 Part two, chapters one to four, of the voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofty. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter one. The Crew of the Kurlew. From that time on, of course, my position in the town was very different. I was no longer a poor cobbler-son. I carried my nose in the air as I went down the high street with Jip in his gold collar at my side, and snobbish little boys who had despised me before because I was not rich enough to go to school, now pointed me out to their friends and whispered, You see, him, he's a doctor's assistant, and only ten years old. But their eyes would have opened still wider with wonder if they had but known that I and the dog that was with me could talk to one another. Two days after the doctor had been to our house to dinner, he told me very sadly that he was afraid that he would have to give up trying to learn the language of the shellfish at all events for the present. I'm very discouraged, Stubbins, very. I've tried the mussels and the clams, the oysters and the welks, cockles and scallops, seven different kinds of crabs, and all the lobster family. I think I'll leave it for the present and go at it again later on. What will you turn to now? I asked. Well, I rather thought of going on a voyage, Stubbins. It's quite a time now since I've been away. And there is a great deal of work waiting for me abroad. When shall we start? I asked. Well, first, I shall have to wait till the purple bird of paradise gets here. I must see if she has any message for me from Long Arrow. She's late. She should have been here ten days ago. I hope to goodness she's all right. Well, hadn't we better be seeing about getting a boat? I said. She is sure to be here in a day or so, and there will be lots of things to do to get ready in the meantime, won't there? Yes, indeed. Said the doctor. Suppose we go down and see your friend Joe, the muscle man. He will know about boats. I'd like to come too. Said Jim. All right. Come along. Said the doctor, and off we went. Joe said. Yes. He had a boat, one he had just bought. It needed three people to sell her. We told him we would like to see it anyway. So the muscle man took us off a little way down the river and showed us the neatest, prettiest little vessel that ever was built. She was called the crew loo. Joe said he would sell her to us cheap, but the trouble was that the boat needed three people while we were only two. Of course I shall be taking Chi Chi. Said the doctor. But although he is very quick and clever, he is not as strong as a man. We really want to have another person to sail a boat as big as that. I know of a good sailor, doctor. Said Joe. A first class seaman who would be glad of the job. No thank you, Joe. Said doctor, do little. I don't want any seaman, I couldn't afford to hire them. And then they hamper me so seaman do when I'm at sea, they're always wanting to do things the proper way and I like to do them my way. Now let me see, who could we take with us? There's Matthew Mug, the cat's meat man. I said. No, he wouldn't do. Matthew's a very nice fellow, but he talks too much, mostly about his rheumatism. You have to be frightfully particular whom you take with you on long voyages. How about Luke the Hermit? I asked. That's a good idea. Splendid. If you'll come, let's go and ask him right away. Chapter 2 Luke the Hermit The Hermit was an old friend of ours as I have already told you. He was a very peculiar person. Far out on the marshes he lived in a little bit of a shack, all alone except for his spindle bulldog. No one knew where he came from, not even his name. Just Luke the Hermit, folks called him. He never came into town, never seemed to want to see or talk to people. His dog Bob drove them away if they came near his hut. When you asked anyone in Puttleby who he was or why he lived out in that lonely place by himself, the only answer you got was— Oh! Luke the Hermit! Well, there's a mystery about him. Nobody knows what it is, but there's a mystery. Don't go near him. He'll set the dog on you. Nevertheless, there were two people who often went out to that little shack on the fins—the doctor and myself—and Bob the Bulldog never barked when he heard us coming, where we liked Luke and Luke liked us. This afternoon crossing the marshes we faced a cold wind blowing from the east. As we approached the hut, Jip put up his ears and said— That's funny. What's funny? asked the doctor. That Bob hasn't come out to meet us. He should have heard us long ago or smelt us. What's that queer noise? Sounds to me like a gate creaking, said the doctor. Maybe it's Luke's door. Only we can't see the door from here. It's on the far side of the shack. I hope Bob isn't sick, said Jip, and he let out a bark to see if that would call him. But the only answer he got was the wailing of the wind across the wide Salt Fen. We hurried forward, all three of us thinking hard. When we reached the front of the shack we found the door open, swinging and creaking dismally in the wind. We looked inside. There was no one there. Isn't Luke at home, then? said I. Perhaps he's out for a walk. He is always at home. said the doctor, frowning in a peculiar sort of way. And even if he were out for a walk he wouldn't leave his door banging in the wind behind him. There is something queer about this. What are you doing in there, Jip? Nothing much, nothing worth speaking of. Said Jip, examining the floor of the hut extremely carefully. Come here, Jip, said the doctor in a stern voice. You are hiding something from me. You see signs and you know something, or you guess it. What has happened? Tell me. Where is the hermit? I don't know. Said Jip, looking very guilty and uncomfortable. I don't know where he is. Well, you know something. I can tell her from the look in your eye. What is it? But Jip didn't answer. For ten minutes the doctor kept questioning him. But not a word would the dog say. Well? Said the doctor at last. It is no use our standing around here in the cold. The hermit's gone. That's all. We might as well go home to luncheon. As we buttoned up our coat since darted back across the marsh, Jip ran ahead pretending he was looking for water rats. He knows something all right. Whistled the doctor. And I think he knows what has happened, too. It's funny he's not wanting to tell me. He has never done that before, not in eleven years. He has always told me everything. Strange. Very strange. Do you mean you think he knows all about the hermit? The big mystery about him, which folks hint at and all that? I shouldn't wonder if he did. The doctor answered slowly. I noticed something in his expression. The moment we found that door open. And the hut, empty. And the way he sniffed the floor, too. It told him something that floor did. He saw signs we couldn't see. I wonder why he won't tell me. I'll try him again. Here, Jip! Jip! Where is the dog? I thought he went on in front. How did I? I said. He was there a moment ago. I saw him as large as life. Jip! Jip! Jip! Jip! But he was gone. We called and called. We even walked back to the hut. The Jip had disappeared. Oh, well. I said. Most likely he is just to run home ahead of us. He often does that, you know. We'll find him there when we get back to the house. But the doctor just closed his coat-collar tighter against the wind and strode on muttering. Odd. Very odd. Chapter 3 Jip and the Secret When we reached the house, the first question the doctor asked of Dab-Dab in the hall was... Is Jip home yet? No. Said Dab-Dab. I haven't seen him. Let me know the moment he comes in, will you please? Said the doctor, hanging up his hat. Certainly I will. Said Dab-Dab. Don't be long over washing your hands. The lunch is on the table. Just as we were sitting down to luncheon in the kitchen, we heard a great rocket at the front door. I ran and opened it. Inbounded Jip. Doctor! He cried. Coming to the library quick. I've got something to tell you. No, Dab-Dab. The luncheon must wait. Please hurry, doctor. There's not a moment to be lost. Don't let any of the animals come. Thank you and Tommy. Now... He said when we were inside the library and the door was closed. Turn the key in the lock and make sure there's no one listening under the windows. It's all right. Said the doctor. Nobody can hear you here. Now, what is it? Well, doctor... Said Jip. He was badly out of breath from running. I know all about the hermit. I have known for years, but I couldn't tell you. Why? Asked the doctor. Because I promised not to tell anyone. It was Bob, his dog, that told me, and I swore to him that I would keep the secret. Well, and are you going to tell me now? Yes, said Jip. We've got to save him. I followed Bob's scent just now when I left you out there on the marshes, and I found him, and I said to him, Is it all right, I said, for me to tell the doctor now? Maybe he can do something, and Bob says to me, Yes, says he. It's all right because... Oh, for heaven's sake, go on, go on! Cried the doctor. Tell us what the mystery is, not what you said to Bob and what Bob said to you. What has happened? Where is the hermit? He's in puttleby jail. Said Jip. He's in prison. In prison? Yes. What for? What's he done? Jip went over to the door, and smelt at the bottom of it to see if anyone were listening outside. Then he came back to the doctor on tiptoe, and whispered it. He killed a man. Cried the doctor, sitting down heavily in a chair, and mopping his forehead with a handkerchief. When did he do it? Fifteen years ago, in a Mexican gold mine. That's why he's been a hermit ever since. He shaved off his beard, and kept away from people out there on the marshes, so he wouldn't be recognized. But last week it seems these new fangled policemen came to town, and they heard that there was a strange man who kept to himself all alone in a shack on the fin. And they got suspicious. For a long time people have been hunting all over the world for the man that did that killing in the Mexican gold mine fifteen years ago. So these policemen went out to the shack, and they recognized Luke by a mole in his arm, and they took him to prison. Well well. murmured the doctor. Who would have thought it? Luke, the philosopher. Killed a man. I can hardly believe it. It's true enough, unfortunately. Said Jip. Luke did it, but it wasn't his fault. Bob says so, and he was there and saw it all. He was scarcely more than a puppy at the time. Bob says Luke couldn't help it. He had to do it. Where is Bob now? Asked the doctor. Down at the prison. I wanted him to come with me here to see you. But he won't leave the prison while Luke was there. He just sits outside the door of the prison cell and won't move. He doesn't even eat the food they give him. Won't you please come down there, doctor, and see if there's anything you can do? The trial's to be this afternoon at two o'clock. What time is it now? It's ten minutes past one. Bob says he thinks they are going to kill Luke for a punishment if they can prove that he did it, or certainly keep him in prison for the rest of his life. Won't you please