Getmethemoney—box，Chee—Chee。"
Sothemonkeyclimbedupandgotitoffthetopshelfofthedresser。
Therewasnothinginit——notonesinglepenny!
"Ifeltsuretherewastwopenceleft，"saidtheDoctor。
"ThereWAS，"saidtheowl。"Butyouspentitonarattleforthatbadger’sbabywhenhewasteething。"
"DidI？"saidtheDoctor——"dearme，dearme!Whatanuisancemoneyis，tobesure!
Well，nevermind。PerhapsifIgodowntotheseasideIshallbeabletoborrowaboatthatwilltakeustoAfrica。Iknewaseamanoncewhobroughthisbabytomewithmeasles。
Maybehe’lllendushisboat——thebabygotwell。"
SoearlythenextmorningtheDoctorwentdowntotheseashore。Andwhenhecamebackhetoldtheanimalsitwasallright——thesailorwasgoingtolendthemtheboat。
Thenthecrocodileandthemonkeyandtheparrotwereverygladandbegantosing，becausetheyweregoingbacktoAfrica，theirrealhome。AndtheDoctorsaid，"Ishallonlybeabletotakeyouthree——withJipthedog，Dab—Dabtheduck，Gub—Gubthepigandtheowl，Too—Too。Therestoftheanimals，likethedormiceandthewater—volesandthebats，theywillhavetogobackandliveinthefieldswheretheywereborntillwecomehomeagain。ButasmostofthemsleepthroughtheWinter，theywon’tmindthat——andbesides，itwouldn’tbegoodforthemtogotoAfrica。"
Sothentheparrot，whohadbeenonlongsea—
voyagesbefore，begantellingtheDoctorallthethingshewouldhavetotakewithhimontheship。
"Youmusthaveplentyofpilot—bread，"shesaid——"`hardtack’theycallit。Andyoumusthavebeefincans——andananchor。"
"Iexpecttheshipwillhaveitsownanchor，"
saidtheDoctor。
"Well，makesure，"saidPolynesia。"Becauseit’sveryimportant。Youcan’tstopifyouhaven’tgotananchor。Andyou’llneedabell。"
"What’sthatfor？"askedtheDoctor。
"Totellthetimeby，"saidtheparrot。"Yougoandringiteveryhalf—hourandthenyouknowwhattimeitis。Andbringawholelotofrope——italwayscomesinhandyonvoyages。"
Thentheybegantowonderwheretheyweregoingtogetthemoneyfromtobuyallthethingstheyneeded。
"Oh，botherit!Moneyagain，"criedtheDoctor。"Goodness!IshallbegladtogettoAfricawherewedon’thavetohaveany!I’llgoandaskthegrocerifhewillwaitforhismoneytillIgetback——No，I’llsendthesailortoaskhim。"
Sothesailorwenttoseethegrocer。Andpresentlyhecamebackwithallthethingstheywanted。
Thentheanimalspackedup；andaftertheyhadturnedoffthewatersothepipeswouldn’tfreeze，andputuptheshutters，theyclosedthehouseandgavethekeytotheoldhorsewholivedinthestable。AndwhentheyhadseenthattherewasplentyofhayinthelofttolastthehorsethroughtheWinter，theycarriedalltheirluggagedowntotheseashoreandgotontotheboat。
TheCat’s—meat—Manwastheretoseethemoff；andhebroughtalargesuet—puddingasapresentfortheDoctorbecause，hesaidhehadbeentold，youcouldn’tgetsuet—puddingsinforeignparts。
Assoonastheywereontheship，Gub—Gub，thepig，askedwherethebedswere，foritwasfouro’clockintheafternoonandhewantedhisnap。SoPolynesiatookhimdownstairsintotheinsideoftheshipandshowedhimthebeds，setallontopofoneanotherlikebook—shelvesagainstawall。
"Why，thatisn’tabed!"criedGub—Gub。
"That’sashelf!"
