The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle | Page 3

Pay a trademark license fee to the Project of 20% of the net profits
you derive calculated using the method you already use to calculate

your applicable taxes. If you don't derive profits, no royalty is due.
Royalties are payable to "Project Gutenberg
Association/Carnegie-Mellon University" within the 60 days following
each date you prepare (or were legally required to prepare) your annual
(or equivalent periodic) tax return.
WHAT IF YOU *WANT* TO SEND MONEY EVEN IF YOU
DON'T HAVE TO?
The Project gratefully accepts contributions in money, time, scanning
machines, OCR software, public domain etexts, royalty free copyright
licenses, and every other sort of contribution you can think of. Money
should be paid to "Project Gutenberg Association / Carnegie-Mellon
University".
*END*THE SMALL PRINT! FOR PUBLIC DOMAIN
ETEXTS*Ver.04.29.93*END*

THE VOYAGES OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE
BY HUGH LOFTING

To Colin and Elizabeth

CONTENTS PART ONE PROLOGUE I THE COBBLER'S SON II I
HEAR OF THE GREAT NATURALIST III THE DOCTOR'S HOME
IV THE WIFF-WAFF V POLYNESIA VI THE WOUNDED
SQUIRREL VII SHELLFISH TALK VIII ARE YOU A GOOD
NOTICER? IX THE GARDEN OF DREAMS X THE PRIVATE ZOO
XI MY SCHOOLMASTER, POLYNESIA XII MY GREAT IDEA
XIII A TRAVELER ARRIVES XIV CHEE-CHEE'S VOYAGE XV I
BECOME A DOCTOR'S ASSISTANT
PART TWO I THE CREW OF "THE CURLEW" II LUKE THE

HERMIT III JIP AND THE SECRET IV BOB V MENDOZA VI THE
JUDGE'S DOG VII THE END OF THE MYSTERY VIII THREE
CHEERS IX THE PURPLE BIRD-OF-PARADISE X LONG ARROW,
THE SON OF GOLDEN ARROW XI BLIND TRAVEL XII
DESTINY AND DESTINATION
PART THREE I THE THIRD MAN II GOOD-BYE! III OUR
TROUBLES BEGIN IV OUR TROUBLES CONTINUE V
POLYNESIA HAS A PLAN VI THE BED-MAKER OF
MONTEVERDE VII THE DOCTOR'S WAGER VIII THE GREAT
BULLFIGHT IX WE DE
PART IN A HURRY
PART FOUR I SHELLFISH LANGUAGES AGAIN II THE FIDGIT'S
STORY III BAD WEATHER IV WRECKED! V LAND! VI THE
JABIZRI VII HAWK'S-HEAD MOUNTAIN
PART FIVE I A GREAT MOMENT II "THE MEN OF THE
MOVING, LAND" III FIRE IV WHAT MAKES AN ISLAND
FLOAT V WAR! VI GENERAL POLYNESIA VII THE PEACE OF
THE PARROTS VIII THE HANGING STONE IX THE ELECTION
X THE CORONATION OF KING JONG
PART SIX I NEW POPSIPETEL II THOUGHTS OF HOME III THE
RED MAN'S SCIENCE IV THE SEA-SERPENT V THE SHELLFISH
RIDDLE SOLVED AT LAST VI THE LAST CABINET MEETING
VII THE DOCTOR'S DECISION

THE VOYAGES OF DOCTOR DOLITTLE
PROLOGUE ALL that I have written so far about Doctor Dolittle I
heard long after it happened from those who had known him--indeed a
great deal of it took place before I was born. But I now come to set
down that part of the great man's life which I myself saw and took part
in.

Many years ago the Doctor gave me permission to do this. But we were
both of us so busy then voyaging around the world, having adventures
and filling note-books full of natural history that I never seemed to get
time to sit down and write of our doings.
Now of course, when I am quite an old man, my memory isn't so good
any more. But whenever I am in doubt and have to hesitate and think, I
always ask Polynesia, the parrot.
That wonderful bird (she is now nearly two hundred and fifty years old)
sits on the top of my desk, usually humming sailor songs to herself,
while I write this book. And, as every one who ever met her knows,
Polynesia's memory is the most marvelous memory in the world. If
there is any happening I am not quite sure of, she is always able to put
me right, to tell me exactly how it took place, who was there and
everything about it. In fact sometimes I almost think I ought to say that
this book was written by Polynesia instead of me.
Very well then, I will begin. And first of all I must tell you something
about myself and how I came to meet the Doctor.


PART I
THE FIRST CHAPTER
THE COBBLER'S SON
MY name was Tommy Stubbins, son of Jacob Stubbins, the cobbler of
Puddleby-on-the-Marsh; and I was nine and a half years old. At that
time Puddleby was only quite a small town. A river ran through the
middle of it; and over this river there was a very old stone bridge,
called Kingsbridge, which led you from the market-place on one side to
the churchyard on the other.

Sailing-ships came up this river from the sea and anchored near the
bridge. I used to go down and watch the sailors unloading the ships
upon the river-wall. The sailors sang strange songs as they pulled upon
the ropes; and I learned these songs by heart. And I