come? Perhaps if he spoke to the judge and told him what a good man Luke really is, they'd let him off. Of course I'll come. Said the doctor, getting up and moving to go. But I'm very much afraid that I shan't be of any real help. He turned at the door and hesitated thoughtfully. And yet I wonder. Then he opened the door and passed out with Jip and me, close at his heels. CHAPTER IV Bob Dab-dab was terribly upset when she found we were going away again without luncheon, and she made us take some cold pork pies in our pockets to eat on the way. When we got to Puttleby Courthouse, it was next door to the prison, we found a great crowd gathered around the building. This was the week of assizes, a business which happened every three months, when many pickpockets and other bad characters were tried by a very grand judge who came all the way from London, and anybody in Puttleby who had nothing special to do used to come to the courthouse to hear the trials. But today it was different. The crowd was not made up of just a few idle people. It was enormous. The news had run through the countryside that Luke the Hermit was to be tried for killing a man, and that the great mystery which had hung over him so long was to be cleared up at last. The butcher and the baker had closed their shops and taken a holiday. All the farmers from roundabout and all the town's folk were there with their Sunday clothes on trying to get seats in the courthouse, or gossiping outside in low whispers. The high street was so crowded you could hardly move along it. I had never seen a quiet old town in such a state of excitement before, for Puttleby had not had such an assizes since 1799 when Ferdinand Phipps, the Rector's oldest son, had robbed the bank. If I hadn't had the doctor with me, I am sure I would never have been able to make my way through the mob-packed round the courthouse door. But I just followed behind him, hanging on to his coattails, and at last we got safely into the jail. I want to see Luke. Said the doctor to a very grand person in a blue coat with brass buttons standing at the door. Ask at the superintendent's office. Said the man. Third door on the left, down the corridor. Who is that person you spoke to, doctor? I asked as we went along the passage. He is a policeman. And what are policemen? Policemen? They are to keep people in order. They've just been invented by Sir Robert Peel. That's why they are also called Peelers sometimes. It is a wonderful age we live in. They're always thinking of something new. This will be the superintendent's office, I suppose. From there another policeman was sent with us to show us the way. Outside the door of Luke's cell we found Bob the Bulldog, who wagged his tail sadly when he saw us. The man who was guiding us took a large bunch of keys from his pocket and opened the door. I had never been inside a real prison cell before, and I felt quite a thrill when the policeman went out and locked the door after him, leaving us shut in the dimly lighted, little stone room. Before he went he said as soon as we had done talking with our friend, we should knock upon the door and he would come and let us out. At first I could hardly see anything. It was so dim inside, but after a little I made out a low bed against the wall under a small barred window. On the bed staring down at the floor between his feet sat the hermit, his head resting in his hands. Well, Luke! Said the doctor in a kindly voice. They don't give you much light in here, do they? Very slowly the hermit looked up from the floor. Hello, John DeWill. What brings you here? I've come to see you. I would have been here sooner. Only I didn't hear about all this till a few minutes ago. I went to your hut to ask you if you would join me on a voyage, and when I found it empty I had no idea where you could be. I am dreadfully sorry to hear about your bad luck. I've come to see if there is anything I can do. Luke shook his head. No. I don't imagine there is anything can be done. They've caught me at last. That's the end of it, I suppose. He got up stiffly and started walking up and down the little room. In a way. I'm glad it's over, said he. I never got any peace. Always thinking they were after me. Afraid to speak to any one. They were bound to get me in the end. Yes. I'm glad it's over. Then the doctor talked to Luke for more than half an hour trying to cheer him up, while I sat around wondering what I ought to say and wishing I could do something. At last the doctor said he wanted to see Bob, and we knocked upon the door and were let out by the policeman. Bob? Said the doctor to the big bulldog in the passage. Come out with me into the porch. I want to ask you something. How is he, doctor? Ask Bob as we walked down the corridor into the courthouse porch. Oh, Luke's all right. Very miserable, of course, but he's all right. Now tell me, Bob, you saw this business happen, didn't you? You were there when the man was killed, eh? I was, doctor. Said Bob. And I tell you. All right. The doctor interrupted me. That's all I want to know for the present. There isn't time to tell me more now. The trial is just going to begin. I'd rather judge, and the lawyer's coming up the steps. Now listen, Bob, I want you to stay with me when I go into the courtroom. And whatever I tell you to do, do it. Do you understand? Don't make any scenes. Don't bite anybody, no matter what they may say about Luke. Just behave perfectly quietly and answer any question I may ask you. Truthfully, do you understand? There well. But do you think you will be able to get him off, doctor? Yes, Bob. He's a good man, doctor. He really is. There never was a better. We'll see. We'll see, Bob. It's a new thing I'm going to try. I'm not sure the judge will allow it. But, well, we'll see. It's time to go into the courtroom now. Don't forget what I told you. Remember, for heaven's sake, don't start biting anyone, or you'll get us all put out and spoil everything. into part 2 chapter 4 part 2 chapters 5 to 8 of the voyages of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Lofty. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 5 Mendoza. Inside the courtroom everything was very solemn and wonderful. It was a high big room. Raised above the floor against the wall was the judge's desk. And here the judge was already sitting. An old handsome man in a marvellous big wig of grey hair and a gown of black. Below him was another wide long desk at which lawyers in white wigs sat. The whole thing reminded me of a mixture between a church and a school. Those twelve men at the side. Whispered the doctor. Those impused like a choir. They are what is called the jury. It is they who decide whether Luke is guilty, whether he did it or not. And look. I said. There's Luke himself in a sort of pulpit thing with policemen each side of him. And there's another pulpit. The same kind the other side of the room see. Only that one's empty. That one is called the witness box. Said the doctor. Now I'm going down to speak to one of those men in white wigs. And I want you to wait here and keep these two seats for us. Bob will stay with you. Keep an eye on him. Better hold on to his collar. I shan't be more than a minute or so. With that the doctor disappeared into the crowd, which filled the main part of the room. Then I saw the judge take up a funny little wooden hammer and knock on his desk with it. This it seemed was to make people keep quiet, for immediately everyone stopped buzzing and talking and began to listen very respectfully. Then another man in a black gown stood up and began reading from a paper in his hand. He mumbled away exactly as though he were saying his prayers and didn't want anyone to understand what language they were in, but I managed to catch a few words. Bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, bizz, otherwise known as Lucas the Hermit of bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz, fzz, four killing his partner with bzz, bzz, bzz, bzz, bz, bzz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, bz, of Mexico. Four. Her Majesty's b-b-b-b-b-b-b-b. At this moment I felt someone take hold of my arm from the back, and turning round I found the doctor had returned with one of the men in white wings. Stubbins, this is Mr. Percy Jenkins, said the doctor. He is Luke's lawyer. It is his business to get Luke off. If he can. Mr. Jenkins seemed to be an extremely young man with a round smooth face like a boy. He shook hands with me and then immediately turned and went on talking with the doctor. Oh, I think it is a perfectly precious idea, he was saying. Of course the dog must be admitted as a witness. He was the only one who saw the thing take place. I'm awfully glad you came. I wouldn't have missed this for anything. My hat, won't it make the old court sit up? They're always frightfully dull these assizes, but this will stir things. A bulldog witness for the defense. I do hope there are plenty of reporters present. Yes, there's one making a sketch of the prisoner. I shall become known after this. And won't Conky be pleased? My hat! He put his hand over his mouth to smother a laugh, and his eyes fairly sparkled with mischief. Who is Conky? I asked the doctor. He is speaking of the judge up there, the Honorable Eustace Moscham Conkley. Now, said Mr. Jenkins, bringing out a notebook. Tell me a little more about yourself, doctor. You took your degree as doctor of medicine at Durham, I think you said, and the name of your last book was? I could not hear any more, for they talked in whispers, and I fell to looking round the court again. Of course I could not understand everything that was going on, though it was all very interesting. People kept getting up in the place the doctor called the witness box, and the lawyers at the long table asked them questions about the night of the twenty-ninth. Then the people would get down and somebody else would get up and be questioned. One of the lawyers, who the doctor told me afterwards, was called the prosecutor, seemed to be doing his best to get the hermit into trouble by asking questions which made it look as though he had always been a very bad man. He was a nasty longer, this prosecutor, with a long nose. Most of the time I could hardly keep my eyes off for Luke, who sat there between his two policemen, staring at the floor as though he weren't interested. The only time I saw him take any notice at all was when a small dark man with wicked little watery eyes got up into the witness box. I heard Bob snarl under my chair as this person came into the courtroom, and Luke's eyes just blazed with anger and contempt. This man said his name was Mendoza, and that he was the one who had guided the Mexican police to the mine after Bluebeard Bill had been killed. And at every word he said I could hear Bob down below me muttering between his teeth. It's a lie. It's a lie. I'll chew his face. It's a lie. And both the doctor and I had hard work keeping the dog under the seat. Then I noticed that our Mr. Jenkins had disappeared from the doctor's side, but presently I saw him