"Bedsarealwayslikethatonships，"saidtheparrot。"Itisn’tashelf。Climbupintoitandgotosleep。That’swhatyoucall`abunk。’"
"Idon’tthinkI’llgotobedyet，"saidGub—
Gub。"I’mtooexcited。Iwanttogoupstairsagainandseethemstart。"
"Well，thisisyourfirsttrip，"saidPolynesia。
"Youwillgetusedtothelifeafterawhile。"
Andshewentbackupthestairsoftheship，hummingthissongtoherself，I’veseentheBlackSeaandtheRedSea；
IroundedtheIsleofWight；
IdiscoveredtheYellowRiver，AndtheOrangetoobynight。
NowGreenlanddropsbehindagain，AndIsailtheoceanBlue。
I’mtiredofallthesecolors，Jane，SoI’mcomingbacktoyou。
Theywerejustgoingtostartontheirjourney，whentheDoctorsaidhewouldhavetogobackandaskthesailorthewaytoAfrica。
Buttheswallowsaidshehadbeentothatcountrymanytimesandwouldshowthemhowtogetthere。
SotheDoctortoldChee—Cheetopulluptheanchorandthevoyagebegan。
THEFIFTHCHAPTER
THEGREATJOURNEY
NOWforsixwholeweekstheywentsailingonandon，overtherollingsea，followingtheswallowwhoflewbeforetheshiptoshowthemtheway。Atnightshecarriedatinylantern，sotheyshouldnotmissherinthedark；
andthepeopleontheothershipsthatpassedsaidthatthelightmustbeashootingstar。
AstheysailedfurtherandfurtherintotheSouth，itgotwarmerandwarmer。Polynesia，Chee—Cheeandthecrocodileenjoyedthehotsunnoend。TheyranaboutlaughingandlookingoverthesideoftheshiptoseeiftheycouldseeAfricayet。
Butthepigandthedogandtheowl，Too—
Too，coulddonothinginsuchweather，butsatattheendoftheshipintheshadeofabigbarrel，withtheirtongueshangingout，drinkinglemonade。
Dab—Dab，theduck，usedtokeepherselfcoolbyjumpingintotheseaandswimmingbehindtheship。Andeveryonceinawhile，whenthetopofherheadgottoohot，shewoulddiveundertheshipandcomeupontheotherside。
Inthisway，too，sheusedtocatchherringsonTuesdaysandFridays——wheneverybodyontheboatatefishtomakethebeeflastlonger。
WhentheygotneartotheEquatortheysawsomeflying—fishescomingtowardsthem。AndthefishesaskedtheparrotifthiswasDoctorDolittle’sship。Whenshetoldthemitwas，theysaidtheywereglad，becausethemonkeysinAfricaweregettingworriedthathewouldnevercome。Polynesiaaskedthemhowmanymilestheyhadyettogo；andtheflying—fishessaiditwasonlyfifty—fivemilesnowtothecoastofAfrica。
Andanothertimeawholeschoolofporpoisescamedancingthroughthewaves；andtheytooaskedPolynesiaifthiswastheshipofthefa—
mousdoctor。Andwhentheyheardthatitwas，theyaskedtheparrotiftheDoctorwantedanythingforhisjourney。
AndPolynesiasaid，"Yes。Wehaverunshortofonions。"
"Thereisanislandnotfarfromhere，"saidtheporpoises，"wherethewildonionsgrowtallandstrong。Keepstraighton——wewillgetsomeandcatchuptoyou。"
Sotheporpoisesdashedawaythroughthesea。Andverysoontheparrotsawthemagain，comingupbehind，draggingtheonionsthroughthewavesinbignetsmadeofseaweed。
Thenextevening，asthesunwasgoingdowntheDoctorsaid，"Getmethetelescope，Chee—Chee。Ourjourneyisnearlyended。VerysoonweshouldbeabletoseetheshoresofAfrica。"
Andabouthalfanhourlater，sureenough，theythoughttheycouldseesomethinginfrontthatmightbeland。Butitbegantogetdarkeranddarkerandtheycouldn’tbesure。
Thenagreatstormcameup，withthunderandlightning。Thewindhowled；theraincamedownintorrents；andthewavesgotsohightheysplashedrightovertheboat。
PresentlytherewasabigBANG!Theshipstoppedandrolledoveronitsside。
"What’shappened？"askedtheDoctor，comingupfromdownstairs。
"I’mnotsure，"saidtheparrot；"butIthinkwe’reship—wrecked。Telltheducktogetoutandsee。"
SoDab—Dabdivedrightdownunderthewaves。Andwhenshecameupshesaidtheyhadstruckarock；therewasabigholeinthebottomoftheship；thewaterwascomingin；
andtheyweresinkingfast。
"WemusthaverunintoAfrica，"saidtheDoctor。"Dearme，dearme!——Well——wemustallswimtoland。"
ButChee—CheeandGub—Gubdidnotknowhowtoswim。
"Gettherope!"saidPolynesia。"Itoldyouitwouldcomeinhandy。Where’sthatduck？
Comehere，Dab—Dab。Takethisendoftherope，flytotheshoreandtieitontoapalm—
tree；andwe’llholdtheotherendontheshiphere。Thenthosethatcan’tswimmustclimbalongtheropetilltheyreachtheland。That’swhatyoucalla`life—line。’"
Sotheyallgotsafelytotheshore——someswimming，someflying；andthosethatclimbedalongtheropebroughttheDoctor’strunkandhandbagwiththem。
Buttheshipwasnogoodanymore——withthebigholeinthebottom；andpresentlytheroughseabeatittopiecesontherocksandthetimbersfloatedaway。
Thentheyalltookshelterinanicedrycavetheyfound，highupinthecliffs，tillthestormwasover。
Whenthesuncameoutnextmorningtheywentdowntothesandybeachtodrythemselves。
"DearoldAfrica!"sighedPolynesia。"It’sgoodtogetback。Justthink——it’llbeahundredandsixty—nineyearsto—morrowsinceIwashere!Andithasn’tchangedabit!Sameoldpalm—trees；sameoldredearth；sameoldblackants!There’snoplacelikehome!"
