The Doctor did not expect an answer to it right away because the Cats'-Meat-Man's wife was a very slow reader and a still slower writer. And anyhow,时候🌸 Cheapside could not be expected to visit Puddleby for another week yet. He always stayed in London until after the Easter Bank Holiday. His wife refused to let him leave for the country till the spring family had been taught by their father how to find the houses where people threw out crumbs; how to pick up oats from under the cab horses' nose bags without being stamped on by the horses' hoofs; how to get about in the trafficky streets of London and a whole lot of other things that young city birds have to know.
To the Doctor's astonishment the King choked on his lollipop and nearly fell over his chair backwards. Then he ran inside the palace and shut the door.
"About midnight I met the lady mouse with whom I was in love,时候😺 beneath a lamp-post. And,国产🏣 would you believe it? She wouldn't speak to me! Cut me dead,时候📍 she did.
"It was Sir Timothy Quisby,夏朗📋 our most expensive patient"With a howl Wilkins bent down to knock her off.
OBOMBO'S REBELLION
The next day the post-birds complained that the mail was an extra heavy one. And when it was sorted,什么🏥 there were ten thick letters for Gub-Gub and none for anybody else. Jip got suspicious about this and looked over Gub-Gub's shoulder while he opened them. In each one there was a banana skin.
Then the Doctor asked Speedy to send off messages through the birds to every corner of the earth. And to ask all the leaders of seagulls,时候🐔 tomtits,夏朗🎑 magpies,时候🔔 thrushes,什么💦 stormy petrels,时候🐒 finches,国产🍃 penguins,国产✈ vultures,时候🏦 snow buntings,时候🍨 wild geese and the rest to come to No-Man's-Land,夏朗☕ because John Dolittle wanted to speak to them.
"Ah,夏朗📊" said John Dolittle,时候🔓 "perhaps we shall find out something now. Can you tell me,什么📟" he asked the cormorant,夏朗😂 "how to get pearls?"
"Well,时候🍉" said Gub-Gub,什么👑 "you know how people are always telling you 'You mustn't speak about those things at table!' Well,国产🔐 the Cook Goblins had a speaking tube in the wall which led,什么🐔 at the other end,什么🌹 to the open air outside. And whenever you wanted to talk about any of the things forbidden at table you left the table and went and said it into the speaking tube; then you came back to your seat. It was a very great invention.... Well,什么🍦 as I was saying,时候🈺 the baby pig enjoyed himself tremendously. And when the meal was over he said he must be going back because he wanted to get into the sty before his mother and father should be awake.
"Why,夏朗📬 this is extraordinary!" said the Doctor,时候🙇 examining the bone with great care. "I did not know that this class of animals were still to be found in Africa. Where did you get this bone,什么🆕 Jip?"
But after many hours of terrific labor,夏朗🔪 trying to get letters sorted and the place in order,国产Ⓜ John Dolittle saw that such a tremendous job as setting the Fantippo post office to rights would not be a matter of a day or two. It would take weeks at least. So he told this to the King. Then the Doctor's ship was brought into the harbor and put safely at anchor and the animals were all taken ashore. And a nice,时候♊ new house on the main street was given over to the Doctor for himself and his pets to live in while the work of straightening out the Fantippo mails was going on.
And now the Doctor set out with his animals and the old Chief to return to Nyam-Nyam's country from the land where he had been imprisoned. On the way they kept meeting with groups of the Chief's people who were still hiding in the jungle. These were told the glad tidings of the Emir's promise. When they learned that their land was now free and safe again the people joined the Doctor's party for the return journey. And long before he came in sight of the village John Dolittle looked like a conquering general coming back at the head of an army,国产🙋 so many had gathered to him on the way.
"His only interest in life is food,时候🐵 anyway,时候✴" said Too-Too. "Let someone else tell a story."
"They did,国产🈹" said the Piffilosaurus. "But they kept hidden under the water,夏朗🈵 lest the natives on the shore should see and get to know that the old story about the dragon's mother-in-law wasn't true. While I was bringing you here they were swimming all around you under the water,时候👦 ready to help if I needed them. They have gone around to the secret cove so they may come ashore unseen. We had better be going on ourselves now. Whatever happens,夏朗📔 we mustn't be seen from the shore and have the natives coming here. It would be the end of us if that should ever happen,时候📪 because,国产🎯 between ourselves,时候🚅 although they think us so terrible,夏朗💒 we are really more harmless than sheep."
The Doctor squirmed his arms and wrists and presently his hands were free."John Dolittle talked to the woman"
"The gull caught the tomato skin with a lightning lunge"
"I had many adventures with cats. It was winter time and the snow lay thick upon the ground. I started off to explore the world,时候📏 rejoicing in my liberty. Going around to the back of the house,国产🌏 I passed from the miller's yard into the dyer's yard,时候📫 next door. In the yard was a dyeing shed and I noticed two owls sitting on the top of it in the moonlight."All right,什么🔋" said Dab-Dab. "But it may take me a little time. There are several islands and quite a number of spoonbills. I shall have to make inquiries and find out which one sent you the pearls."
CHAPTER VI