stand up at the long table to speak to the judge. Your honour, said he, I wish to introduce a new witness for the defence, Dr. John Doolittle, the naturalist. Will you please step into the witness stand, doctor? There was a buzz of excitement as the doctor made his way across the crowded room, and I noticed the nasty lawyer with the long nose leaned down and whispered something to a friend, smiling in an ugly way which made me want to pinch him. Then Mr. Jenkins asked the doctor a whole lot of questions about himself, and made him answer in a loud voice so the whole court could hear. He finished up by saying, And you are prepared to swear, Dr. Doolittle, that you understand the language of dogs and can make them understand you. Is that so? Yes, said the doctor. That is so. And what, might I ask? Put in the judge in a very quiet, dignified voice. Has all this to do with the killing of a bluebird bill? This your honour, said Mr. Jenkins, talking in a very grand manner, as though he were on a stage in a theatre. There is in this courtroom, at the present moment, a bulldog, who was the only living thing that saw the man killed. With the court's permission, I propose to put that dog in the witness stand, and have him questioned before you by the eminent scientist Dr. John Doolittle. Chapter 6 The Judge's Dawn At first there was dead silence in the court. Then everybody began whispering or giggling at the same time, to the whole room sounded like a great hive of bees. Many people seemed to be shocked. Most of them were amused, and a few were angry, presently upspraying the nasty lawyer with the long nose. I protest, your honour! He cried waving his arms wildly to the judge. I object! The dignity of this court is in peril. I protest! I am the one to take care of the dignity of this court, said the judge. Then Mr. Jenkins got up again. If it hadn't been such a serious matter, it was almost like a punch and duty show. Somebody was always popping down, and somebody else popping up. If there is any doubt on the score of our being able to do as we say, your honour will have no objection, I trust, to the doctors giving the court a demonstration of his powers, of showing that he actually can understand the speech of animals. I thought I saw a twinkle of amusement come into the old judge's eyes, as he sat considering a moment before he answered. No, he said at last. I don't think so. Then he turned to the doctor. Are you quite sure you can do this? He asked. Quite, your honour. Said the doctor. Quite sure. Very well, then. Said the judge. If you can satisfy us that you really are able to understand canine testimony, the dog shall be admitted as a witness. I do not see, in that case, how I could object to his being heard. But I warn you that if you are trying to make a laughing stock of this court, it will go hard with you. I protest! I protest! Well, the long-nosed prosecutor. This is a scandal! An outrage to the bar! Sit down. Said the judge in a very stern voice. What animal does your honour wish me to talk with? Asked the doctor. I would like you to talk to my own dog. Said the judge. He is outside in the cloakroom. I will have him brought in, and then we shall see what you can do. Then someone went out and vetched the judge's dog, a lovely great Russian wolfhound with slender legs and a shaggy coat. He was a proud and beautiful creature. Now, doctor. Said the judge. Did you ever see this dog before? Remember, you are in the witness stand and under oath. No, your honour, I never saw him before. Very well, then. Will you please ask him to tell you what I had for supper last night? He was with me and watched me while I ate. Then the doctor and the dog started talking to one another in sines and sounds, and they kept at it for quite a long time. And the doctor began to giggle and get so interested that he seemed to forget all about the court and the judge and everything else. What a time he takes! I heard a fat woman in front of me whispering. He's only pretending. Of course he can't do it. Who ever heard of talking to a dog? He must think we're children. Haven't you finished yet? The judge asked the doctor. It shouldn't take that long just to ask what I had for supper. Oh, no, your honour, said the doctor. The dog told me that long ago. But then he went on to tell me what you did after supper. Never mind that, said the judge. Tell me what answer he gave you to my question. He says you had a mutton chop, two baked potatoes, a pickled walnut, and a glass of ale. The honourable Eustace Beauchamp Conkley went white to the lips. Sounds like witchcraft. He muttered. I never dreamed. And after your supper? The doctor went on. He says you went to see a prize fight and then sat up playing cards for money till 12 o'clock and came home singing, we won't get. That will do. The judge interrupted. I am satisfied you can do as you say. The prisoner's dog shall be admitted as the witness. I protest! I object! Scream the prosecutor. Your honour, this is— Sit down! Roared the judge. I say the dog shall be heard. That ends the matter. Put the witness in the stand. And then for the first time in the solemn history of England a dog was put in the witness stand of Her Majesty's court of ascises. And it was I, Tommy Stubbins, when the doctor made a sign to me across the room, who proudly led Bob up the aisle through the astonished crowd past the frowning sputtering long-nosed prosecutor and made him comfortable on a high chair in the witness box from where the old bulldog sat scowling down over the rail upon the amazed and gaping jury. Chapter 7 The End of the Mystery The trial went swiftly forward after that. Mr. Jenkins told the doctor to ask Bob what he saw on the night of the twenty-ninth. And when Bob had told all he knew and the doctor had turned it into English for the judge and the jury, this is what he had to say. On the night of the twenty-ninth of November, 1824, I was with my master Luke Fitzjohn, otherwise known as Luke the Hermit, and his two partners, Manuel Mendoza and William Boggs, otherwise known as Bluebeard Bill, on their gold mine in Mexico. For a long time, these three men had been hunting for gold and they had dug a deep hole in the ground. On the morning of the twenty-ninth, gold was discovered, lots of it, at the bottom of this hole. And all three, my master and his two partners, were very happy about it because now they would be rich. But Manuel Mendoza asked Bluebeard Bill to go for a walk with him. These two men I had always suspected of being bad, so when I noticed that they left my master behind, I followed them secretly to see what they were up to. And in a deep cave in the mountains, I heard them arranged together to kill Luke the Hermit so that they should get all the gold and he have none. At this point the judge asked, where is the witness Mendoza? Constable, see that he does not leave the court. But the wicked little man with the watery eyes had already sneaked out when no one was looking and he was never seen in Puddlebee again. Then Bob's statement went home. I went to my master and tried very hard to make him understand that his partners were dangerous men but it was no use. He did not understand dog language so I did the next best thing. I never let him out of my sight but stayed with him every moment of the day and night. Now, the hole they had made was so deep that to get down and up, you had to go in a big bucket tied onto the end of a rope. And the three men used to haul one another up and let one another down the mine in this way. That was how the gold was brought up too, in the bucket. Well, about seven o'clock in the evening, my master was standing at the top of the mine hauling up Bluebeard Bill who was in the bucket. Just as he got Bill halfway up, I saw Mendoza come out of the hut where we all lived. Mendoza thought that Bill was away buying groceries but it wasn't, he was in the bucket. And when Mendoza saw Luke hauling and straining on the rope, he thought he was pulling up a bucket full of gold. So he drew a pistol from his pocket and came sneaking up behind Luke to shoot him. I barked and barked to warn my master of the danger he was in but he was so busy hauling up Bill who was a heavy fat man that he took no notice of me. I saw that if I didn't do something quick he would surely be shot. So I did a thing I've never done before. Suddenly and savagely, I bit my master in the leg from behind. Luke was so hurt and startled that he did just what I wanted him to do. He licked over the rope with both hands at once and turned round. And then crashed down when Bill in his bucket to the bottom of the mine and he was killed. While my master was busy scolding me, Mendoza put his pistol in his pocket, came up with a smile on his face and looked down the mine. Why, good gracious, said he to Luke, you've killed Bluebeard Bill. I must go and tell the police, hoping you see to get the whole mind to himself when Luke should be put in prison. Then he jumped on his horse and galloped away. And soon my master grew afraid for he saw that Mendoza only told enough lies to the police. It would look as though he had killed Bill on purpose. So while Mendoza was gone, he and I stole away together secretly and came to England. Here he shaved off his beard and became a hermit. And ever since, for 15 years, we've remained in hiding. This is all I have to say. And I swear it is the truth every word. When the doctor finished reading Bob's long speech, the excitement among the 12 men of the jury was positively terrific. One, a very old man with white hair, began to weep in a loud voice as the thought of poor Luke hiding on the fin for 15 years for something he couldn't help. And all the others set to whispering and nodding their heads to one another. In the middle of all this, up got that horrible prosecutor again, waving his arms more wildly than ever. Your honor. He cried. I must object to this evidence as biased. Of course the dog would not tell a truth against his own master. I object, I protest. Very well. Said the judge. You are at liberty to cross-examine. It is your duty as prosecutor to prove his evidence untrue. There is the dog. Question him if you do not believe what he says. I thought the long-nosed lawyer would have a fit. He looked first at the dog, then at the doctor, then at the judge, then back at the dog scowling from the witness box. He opened his mouth to say something, but no words came. He waved his arms some more. His face got redder and redder. At last, clutching his forehead, he sank weakly into his seat and had to be helped out of the courtroom by two friends. As he was half carried through the door, he was still feebly murmuring. I protest. I object. I protest. Chapter eight, three cheers. Next the judge made a very long speech to the jury. And when it was over, all the twelve jurymen got up and went out into the next room. And at that point the doctor came back, leaving Bob to the seat beside me. What have the jurymen gone out for? I asked. They always do that at the end of a trial to make up their minds whether the prisoner