Nearly all of the history of Doctor Dolittle's post office took place when he was returning from a voyage to West Africa. Therefore I will begin (as soon as I have told you a little about how he came to take the journey) from where he turned his ship towards home again and set sail for Puddleby-on-the-Marsh.
"'George Morland,广告公司📂' said the spaniel.
"Very well,广告公司🌑" said the white mouse. "I will tell you one of the days of my youth. The Doctor knows this story,广告公司📥 but the rest of you have never heard it."
"What charming children you have,广告公司🚥" said the Doctor to the mother spoonbill,广告公司🉐 who was watching them proudly. "I'm glad they've got their playthings safely back. I wouldn't have had them lose them for anything.""'How dare you speak to me like that?'"
The black men were at once freed from their chains and brought on to the man-o'-war. Then the slave ship was taken in tow by the Violet. And that was the end of Mr. Bones's slave trading.
"'Why,加盟店🎁 it's an owl!' cries the little girl.So the Captain gave orders that all possible speed was to be made. These were the days when steam was first used on ships. But at the beginning it was only used together with the sails,广告公司✴ to help the power of the wind. Of this vessel,广告公司⌛ H. M. S. Violet,广告公司🍏 the Captain was very proud. And he was most anxious that the Violet should have the honor of catching Bones the slaver,广告公司🈺 who for so long had been defying the navy by carrying on slave trade after it had been forbidden. So the Violet's steam engines were put to work their hardest. And thick,广告公司🚮 black smoke rolled out of her funnels and darkened the blue sea and smudged up her lovely white sails humming tight in the breeze.
"And we've got the pearls,广告公司🙇 too,广告公司😭" cried Too-Too. "They're in the stamp drawer and Jip is guarding them."
Then the Violet swung her great bow around to the north once more and sailed away for England,广告公司🚗 while the bluejackets crowded the rail and sent three hearty cheers for the Doctor ringing across the sea.
CHAPTER I
King Koko got to hear of this and he called up one of these stamp collectors and asked him why men should offer high prices for one old used stamp. And the white man explained to him this new craze for stamp collecting that was sweeping over the civilized world.
"Well,加盟店🈸 for a while our plan worked splendidly. The beggar sold the things that we got in payment from the dogs and he had money to live on.
Title: Doctor Dolittle's Post Office
"All right,加盟店📴" said the Doctor. "Fly slowly on to where the canoe is and I will steer the ship to follow you."
Reaching the mouth of the river at the southern end of the lake they paused a moment before entering the mangrove swamps and looked back. And there in the distance they could just see the shape of the old turtle standing on his new island,加盟店🚖 watching them. They waved to him and pushed on.
But presently he heard something stirring in his pocket. And to his great delight,加盟店🚪 the white mouse,广告公司🌻 who had been sleeping soundly,加盟店⛪ entirely forgotten by the Doctor,加盟店🍅 ran out on his lap.
After about an hour had passed he heard a gentle sort of whispered quacking high overhead and he knew that his faithful housekeeper was returning. Presently,广告公司🍹 with a swish of feathers,广告公司🌴 Dab-Dab settled down at his feet. And on her face was an expression which meant great news.
"Matches! Matches! Where are the matches?" screamed Dab-Dab. "The light's out and there's a ship in danger! Where are the matches kept?""Then you should have seen those poor children jump!
PARCEL POST
And in this war the King of Fantippo had taken many prisoners,广告公司⛳ among whom was the woman's husband. Shortly after the war was over some white men in a ship had called at the Kingdom of Fantippo to see if they could buy slaves for tobacco plantations. And when the king heard how much money they were willing to give for black slaves he thought he would sell them the prisoners he had taken in the war.
After the Doctor had finished his speech and told the leaders what it was he meant to do,加盟店🙀 the birds of the world applauded by whistling and screeching and flapping their wings,广告公司👺 so that the noise was terrible. And in the streets of Fantippo the natives whispered it about that the dragons were fighting one another in No-Man's-Land.
And,加盟店🌒 taking down his clothes off his own head,加盟店💿 the Doctor smartened up his high hat and dressed himself,广告公司👆 while the strange thing that had saved their lives carried them steadily and firmly toward the mysterious island.
Then when King Koko had got his mail-men,广告公司💢 the Royal Fantippo post office began really working. Letters were collected from the boxes at street corners and sent off when ships called; and incoming mail was delivered at the doors of the houses in Fantippo three times a day. The post office became the busiest place in town.