Andtheothersnoticedshehadtearsinhereyes——
shewassopleasedtoseehercountryonceagain。
ThentheDoctormissedhishighhat；forithadbeenblownintotheseaduringthestorm。
SoDab—Dabwentouttolookforit。Andpresentlyshesawit，alongwayoff，floatingonthewaterlikeatoy—boat。
Whensheflewdowntogetit，shefoundoneofthewhitemice，veryfrightened，sittinginsideit。
"Whatareyoudoinghere？"askedtheduck。
"YouweretoldtostaybehindinPuddleby。"
"Ididn’twanttobeleftbehind，"saidthemouse。"IwantedtoseewhatAfricawaslike——Ihaverelativesthere。SoIhidinthebaggageandwasbroughtontotheshipwiththehard—tack。WhentheshipsankIwasterriblyfrightened——becauseIcannotswimfar。I
swamaslongasIcould，butIsoongotallexhaustedandthoughtIwasgoingtosink。Andthen，justatthatmoment，theoldman’shatcamefloatingby；andIgotintoitbecauseIdidnotwanttobedrowned。"
SotheducktookupthehatwiththemouseinitandbroughtittotheDoctorontheshore。
Andtheyallgatheredroundtohavealook。
"That’swhatyoucalla`stowaway，’"saidtheparrot。
Presently，whentheywerelookingforaplaceinthetrunkwherethewhitemousecouldtravelcomfortably，themonkey，Chee—Chee，suddenlysaid，"Sh!Ihearfootstepsinthejungle!"
Theyallstoppedtalkingandlistened。Andsoonablackmancamedownoutofthewoodsandaskedthemwhattheyweredoingthere。
"MynameisJohnDolittle——M。D。，"saidtheDoctor。"IhavebeenaskedtocometoAfricatocurethemonkeyswhoaresick。"
"YoumustallcomebeforetheKing，"saidtheblackman。
"Whatking？"askedtheDoctor，whodidn’twanttowasteanytime。
"TheKingoftheJolliginki，"themananswered。"Alltheselandsbelongtohim；andallstrangersmustbebroughtbeforehim。Followme。"
Sotheygathereduptheirbaggageandwentoff，followingthemanthroughthejungle。
THESIXTHCHAPTER
POLYNESIAANDTHEKING
WHENtheyhadgonealittlewaythroughthethickforesttheycametoawide，clearspace；andtheysawtheKing’spalacewhichwasmadeofmud。
ThiswaswheretheKinglivedwithhisQueen，Ermintrude，andtheirson，PrinceBumpo。ThePrincewasawayfishingforsalmonintheriver。ButtheKingandQueenweresittingunderanumbrellabeforethepalacedoor。AndQueenErmintrudewasasleep。
WhentheDoctorhadcomeuptothepalacetheKingaskedhimhisbusiness；andtheDoctortoldhimwhyhehadcometoAfrica。
"Youmaynottravelthroughmylands，"saidtheKing。"Manyyearsagoawhitemancametotheseshores；andIwasverykindtohim。
Butafterhehaddugholesinthegroundtogetthegold，andkilledalltheelephantstogettheirivorytusks，hewentawaysecretlyinhisship——
withoutsomuchassaying`Thankyou。’NeveragainshallawhitemantravelthroughthelandsofJolliginki。"
ThentheKingturnedtosomeoftheblackmenwhowerestandingnearandsaid，"Takeawaythismedicine—man——withallhisanimals，andlockthemupinmystrongestprison。"
SosixoftheblackmenledtheDoctorandallhispetsawayandshutthemupinastonedungeon。Thedungeonhadonlyonelittlewindow，highupinthewall，withbarsinit；andthedoorwasstrongandthick。
Thentheyallgrewverysad；andGub—Gub，thepig，begantocry。ButChee—Cheesaidhewouldspankhimifhedidn’tstopthathorriblenoise；andhekeptquiet。
"Areweallhere？"askedtheDoctor，afterhehadgotusedtothedimlight。
"Yes，Ithinkso，"saidtheduckandstartedtocountthem。
"Where’sPolynesia？"askedthecrocodile。
"Sheisn’there。"
"Areyousure？"saidtheDoctor。"Lookagain。
Polynesia!Polynesia!Whereareyou？"
"Isupposesheescaped，"grumbledthecrocodile。
"Well，that’sjustlikeher!——Sneakedoffintothejungleassoonasherfriendsgotintotrouble。"