did it or not. Couldn't you and Bob go in with them and help them make up their minds the right way? I asked. No, that's not allowed. They have to talk it over in secret. Sometimes it takes... My gracious, look, they're coming back already. They didn't spend long over it. Everybody kept quite still while the twelve men came tramping back into their places in the pews. Then one of them, the leader, a little man, stood up and turned to the judge. Everyone was holding his breath, especially the doctor myself, to see what he was going to say. You could have heard a pin drop while the whole courtroom, the whole of Puddleby, in fact, waited with crainy necks and straining ears to hear the weighty words. Your honor, said the little man. The jury returned a verdict of not guilty. What's that mean? I asked, turning to the doctor. But I found Dr. John Doodlittle, the famous naturalist standing on top of a chair, dancing about on one leg like a schoolboy. It means he's free! He cried. Luke is free! Then he'll be able to come on the voyage with us, won't he? But I could not hear his answer, for the whole courtroom seemed to be jumping up on chairs like the doctor. The crowd had suddenly gone crazy. All the people were laughing and calling and waving to Luke to show them how glad they were that he was free. The noise was deafening. Then it stopped. It was quiet again. And the people stood up respectfully while the judge left the court. But the trial of Luke the Hermit, that famous trial which to this day they are still talking of in Puddleby, was over. In the hush while the judge was leaving, a sudden shriek ran out and there in the doorway stood a woman, her arms outstretched to the Hermit. She cried. It's his wife! The fat woman in front of me whispered. She ain't seen him in 50 years, poor dear. What a lovely reunion. I'm glad I came. I wouldn't have missed this for anything. As soon as the judge had gone, the noise broke out again. And now the folks gathered round Luke and his wife and shook them by the hand and congratulated them and laughed over them and cried over them. Come along, stubborns! Said the doctor, taking me by the arm. Let's get out of this while we can. But aren't you going to speak to Luke? I said. To ask him if he'll come on the voyage? It wouldn't be a bit of use. Said the doctor. His wife's come for him. No man stands any chance of going on a voyage when his wife hasn't seen him in 15 years. Come along, let's get home to tea. We didn't have any lunch, remember? And we've earned something to eat. We'll have one of those mixed meals, lunch and tea combined, with watercress and ham. Nice change. Come along. Just as we were going to step out at a side door, I heard the crowd shouting. The doctor! The doctor! Where's the doctor? The army would have been angered if it wasn't for the doctor! Speech. Speech. The doctor. And a man came running up to us and said, The people are calling for you, sir. I'm very sorry. Said the doctor. But I'm in a hurry. The crowd won't be denied, sir. Said the man. They want you to make a speech in the marketplace. Beg them to excuse me. Said the doctor. With my compliments, I have an appointment at my house, a very important one, which I may not break, tell Luke to make a speech. Come along, stubborns, this way. Oh, Lord. He muttered as we got out into the open air and found another crowd waiting for him at the side door. Let's go up that alleyway to the left. Quick, run! We took to our heels, darted through a couple of side streets, and just managed to get away from the crowd. It was not till we had gained the oxenthorpe road that we dared to slow down to a walk and take our breath. And even when we reached the doctor's gate and turned to look backwards toward the town, the faint murmur of many voices still reached us on the evening wind. There's still clamoring for you. I said. Listen. The murmur suddenly swelled up into a slow, distant roar. And although it was a mile and a half away, you could distinctly hear the words. Three cheers for Luke the Hermit. Hooray. Three cheers for his dog. Hooray. Three cheers for his wife. Hooray. Three cheers for the doctor. Hooray. Hooray. Hooray. End of Part 2, Chapter 8. Part 2, Chapters 9 to 12 of the Voidges of Dr. Doolittle by Hugh Loftin. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 9, The Purple Bird of Paradise. Polynesia was waiting for us in the front porch. She looked for some important news. Doctor. Said she. The purple bird of paradise has arrived. At last. Said the doctor. I had begun to fear some accident had befallen her. And how is Miranda? From the excited way in which the doctor fumbled his ski into the lock, I guessed that we were not going to get our tea right away, even now. Ah, she seemed all right when she arrived. Said Polynesia. Tired from her long journey, of course, but otherwise all right. But what do you think? That mischief-making sparrow, Cheapside, insulted her as soon as she came into the garden. When I arrived on the scene, she was in tears and was all for turning round and going straight back to Brazil tonight. I had the hardest work persuading her to wait till you came. She's in the study. I shut Cheapside in one of your bookcases and told him I'd tell you exactly what had happened the moment you got home. The doctor frowned, then walked silently and quickly to the study. Here we found the candles lit, for the daylight was nearly gone. Dab-dab was standing on the floor, mounting guard over one of the glass-fronted bookcases in which Cheapside had been imprisoned. The noisy little sparrow was still fluttering angrily behind the glass when we came in. In the center of the big table, perched on the ink stand, stood the most beautiful bird I have ever seen. She had a deep, violet-colored breast, scarlet wings and a long, long, sweeping tail of gold. She was unimaginably beautiful, but looked dreadfully tired. Already she had her head under her wing as she swayed gently from side to side on top of the ink stand like a bird that has flown long and far. Shh, said Dab-dab. Our hand is a seat. I've got this little imp Cheapside in here. Listen, doctor, for heaven's sake, send that sparrow away before he does any more, mischief. He's nothing but a vulgar little nuisance. We've had a perfectly awful time trying to get Miranda to stay. Shall I serve your tea in here, or will you come into the kitchen when you're ready? We'll come into the kitchen, Dab-dab. Said the doctor. Let Cheapside out before you go, please. Dab-dab opened the bookcase door and Cheapside strutted out, trying hard not to look guilty. Cheapside? Said the doctor sternly. What did you say to Miranda when she arrived? I didn't say nothing, Doc, straight, I didn't. That is not much. I was picking up crumbs off the gravel path when she came swanking into the garden, turning up her nose in all directions as though she owned the earth, just because she's got a lot of coloured plumage. London's bearish as good as her any day. I don't hope by these gaudy Bodies and foreigners know how. Why don't they stay in their own country? But what did you say to her that got her so offended? All I said was, you don't belong in an English garden. You ought to be in a milliner's window. That's all. You ought to be ashamed of yourself, Cheapside. Don't you realise that this bird has come thousands of miles to see me only to be insulted by your re-impertinent tongue as soon as she reaches my garden? What do you mean by it? If she had gone away again before I got back tonight, I would never have forgiven you. Leave the room! Sheepishly, but still trying to look as though he didn't care, Cheapside hopped out into the passage and Dab-Dab closed the door. The doctor went up to the beautiful bird on the ink stand and gently stroked its back. Instantly its head popped out from under its wing. Chapter 10 Long Arrow, the Son of Golden Arrow Well, Miranda, said the doctor, I'm terribly sorry this has happened, but you mustn't mind, Cheapside, he doesn't know any better. He's a city bird and all his life he has had to squabble for a living. You must make allowances. He doesn't know any better. Miranda stretched her gorgeous wings warily. Now that I saw her awake and moving, I had noticed what a superior well-bred manner she had. There were tears in her eyes and her beak was trembling. I wouldn't have minded so much. She said in a high silvery voice. If I hadn't been so dreadfully worn out, that and something else. She added beneath her breath. Did you have a hard time getting here? Asked the doctor. The worst passage I ever made, said Miranda. The weather? Well, there. What's the use? I'm here anyway. Tell me. Said the doctor as though he had been impatiently waiting to say something for a long time. What did Long Arrow say when you gave him my message? The purple bird of Paradise hung her head. That's the worst part of it, she said. I might almost as well have not come at all. I wasn't able to deliver your message. I couldn't find him. Long Arrow, the son of Golden Arrow, has disappeared. Disappeared? Cried the doctor. Why? What's become of him? Nobody knows. Miranda answered. He had often disappeared before, as I have told you, so that the Indians didn't know where he was, but it's a mighty hard thing to hide away from the birds. I had always been able to find some owl or Martin who could tell me where he was, if I wanted to know. But not this time. That's why I'm nearly a fortnight late in coming to you. I kept hunting and hunting, asking everywhere. I went over the whole length and breadth of South America. But there wasn't a living thing could tell me where he was. There was a sad silence in the room after she had finished. The doctor was frowning in a peculiar sort of way, and Polynesia scratched her head. Did you ask the black parrots? Asked Polynesia. They usually know everything. Certainly I did, said Miranda. And I was so upset at not being able to find out anything that I forgot all about observing the weather signs before I started my flight here. I didn't even bother to break my journey at the Azores, but cut right across, making for the Straits of Gibraltar, as though it were June or July. And of course I ran into a perfectly frightful storm in mid-Atlantic. I really thought I'd never come through it. Luckily I found a piece of a wrecked vessel floating in the sea after the storm had partly died down, and I roosted on it and took some sleep. I hadn't been able to take that rest. I wouldn't be here to tell the tale. Poor Miranda, what a time you must have had, said the doctor. But tell me, were you able to find out whereabouts Long Arrow was last seen? Yes. A young albatross told me he had seen him on Spider Monkey Island. Spider Monkey Island? That's somewhere off the coast of Brazil, isn't it? Yes, that's it. Of course I flew there right away and asked every bird on the island, and it is a big island, a hundred miles long. It seems that Long Arrow was visiting some peculiar Indians that live there, and that when last seen he was going up into the mountains looking for rare medicine plants. I got that from a tame hawk, a pet which the chief of the Indians keeps for hunting partridges with. I nearly got caught and put in a cage in my pants, too. That's the worst of having beautiful feathers. It's as much as your life is worth to go near most humans. They say, oh, how pretty, and shoot an arrow or bullet into you. You and Long Arrow were the only two men that I would ever trust myself near, out of all the people in the world. But was he never known to have returned from the mountains? No. That was the last that was seen or heard of him. I questioned the sea-birds around the shores to find out if he had left the island in a canoe, but they could tell me nothing. Do you think that some accident has happened to him? Asked the doctor in a fearful voice. I'm afraid it must have, said Miranda, shaking her head. Well, said John Doolittle slowly. If I could never meet Long Arrow face to face it would be the greatest disappointment in my whole life. Not only that, but it would be a great loss to the knowledge of the human race. For, from what you have told me of him, he knew more natural science than all the rest of us put together. And if he has gone without anyone to write it down for him, so the world may be the better for it, it would be a terrible thing. But you don't really think that he is dead, do you? What else can I think? Asked Miranda bursting into tears. When for six whole months he has not been seen by flesh, fish, or fowl. CHAPTER 11 BLIND TRAVEL This news about Long Arrow made us all very sad, and I could see from the silent dreamy way the doctor took his tea that he was dreadfully upset. Every once in a while he would stop eating altogether and sit staring at the spots on the kitchen tablecloth as though his thoughts were far away, till Dab-Dab, who was watching to see that he got a good meal, would cough or rattle the pots in the sink. I did my best to cheer him up by reminding him of all he had done for Luke and his wife that afternoon. And when that didn't seem to work, I went on talking about our preparations for the voyage. But you see, Stubbins! Said he as we rose from the table and Dab-Dab and Chi-Chi began to clear away. I don't know where to go now. I feel sort of lost since Miranda brought me this news. On this voyage I had planned going to see Long Arrow. I had been looking forward to it for a whole year. I felt he might help me in learning the language of the shellfish and perhaps in finding some way of getting to the bottom of the sea. But now he's gone and all his great knowledge has gone with him. Then he seemed to fall a dream in again. Just to think of it, he murmured. Long Arrow and I, two students. Although I'd never met him, I felt as though I knew him quite well. For, in his way, without any schooling, he has, all his life, been trying to do the very things which I have tried to do in mine. And now he's gone. A whole world lay between us and only a bird knew us both. We went back to the study where Jim brought the doctor his slippers and his pipe. And after the pipe was lit and the smoke began to fill the room, the old man seemed to cheer up a little. But you will go on some voyage, doctor, won't you? I asked. Even if you can't go to find Long Arrow? He looked up sharply into my face and I suppose he saw how anxious I was because he suddenly smiled his old boy's smile and said, Yes, Stubbins, don't worry, we'll go. We mustn't stop working and learning even if poor Long Arrow has disappeared. But where to go? That's the question. Where shall we go? There were so many places that I wanted to go that I couldn't make up my mind right away. And while I was still thinking, the doctor sat up in his chair and said, I'll tell you what we'll do, Stubbins. It's a game I used to play when I was young before Sarah came to live with me. I used to call it blind travel. Whenever I wanted to go on a voyage and I couldn't make up my mind where to go, I would take the Atlas and open it with my eyes shut. Next, I'd wave a pencil, still without looking, and stick it down on whatever page had fallen open. Then I'd open my eyes and look. It's a very exciting game, is blind travel, because you have to swear before you begin that you will go to the place the pencil touches, come what may. Shall we play it? Oh, let's. I almost yelled. How thrilling! I hope it's China, or Borneo, or Baghdad. And in a moment I had scrambled up the bookcase, dragged the big Atlas from the top shelf, and laid it on the table before the doctor. I knew every page in that Atlas by heart. How many days and nights I had lingered over its old faded maps, following the blue rivers from the mountains to the sea, wondering what the little towns really looked like, and how wide were the sprawling lakes. I had had a lot of fun with that Atlas, traveling in my mind all over the world. I can see it now. The first page had no map. It just told you that it was printed in Edinburgh in 1808, and a whole lot more about the book. The next page was the solar system, showing the sun and planets, the stars and the moon. The third page was the chart of the North and South Poles, then came the hemispheres, the oceans, the continents, and the countries. As the doctor began sharpening his pencil, a thought came to me. What if the pencil falls upon the North Pole? I asked. Will we have to go there? No. The rules of the game say you don't have to go any place you've been to before. You are allowed another try. I've been to the North Pole. Quietly. So we shan't have to go there? I could hardly speak with astonishment. You've been to the North Pole? I managed to gasp out at last. But I thought it was still undiscovered. The map shows all the places explorers have reached to, trying to get there. Why isn't your name down if you discovered it? I promised to keep it a secret. And you must promise me never to tell anyone. Yes, I discovered the North Pole in April 1809. But shortly after I got there, the polar bears came to me in a body and told me there was a great deal of coal there, buried beneath the snow. They knew, they said, that human beings would do anything and go anywhere to get coal. So would I please keep it a secret? Because once people began coming up there to start coal mines, their beautiful white country would be spoiled, and there was nowhere else in the world cold enough for polar bears to be comfortable. So of course I had to promise them I would. Ah well, it will be discovered again someday by somebody else. But I want the polar bears to have their playground to themselves as long as possible. And I dare say it will be a good while yet, for it certainly is a fiendish place to get to. Well now, are we ready? Good. Take the pencil and stand here close to the table. When the book falls open, put the pencil round three times and jab it down. Ready? All right, shut your eyes. It was a tense and fearful moment, but very thrilling. We both had our eyes shut tight. I heard the Atlas fall open with a bang. I wondered what page it was, England or Asia. If it should be the map of Asia, so much would depend on where that pencil would land. I waved three times in a circle. I began to lure my hand. The pencil point touched the page. All right. I called out. It's done. Chapter 12 Destiny and Destination We both opened our eyes, then bumped our heads together with a crack in our eagerness to lean over and see where we were to go. The Atlas lay open at a map called Chart of the South Atlantic Ocean. My pencil point was resting right in the center of a tiny island. The name of it was printed so small that the doctor had to get out his strong spectacles to read it. I was trembling with excitement. Spider-monkey island. He ran out slowly. Then he whistled softly beneath his breath. Of all the extraordinary things, you hit upon the very island where Long Arrow was last seen on earth. I wonder, well, well, how very singular. We'll go there, doctor, won't we? I asked. Of course we will. The rules of the game say we've got to. I'm so glad it wasn't Oxen Thorper Bristol. I said. It'll be a grand voyage this. Look at all the sea we've got to cross. Will it take us long? Oh, no, said the doctor. Not very. With a good boat and a good wind, we should make it easily in four weeks. But isn't it extraordinary? Of all the places in the world, you picked out that one with your eyes shut. Spider-monkey island after all. Well, there's one good thing about it. I shall be able to get some jebizri beetles. What are jebizri beetles? They are a very rare kind of beetles with peculiar habits. I want to study them. There are only three countries in the world where they are to be found. Spider-monkey island is one of them. But even there, they are very scarce. What is this little question mark after the name of the island for? Oh, yes, pointed to the map. That means that the island's position in the ocean is not known very exactly. That it is somewhere about there. Ships have probably seen it in that neighborhood. That is all, most likely. It is quite possible we shall be the first white men to land there. But I daresay we shall have some difficulty in finding it first. How like a dream it all sounded. The two of us sitting there at the big study table. The candle-slit. The smoke curling towards the dim ceiling from the doctor's pipe. The two of us sitting there talking about finding an island in the ocean and being the first white men to land upon it. I'll bet it will be a great voyage. I said. It looks a lovely island on the map. Will there be black men there? No. A peculiar tribe of red Indians lives on it, Miranda tells me. At this point the poor bird of paradise stirred and woke up. In our excitement we had forgotten to speak low. We are going to Spider Monkey Island, Miranda, said the doctor. You know where it is, do you not? I know where it was the last time I saw it, said the bird. But whether it will be there still, I can't say. What do you mean? That's the doctor. It is always in the same place, surely. Not by any means, said Miranda. Why, didn't you know? Spider Monkey Island is a floating island. It moves around all over the place, usually somewhere near southern South America. But of course I could surely find it for you if you want to go there. At this fresh piece of news I could contain myself no longer. I was bursting to tell someone. I ran dancing and singing from the room to find Chi Chi. At the door I tripped over Dab Dab who was just coming in with her wings full of plates and fell headlong on my nose. Has the boy gone crazy? cried the duck. Where do you think you're going, Minnie? To Spider Monkey Island. I shouted, picking myself up and doing cartwheels down the hall. Spider Monkey Island, hooray! And it's a floating island. You're going to bedlam, I should say. Snorted the housekeeper. Look what you've done to my best China. But I was far too happy to listen to her scolding, and I ran on singing into the kitchen to find Chi Chi. End of Part 2 Part 3, Chapters 1-3 of The Voyages of Dr. Noodleville by Hugh Lofting. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 1, The Third Man That same week we began our preparations for The Voyage. Joe the Muscle Man had the crew move down the river and tied it up along the river wall so it would be more handy for loading. And for three whole days we carried provisions down to our beautiful new boat and stowed them away. I was surprised to find how roomy and big she was inside. There were three little cabins, a saloon or dining room, and underneath all this a big place called The Hold where the food and extra sales and other things were kept. I think Joe must have told everybody in town about our coming voyage because there was always a regular crowd watching us when we brought the things down to put aboard. And of course, sooner or later, old Matthew Mug was bound to turn up. My goodness, Tommy! Said he as he watched me carrying on some sacks of flour. But that's a pretty boat. Where might the doctor be going to this voyage? We're going to Spider Monkey Island. I said probably. And be you the only one the doctor's taken along? Well, he has spoken of wanting to take another man. I said. But so far he hasn't made up his mind. Matthew grunted, then squinted up at the graceful mass of the crew. You know, Tommy. Said he. If it wasn't for my rheumatism, I have half a mind to come with the doctor myself. There's something about a boat standing ready to sail that always did make me feel venturesome and travel-ish-like. What's that stuff in the cans you're taking on? This is treacle. I said. Twenty pounds of treacle. My goodness. He sighed, turning away, sadly. That makes me feel more like going with you than ever. But my rheumatism is that bad. I can't hardly. I didn't hear any more, for Matthew had moved off, still mumbling into the crowd that stood about the war. The clock in Puttleby Church struck noon, and I turned back, feeling very busy and important to the task of loading. But it wasn't very long before someone else came along and interrupted my work. This was a huge, big burly man, with a red beard and tattoo marks all over his arms. He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, spat twice on the river wall, and said, Boy, where's the skipper? The skipper? Who do you mean? I asked. The captain, where's the captain of this craft? He said, pointing to the curler. Oh, you mean the doctor? Said I. Well, he isn't here at present. At that moment the doctor arrived, with his arms full of notebooks and butterfly nets, and glass cases and other natural history things. The big man went up to him, respectfully touching his cap. Good morning, Captain. Said he. I heard you was in need of hands for a voyage. My name's Ben Butcher, Abel Seaman. I am very glad to know you. Said the doctor. But I'm afraid I shan't be able to take on any more crew. Boy, but Captain. Said the Abel Seaman. You surely ain't gonna face deep sea weather, with nothing more than this bit of a ladopia, and with a cut of that pig. The doctor assured him that he was, but the man didn't go away. He hung around and argued. He told us he had known of many ships being sunk through... And he got out what he called his... A paper which said what a good sailor he was, and implored us if we valued our lives to take him. But the doctor was quite firm, polite, but determined. And finally the man walked sorrowfully away, telling us he never expected to see us alive again. Callers of one sort or another kept us quite busy that morning. The doctor had no sooner gone below to stow away his notebooks than another visitor appeared upon the gangplank. This was a most extraordinary looking black man. The only other negroes I had seen had been in circuses, where they wore feathers and bow necklaces and things like that. But this one was dressed in a fashionable frock coat with an enormous bright red cravat. On his head was a straw hat with a gay band, and over this he held a large green umbrella, who was very smart in every respect except his feet. He wore no shoes or socks. Pardon me, said he bowing elegantly. But is this the ship of the physician Doolittle? Yes, I said. Did you wish to see him? I did. If it will not be these commodities. He answered. Who shall I say it is? I am Bumbo Kabubo, Crown Prince of Jolingenghi. I ran downstairs at once and told the doctor. How fortunate! Cried John Doolittle. My old friend Bumbo! Well, well! He's studying at Oxford, you know. How good of him to come all this way to call on me! And he tumbled up the letter to greet his visitor. The strange black man seemed to be overcome with joy when the doctor appeared and shook him warmly by the hand. News reached me. That you were about to sail upon a voyage. I hasten to see you before your departure. I aim sublimely exercised that I did not miss you. You very nearly did miss us. Said the doctor. As it happened, we were delayed somewhat in getting the necessary number of men to sail our boat. If it hadn't been for that, we would have been gone three days ago. How many men does your ship's company yet to require? Asked Bumbo. Only one. Said the doctor. But it is so hard to find the right one. Meetings I detect something of the finger of destination indice. Said Bumbo. How would I do? Splendidly. Said the doctor. But what about your studies? You can't very well just go off and leave your university career to take care of itself, you know. I need a holiday. Said Bumbo. Even had I not gone with you, I intended at the end of this term to take three months up's conscience. But besides, I shall not be neglecting my edification if I accompany you. Before I left Jolenginki, my August father, the king, told me to be sure and travel plenty. You are a man of great studiacity. To see the world in your company is an opportunity not to be sneezed upon. No, no indeed. How did you like the life at Oxford? Asked the doctor. Oh, possibly, possibly. Said Bumbo. I liked it all except the algebra and the shoes. The algebra hurt my head and the shoes hurt my feet. I tore the shoes over a wall as soon as I got out of the college quadrilateral this morning. And the algebra, I am happily forgetting very fast. I liked Cicero. Yes, I think Cicero is fine. So simultaneous. By the way, they tell me his son is rowing for our college next year. Charming fellow. The doctor looked down at the black man's huge bare feet thoughtfully a moment. Well, he said slowly. There is something in what you say, Bumbo, about getting education from the world as well as from the college. And if you are really sure that you want to come, you shall be delighted to have you. Because to tell you the truth, I think you are exactly the man we need. Chapter 2 Goodbye Two days after that we had all in readiness for our departure. On this voyage, Jip begged so hard to be taken that the doctor finally gave in and said he could come. Polynesia and Chi Chi were the only other animals to go with us. Dab Dab was left in charge of the house the only way we were to leave behind. Of course, as is always the way, at the last moment we kept remembering things we had forgotten, and when we finally closed the house up and went down the steps to the road, we were all burdened with armfuls of odd packages. Halfway to the river, the doctor suddenly remembered that he had left the stockpot boiling on the kitchen fire. However, he saw a blackbird flying by who nested in our garden, and asked her to go back for us and tell Dab Dab about it. Down at the river wall we found a great crowd waiting to see us off. Standing right near the gangplank were my mother and father. I hoped that they would not make a scene, or burst into tears or anything like that, but as a matter of fact they behaved quite well for parents. My mother said something about being sure not to get my feet wet, and my father just smiled a quick and sort of smile, patted me on the back, and wished me luck. Goodbyes were awfully uncomfortable things, and I was glad when it was over and we passed on to the ship. We were a little surprised not to see Matthew Mug among the crowd. We had felt sure he would be there, and the doctor had intended to give him some extra instructions about the food for the animals we had left at the house. At last after much pulling and tugging we got the anchor up and did a lot of mooring ropes. Then the crew loo began to move gently down the river with the outrunning tide while the people on the wall cheered and waved their handkerchiefs. We bumped into one or two other boats getting out into the stream, and at one sharp bend in the river we got stuck on a mud bank for a few minutes. But though the people on the shore seemed to get very excited at these things the doctor did not appear to be disturbed by them in the least. These little accidents will happen in the most carefully regulated voyages. He said as he leaned over the side and fished for his boots which had got stuck in the mud while we were pushing off. Sailing is much easier when you get out into the open sea. There aren't so many silly things to bump into. For me indeed it was a great and wonderful feeling that getting out into the open sea when at length we passed the little lighthouse at the mouth of the river and found ourselves free of the land. It was all so new and different just the sky above you and sea below. This ship which was to be our house and our street, our home and our garden for so many days to come seemed so tiny in all this wide water so tiny and yet so snug, sufficient and safe. I looked around me and took in a deep breath. The doctor was at the wheel steering the boat which was now leaping and plunging gently through the waves. I had expected to feel seasick at first but was delighted to find that I didn't. Bumple had been told off to go downstairs and prepare dinner for us. Chichi was coiling up ropes in the stern and laying them a neat pile. My work was fastening down the things on the deck so that nothing could roll about if the weather should grow rough when we got further from the land. Jip was up in the peak of the boat with ears cocked and nose out like a statue so still. His keen old eyes keeping a sharp lookout for floating wrecks, sandbars and other dangers. Each one of us had some special job to do part of a proper running of a ship. Even though Polynesia was taking the sea's temperature with the doctor's bathroom monitor tied on the end of a stream to make sure that there were no icebergs near us. As I listened to her swearing softly to her south I couldn't read the pesky figures in the fading light. I realized that the voyage had begun in earnest and that very soon it would be night. My first night at sea. Chapter 3 Our Troubles Begin Just before supper time Bumple appeared from downstairs and went to the doctor at the wheel. A storeway in the hold, sir. He said in a very business-like seafaring voice. I just discovered him behind the flower bags. Dear me, said the doctor. What a nuisance. Stubbins go down with Bumple and bring the man up. I can't leave the wheel just now. So Bumple and I went down into the hold and there behind the flower bags plastered in flower from head to foot. We found a man. After we had swept most of the