"I’mnotthatkindofabird，"saidtheparrot，climbingoutofthepocketinthetailoftheDoctor’scoat。"Yousee，I’msmallenoughtogetthroughthebarsofthatwindow；andIwasafraidtheywouldputmeinacageinstead。
SowhiletheKingwasbusytalking，IhidintheDoctor’spocket——andhereIam!That’swhatyoucalla`ruse，’"shesaid，smoothingdownherfeatherswithherbeak。
"GoodGracious!"criedtheDoctor。
"You’reluckyIdidn’tsitonyou。"
"Nowlisten，"saidPolynesia，"to—night，assoonasitgetsdark，Iamgoingtocreepthroughthebarsofthatwindowandflyovertothepalace。Andthen——you’llsee——I’llsoonfindawaytomaketheKingletusalloutofprison。"
"Oh，whatcanYOUdo？"saidGub—Gub，turninguphisnoseandbeginningtocryagain。
"You’reonlyabird!"
"Quitetrue，"saidtheparrot。"ButdonotforgetthatalthoughIamonlyabird，ICANTALK
LIKEAMAN——andIknowthesepeople。"
Sothatnight，whenthemoonwasshiningthroughthepalm—treesandalltheKing’smenwereasleep，theparrotslippedoutthroughthebarsoftheprisonandflewacrosstothepalace。
Thepantrywindowhadbeenbrokenbyatennisballtheweekbefore；andPolynesiapoppedinthroughtheholeintheglass。
SheheardPrinceBumposnoringinhisbed—
roomatthebackofthepalace。Thenshetip—
toedupthestairstillshecametotheKing’sbedroom。Sheopenedthedoorgentlyandpeepedin。
TheQueenwasawayatadancethatnightathercousin’s；buttheKingwasinbedfastasleep。
Polynesiacreptin，verysoftly，andgotunderthebed。
Thenshecoughed——justthewayDoctorDolittleusedtocough。Polynesiacouldmimicanyone。
TheKingopenedhiseyesandsaidsleepily：
"Isthatyou，Ermintrude？"（HethoughtitwastheQueencomebackfromthedance。）
Thentheparrotcoughedagain——loud，likeaman。AndtheKingsatup，wideawake，andsaid，"Who’sthat？"
"IamDoctorDolittle，"saidtheparrot——justthewaytheDoctorwouldhavesaidit。
"Whatareyoudoinginmybedroom？"criedtheKing。"Howdareyougetoutofprison!
Whereareyou？——Idon’tseeyou。"
Buttheparrotjustlaughed——along，deepjollylaugh，liketheDoctor’s。
"Stoplaughingandcomehereatonce，soI
canseeyou，"saidtheKing。
"FoolishKing!"answeredPolynesia。"HaveyouforgottenthatyouaretalkingtoJohnDolittle，M。D。——themostwonderfulmanonearth？
Ofcourseyoucannotseeme。Ihavemademyselfinvisible。ThereisnothingIcannotdo。
Nowlisten：Ihavecomehereto—nighttowarnyou。Ifyoudon’tletmeandmyanimalstravelthroughyourkingdom，Iwillmakeyouandallyourpeoplesicklikethemonkeys。ForIcanmakepeoplewell：andIcanmakepeopleill——
justbyraisingmylittlefinger。Sendyoursoldiersatoncetoopenthedungeondoor，oryoushallhavemumpsbeforethemorningsunhasrisenonthehillsofJolliginki。"
ThentheKingbegantotrembleandwasverymuchafraid。
"Doctor，"hecried，"itshallbeasyousay。
Donotraiseyourlittlefinger，please!"Andhejumpedoutofbedandrantotellthesoldierstoopentheprisondoor。
Assoonashewasgone，Polynesiacreptdownstairsandleftthepalacebythepantrywindow。
ButtheQueen，whowasjustlettingherselfinatthebackdoorwithalatch—key，sawthepar—
rotgettingoutthroughthebrokenglass。AndwhentheKingcamebacktobedshetoldhimwhatshehadseen。
ThentheKingunderstoodthathehadbeentricked，andhewasdreadfullyangry。HehurriedbacktotheprisonatonceButhewastoolate。Thedoorstoodopen。
Thedungeonwasempty。TheDoctorandallhisanimalsweregone。
THESEVENTHCHAPTER
THEBRIDGEOFAPES