flower off him with a broom we discovered that it was Matthew Mug. He called him upstairs, sneezing and took him before the doctor. Why, Matthew? Said John Doolittle. What on earth are you doing here? The temptation was too much for me, doctor. Said the cat-meat man. You know I've often asked you to take me on voyages with you and you never would. Well, this time knowing that you needed an extra man I thought if I stayed hid till the ship was well at sea I came in handy like and keep me. But I had to lie so doubled up for hours behind them flower bags that my rheumatism came on something awful. I just had to change my position and of course just as I stretched out my legs along comes this here African cook of yours and sees my feet sticking out. Don't this ship roll something awful? How long has this storm been going on? I reckon this damp sea air would be very good for my rheumatics. No, Matthew, it really isn't. You ought not to have come. You are not in any way suited to this kind of a life. I'm sure you wouldn't enjoy a long voyage a bit. We'll stop in at Penzance and put you ashore. Bumpo, please go downstairs to my bunk and listen. In the pocket of my dressing gown you'll find some maps. Bring me the small one with blue pencil marks at the top. I know Penzance is over here on our left somewhere but I must find out what those there are before I change the ship's course and sail in shore. Very good, sir. Said Bumpo turning round smartly and making for the stairway. Now, Matthew, said the doctor, you can take the coach from Penzance to Bristol and from there it is not very far to Puddleby as you know. Don't forget to take the usual provisions to the house every Thursday and be particularly careful to remember the extra supply of herrings for the baby mix. While we were waiting for the maps, Gigi and I said about lighting the lamps, a green one on the right side of the ship, a red one on the left and a white one on the mast. At last we heard someone trundling on the stairs again and the doctor said, ah, he is Bumpo with the maps at last. But to our great astonishment it was not Bumpo alone that appeared, but three people. Good Lord Deliverus, who are these? Cry John, do little. Two more stairways, sir, said Bumpo, stepping forward briskly. I found him in your cabin, hiding under the bunk. One woman and one man, sir. Here are the maps. This is too much, said the doctor Feebley. Who are they? I can't see their faces in this dim light. Strike a match, Bumpo. You could never guess who it was. It was Luke and his wife. Mrs. Luke appeared to be very miserable and seasick. They explained to the doctor that after they had settled down to live together in the little shack out on the fins, so many people came to visit them, having heard about the great trial that life became impossible and they had decided to escape from Puttleby in this manner where they had no money to leave any other way and try to find some new place to live where their story wouldn't be so well known. But as soon as the ship had begun to roll, Mrs. Luke had got most dreadfully unwell. Poor Luke apologized many times for being such a nuisance and said that the whole thing had been his wife's idea. The doctor after he had sent below for his medicine bag and had given Mrs. Luke some salvoletile and smelling salts said he thought the best thing to do would be for him to lend them some money at the Pinsance with Matthew. He also wrote a letter for Luke to take with him to a friend the doctor had in the town of Pinsance who it was hoped would be able to find Luke work to do there. As the doctor opened his purse and took out some gold coins I heard Polynesia, who was sitting on my shoulder watching the whole affair mutter beneath her breath. There he goes, lending his last blessed penny, three pounds ten, all the money we had for the whole trip. Now we have at the price of a postage damper board if we should lose an anchor or have to buy a pint of tar. Well, let's pray we don't run out of food. Why doesn't he give them the ship and walk home? Presently with the help of the map the course of the boat was changed and to Mrs. Luke's great relief we made for Pinsance and dry land. I was tremendously interested to see how a ship could be steered into a port at night with nothing but lighthouses and a compass to guide you. It seemed to me that the doctor missed all the rocks and sandbars very cleverly. We got into that funny little Cornish harbor about eleven o'clock that night. The doctor took his stowaways on shore in our small rowboat, which we kept on the deck of the crew loo and found them rooms at the hotel there. When he got back he told us that Mrs. Luke had gone straight to bed and was feeling much better. It was now after midnight so we decided to stay in the harbor and wait till morning before setting out again. I was glad to get to bed although I felt that staying up so tremendously late was great fun. As I climbed into the bunk over the doctors and pulled the blankets snugly round me I found I could look out the porthole at my elbow and without raising my head from the pillow could see the lights of Pinsance swinging gently up and down with the motion of the ship but anchored. I was being rocked to sleep with a little show going on to amuse you. I was just deciding that I liked the life of the sea very much when I fell fast asleep. End of Part 3, Chapter 3. Part 3, chapters 4 to 6 of the voyages of Dr. Newlittle by Hugh Locting. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Chapter 4 Our Troubles Continued The next morning when we were eating a very excellent breakfast of kidneys and bacon prepared by our good cook, Bumple the doctor said to me I was just wondering, Stubbins whether I should stop at the Capa Blanca Islands or run right across for the coast of Brazil. Miranda said we could expect a spell of excellent weather now for four and a half weeks at least. Well, I said spooning out the sugar at the bottom of my cocoa cup. I should think it would be best to make straight across while we are sure of good weather. And besides, the purple bird of paradise is going to keep a look out for us, isn't she? She'll be wondering what's happened to us if we don't get there in about a month. True, quite true, Stubbins. On the other hand, the Capa Blancas make a very convenient stopping place on our way across. If we should need supplies or repairs it would be very handy to put in there. How long will it take us from here to the Capa Blancas? About six days. Said the doctor. Well, we can decide later. For the next two days at any rate our direction would be the same practically in either case. If you have finished breakfast let's go and get underway. Upstairs I found our vessel surrounded by white and grey seagulls who flashed and circled about in the sunny morning air looking for food scraps thrown out by the ships into the harbour. By about half past seven to a nice steady breeze and this time we got out into the open sea without bumping into a single thing. We met the Pinzant's fishy fleet coming in from the night's fishing and very trim and neat they looked in a line like soldiers with their red brown sails all leaning over the same way and the white water dancing before their bowels. For the next three or four days everything went smoothly and nothing unusual happened. During this time we all got settled down to our regular jobs and in spare moments the doctor showed each of us how to take our turns at the wheel the proper manner of keeping a ship on her right course and what to do if the wind changed suddenly. We divided the 24 hours of the day into three spells and we took it in turns to sleep our eight hours and be awake sixteen so the ship was well looked after with two of us always on duty. Besides that Polynesia who was an older sailor than any of us and really knew a lot about running ships seemed to be always awake except when she took her couple of winks in the sun standing on one leg beside the wheel you may be sure that no one ever got a chance to stay at bed more than eight hours while Polynesia was around she used to watch the ship's clock and if you overslept a half minute she would come down to the cabin and peck you gently on the nose till you got up. I very soon grew to be quite fond of our funny black friend Bumple with his grand way of speaking and his enormous feet which someone was always stepping on or falling over. Although he was much older than I was and had been to college he never tried to lord it over me. He seemed to be forever spiraling and kept all of us in good humor. It wasn't long before I began to see the doctor's good sense in bringing him in spite of the fact that he knew nothing whatever about sailing or travel. One morning of the fifth day out just as I was taking the wheel over from the doctor Bumple appeared and said the salt beef is nearly all gone sir. The salt beef? cried the doctor. Why? We brought a hundred and twenty pounds with us. We couldn't have eaten that in five days. What can have become of it? I don't know sir I'm sure. Every time I go down to the stores I find another honk missing. If it is the rats that are eating it then they are certainly colossal rodents. Polynesia who was walking up and down a stay rope taking her morning exercise put in We must search the hold. If this is allowed to go on we will all be starving before a week is out. Come downstairs with me Tommy and we will look into this matter. So we went downstairs into the storeroom and Polynesia told us to keep quite still and listen. This we did and presently we heard from the dark corner of the hold a distinct sound of someone snoring. I thought so. San Polynesia It's a man and a big one. Climb in there both of you and haul him out. It sounds as though he were behind that barrel. Gosh we seem to have brought half a puttlebee with us. Anyone would think we were a penny ferry boat. Such a big haul him out. So Bumpo and I lit a lantern and climbed over the stores and there behind the barrel sure enough we found an enormous bearded man fast asleep with a well-fed look on his face. We woke him up. What's the matter? He said sleepily it was Ben Butcher the able seaman. Polynesia sputtered like an angry firecracker. This is the last straw. Said she. The one man in the world we least wanted. Shiver my timbers. What cheek! Who did not be advisable? Suggested Bumpo. While the violet is still sleepy to strike him under head with some heavy object and push him through a pothole into the sea. No. We'd get into trouble. Said Polynesia. We're not in jolly ginky now worse luck. Besides there never was a pothole big enough to push that man through. Bring him upstairs to the doctor. So we led the man to the wheel where he respectfully touched his cap to the doctor. Said Bumpo smartly. I thought the poor doctor would have a fit. Good morning captain. Said the man. Ben Butcher able seaman at your service. I knew you'd need me so I took the liberty of stowing away. Much against my conscience but I couldn't bear to see you poor landsmen set out on this voyage without a single real seaman to help you. You'd never have got home alive if I hadn't come. Why look at your mainsail, sir. All loose at the throat. First gust of wind come along and away goes your canvas overboard. Why it's all right now I'm here. We'll soon get things in ship shape. No it isn't all right. Said the doctor. It's all wrong and I'm not at all glad to see you. I told you in puddlebee I didn't want you. You had no right to come. Her but captain. Said the able seaman. I can't soil this ship without me. You don't understand navigation. Why look at the compass now. You've let her swing a point and a half of her course. It's madness fear to try to do this trip alone. If you'll pardon my seeing so sir. Why, why you'll lose the ship. Look here. Said the doctor. Look coming into his eyes. Losing a ship is nothing to me. I've lost ships before and it doesn't bother me in the least. When I sit out to go to a place I get there. Do you understand I may know nothing whatever about sailing and navigation but I get there just the same. Now you may be the best seaman in the world but on this ship you're just a plane ordinary nuisance very plain and very ordinary and I am now going to call at the nearest port and put you ashore. Yes and think yourself lucky. Polynesia put in. That you are not locked up for stowing away and eating all our salt beef. I don't know what the mischief we're going to do now. I heard her whisper to Bumper. We've no money to buy anymore and that salt beef was the most important part of the stores. Would it not be good political economy? Bumper whispered back. You see man and ate him instead I should judge that he would weigh more than 120 pounds. How often must I tell you that we are not in Jolly Ginkie? Snapped Polynesia. Those things are not done on white men ships. Still. You murmured after a moment's thoughts. It's an awfully bright idea. I don't suppose anybody saw him come onto the ship. Oh but heavens we haven't got enough salt. Besides he'd be sure to taste a backer. Chapter 5 Polynesia has a plan. Then the doctor told me to take the wheel while he made a little calculation with his map and worked out what new course we should take. I shall have to run for the Kappa Blankers after all. He told me when the seaman's back was turned. Treflenuisance. But I'd soon as swim back to Paddleby than have to listen to that fellow's talk all the way to Brazil. Indeed he was a terrible person this Ben Butcher. You'd think that anyone after being told he wasn't wanted would have had the decency to keep quiet. But not Ben Butcher. He kept going round the deck pointing out all the things we had wrong. According to him there wasn't a thing right on the whole ship. The anchor was... Pitched up wrong. The hatches weren't... Fossoned down properly. But the front... All our knots were... The wrong kind of knots. At last the doctor told him to stop talking and go downstairs. He refused. Said he wasn't going to be sunk by land-lubbers while he was still able to stay on deck. This made us feel very uneasy. He was such an enormous man that there was no knowing what he might do if he got really obstreperous. Bumple and I were talking about this downstairs in the dining saloon where Polynesia, Jib and Gigi came and joined us. And as usual, Polynesia had a plan. Listen, she said, I am certain this Ben Butcher is a smuggler and a bad man. I am a very good judge of semen, remember, and I don't like the cut of this man's jib. I... Do you really think... I interrupted. That it is safe for the doctor to cross the Atlantic without any regular semen on his ship? You see, it had upset me quite a good deal to find that all the things we had been doing were wrong. And I was beginning to wonder what might happen if we ran into a storm. Particularly as Miranda had only said the weather would be good for a certain time. And we seemed to be having so many delays. But Polynesia merely tossed her head scornfully. Ah, bless you, my boy. You're always safe with John Doolittle. Remember that. Don't take any notice of that stupid old salt. Of course, it is perfectly true that the doctor does do everything wrong. But with him, it doesn't matter. Mark my words. If you travel with John Doolittle, you always get there, as you heard him say. I've been with him lots of times and I know. Sometimes the ship is upside down when you get there. And sometimes it's right way up. But you get there just the same. And then of course there's another thing about the doctor. She added thoughtful. He always has extraordinary good luck. He may have his troubles. But with him, things seem to have a habit of turning out all right in the end. I remember once when we were going through the Straits of Magellan the wind was so strong. But what are we going to do about Ben Butcher? Chip put him. You had some planned Polynesia, hadn't you? Yes. What I'm afraid of is that he may hit the doctor on the head when he's not looking and make himself captain of the Curlough. Bad sailors do that sometimes. Then they run the ship their own way and take it where they want. That's what you call a mutiny. Yes, said Chip. And we ought to do something pretty quick. We can't reach the Capa Blancas before the day after tomorrow at best. I don't like to leave the doctor alone with him for a minute. He smells like a very bad man to me. Well, I've got it all worked out. Said Polynesia. Listen, is there a key in that door? We looked outside the dining room and found that there was. All right. Said Polynesia. Now Bumpo lays the table for lunch and we all go and hide. Then at 12 o'clock Bumpo rings the dinner bell down here. As soon as Ben hears it he'll come down expecting more salt beef. Bumpo must hide behind the door outside. The moment that Ben is seated at the dining table slams the door and locks it. Then we've got him, see? How stratogeneous. Bumpo chuckled. As Cicero said, pair its comparisoners facility may congregation. Lay the table at once. Yes, and take that Worcestershire sauce off the dresser with you when you go out. Said Polynesia. Don't leave any loose eatables around. The fellow has had enough to last any man besides he won't be so inclined to start a fight when we put him ashore at the cap of blankers if we thin him down a bit before we let him out. So we all went and hid ourselves in the passage where we could watch what happened and presently Bumpo came to the foot of the stairs and rang the dinner bell like mad. Then he hopped behind the dining room door and we all kept still and listened. Almost immediately thump, thump, thump down the stairs trapped Ben Butcher the able seaman. He walked into the dining room sat himself down at the head of the table in the doctor's place tucked a napkin under his fat chin and heaved a sigh of expectation. Then bang Bumpo slammed the door and locked it. That settles him for a while. Said Polynesia coming out from her hiding place. Now let him teach navigation to the sideboard. Gosh, the cheek of the man. I've forgotten more about the seed and that lumbering lout will ever know. Let's go upstairs and tell the doctor. Bumpo, you will have to serve the meals in the cabin for the next couple of days. And bursting into a rocky Norwegian seasong she climbed up to my shoulder and we went on deck. Chapter 6 The Bedmaker of Monteverde We remain three days in the Coppa Blanca Islands. There were two reasons why we stayed there so long when we were really in such a hurry to get away. One was the shortage of our provisions caused by the able seamen's enormous appetite. When we came to go over the stores and make a list, we found that he had eaten a whole lot of other things besides the beef. And having no money, we were sorely puzzled how to buy more. The doctor went through his trunk to see if there was anything he could sell. But the only thing he could find was a whole watch with the hands broken and the back dented in. And we decided this would not bring us in enough money to buy much more than a pound of tea. Bumpo suggested that he sing comic songs in the streets which he had learned in Jolly Ginky. But the doctor said he did not think that the islanders would care for African music. The other thing that kept us was the bullfight. In these islands which belonged to Spain, there were bullfights every Sunday. It was on Friday that we arrived there and after he had got rid of the able seamen we took a walk through the town. It was a very funny little town quite different from any that I had ever seen. The streets were all twisty and winding and so narrow that a wagon could only just pass along them. The houses overhung at the top and came so close together that people in the attics could lean out the windows and shake hands with their neighbors on the opposite side of the street. The doctor told us the town was very, very old. It was called Monteverde. As we had no money, of course, we did not go to the hotel or anything like that. But on the second evening when we were passing by a bedmaker shop we noticed several beds which the man had made standing on the pavement outside. The doctor started chatting in Spanish to the bedmaker who was sitting at his door whistling to a parrot at the age. The doctor and the bedmaker got very friendly talking about birds and things and as it grew near to the supper time the man asked us to stop and sup with him. This, of course, we were very glad to do. And after the meal was over very nice dishes they were mostly cooked in olive oil I particularly liked the fried bananas. We sat outside on the pavement again and went on talking far into the night. At last when we got to go back to our ship this very nice shopkeeper wouldn't hear of our going away on any account. He said the streets down the harbor were very badly lighted and there was no moon. We would surely get lost. He invited us to spend the night with him and go back to our ship in the morning. Well, we finally agreed and as our good friend had no spare bedrooms the three of us, the doctor Bumple and I, slept on the bed set out for sale on the pavement before the shop. The night was so hot we needed no coverings. It was great fun to fall asleep out of doors like this, watching the people walking to and fro in the gay life of the streets. It seemed to me that the Spanish people never went to bed at all. Late as it was all the little restaurants and cafes around us were wide open with customers drinking coffee and chatting merrily at the small tables outside. The sound of a guitar strumming softly in the distance filled with a clatter of chinaware and the babble of voices. Somehow it made me think of my mother and father far away in Puttleby with their regular habits the evening practice on the flute and the rest doing the same thing every day. I felt sort of sorry for them in a way because they missed the fun of this traveling life where we were doing something new all the time even sleeping differently. But I suppose if they had been invited to go to bed on a pavement in front of a shop they wouldn't have cared for the idea at all. It is funny how some people are into Part 3 Chapter 6