QUEENERMINTRUDEhadneverinherlifeseenherhusbandsoterribleashegotthatnight。Hegnashedhisteethwithrage。Hecalledeverybodyafool。Hethrewhistooth—brushatthepalacecat。Herushedroundinhisnight—shirtandwokeupallhisarmyandsentthemintothejungletocatchtheDoctor。
Thenhemadeallhisservantsgotoo——hiscooksandhisgardenersandhisbarberandPrinceBumpo’stutor——eventheQueen，whowastiredfromdancinginapairoftightshoes，waspackedofftohelpthesoldiersintheirsearch。
AllthistimetheDoctorandhisanimalswererunningthroughtheforesttowardstheLandoftheMonkeysasfastastheycouldgo。
Gub—Gub，withhisshortlegs，soongottired；
andtheDoctorhadtocarryhim——whichmadeitprettyhardwhentheyhadthetrunkandthehand—bagwiththemaswell。
TheKingoftheJolliginkithoughtitwouldbeeasyforhisarmytofindthem，becausetheDoctorwasinastrangelandandwouldnotknowhisway。Buthewaswrong；becausethemonkey，Chee—Chee，knewallthepathsthroughthejungle——bettereventhantheKing’smendid。AndheledtheDoctorandhispetstotheverythickestpartoftheforest——aplacewherenomanhadeverbeenbefore——andhidthemallinabighollowtreebetweenhighrocks。
"Wehadbetterwaithere，"saidChee—Chee，"tillthesoldiershavegonebacktobed。ThenwecangoonintotheLandoftheMonkeys。"
Sotheretheystayedthewholenightthrough。
TheyoftenheardtheKing’smensearchingandtalkinginthejungleroundabout。Buttheywerequitesafe，fornooneknewofthathiding—placebutChee—Chee——noteventheothermonkeys。
Atlast，whendaylightbegantocomethroughthethickleavesoverhead，theyheardQueenErmintrudesayinginaverytiredvoicethatitwasnouselookinganymore——thattheymightaswellgobackandgetsomesleep。
Assoonasthesoldiershadallgonehome，Chee—CheebroughttheDoctorandhisanimalsoutofthehiding—placeandtheysetofffortheLandoftheMonkeys。
Itwasalong，longway；andtheyoftengotverytired——especiallyGub—Gub。Butwhenhecriedtheygavehimmilkoutofthecocoanutswhichhewasveryfondof。
Theyalwayshadplentytoeatanddrink；
becauseChee—CheeandPolynesiaknewallthedifferentkindsoffruitsandvegetablesthatgrowinthejungle，andwheretofindthem——likedatesandfigsandground—nutsandgingerandyams。Theyusedtomaketheirlemonadeoutofthejuiceofwildoranges，sweetenedwithhoneywhichtheygotfromthebees’nestsinhollowtrees。Nomatterwhatitwastheyaskedfor，Chee—CheeandPolynesiaalwaysseemedtobeabletogetitforthem——orsomethinglikeit。
TheyevengottheDoctorsometobaccooneday，whenhehadfinishedwhathehadbroughtwithhimandwantedtosmoke。
Atnighttheysleptintentsmadeofpalm—
leaves，onthick，softbedsofdriedgrass。Andafterawhiletheygotusedtowalkingsuchalotanddidnotgetsotiredandenjoyedthelifeoftravelverymuch。
Buttheywerealwaysgladwhenthenightcameandtheystoppedfortheirresting—time。
ThentheDoctorusedtomakealittlefireofsticks；andaftertheyhadhadtheirsupper，theywouldsitrounditinaring，listeningtoPolynesiasingingsongsaboutthesea，ortoChee—
Cheetellingstoriesofthejungle。
AndmanyofthetalesthatChee—Cheetoldwereveryinteresting。Becausealthoughthemonkeyshadnohistory—booksoftheirownbeforeDoctorDolittlecametowritethemforthem，theyremembereverythingthathappensbytellingstoriestotheirchildren。AndChee—Cheespokeofmanythingshisgrandmotherhadtoldhim——talesoflong，long，longago，beforeNoahandtheFlood——ofthedayswhenmendressedinbear—skinsandlivedinholesintherockandatetheirmuttonraw，becausetheydidnotknowwhatcookingwas——havingneverseenafire。
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