The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle (12 page)

"Has the boy gone crazy?" cried the duck. "Where do you think you're
going, ninny?"

"To Spidermonkey Island!" I shouted, picking myself up and doing
cart-wheels down the hall—"Spidermonkey 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 Chee-Chee.

THAT same week we began our preparations for the voyage.

Joe, the mussel-man, had the Curlew moved 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 sails and other
things were kept.

I think Joe must have told everybody in the 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 Mugg 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 Spidermonkey Island," I said proudly.

"And be you the only one the Doctor's taking 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 masts of the Curlew.

"You know, Tommy," said he, "if it wasn't for my rheumatism I've 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
travelish-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 wharf. The clock in Puddleby Church
struck noon and I turned back, feeling very busy and important, to the
task of loading.

But it wasn't very long before some one 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 to 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 Curlew.

"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 note-books 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, able 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."

"Why, but Captain," said the able seaman, "you surely ain't going to
face deep-sea weather with nothing more than this bit of a lad to help
you—and with a cutter that big!"

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 "undermanning." He got out what he called his stiffikit—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 and another kept us quite busy that morning. The
Doctor had no sooner gone below to stow away his note-books than
another visitor appeared upon the gang-plank. This was a most
extraordinary-looking black man. The only other negroes I had seen had
been in circuses, where they wore feathers and bone 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. He 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 Dolittle?"

"Yes," I said, "did you wish to see him?"

"I did—if it will not be discommodious," he answered.

"Who shall I say it is?"

"I am Bumpo Kahbooboo, Crown Prince of Jolliginki."

I ran downstairs at once and told the Doctor.

"How fortunate!" cried John Dolittle. "My old friend Bumpo! 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 ladder 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," he said, "that you were about to sail upon a voyage.
I hastened to see you before your departure. I am sublimely ecstasied
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 require?" asked Bumpo.

"Only one," said the Doctor—"But it is so hard to find the right one."

"Methinks I detect something of the finger of Destination in this," said
Bumpo. "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 Bumpo. "Even had I not gone with you, I
intended at the end of this term to take a three-months' absconsion—But
besides, I shall not be neglecting my edification if I accompany you.
Before I left Jolliginki my august father, the King, told me to be sure
and travel plenty. You are a man of great studiosity. 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, passably, passably," said Bumpo. "I liked it all except the algebra
and the shoes. The algebra hurt my head and the shoes hurt my feet.
I threw 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's 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, Bumpo,
about getting education from the world as well as from the college. And
if you are really sure that you want to come, we shall be delighted to
have you. Because, to tell you the truth, I think you are exactly the
man we need."

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 Chee-Chee were the only
other animals to go with us. Dab-Dab was left in charge of the house and
the animal family 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 stock-pot boiling on the kitchen-fire. However, we saw a blackbird
flying by who nested in our garden, and the Doctor 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 gang-plank 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 crooked sort of smile, patted me on the back and
wished me luck. Good-byes are 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 Mugg among the crowd. We
had felt sure that 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 undid
a lot of mooring-ropes. Then the Curlew began to move gently down the
river with the out-running 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, 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.) Bumpo had been told off to go
downstairs and prepare dinner for us. Chee-Chee was coiling up ropes in
the stern and laying them in neat piles. 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 stuck out—like a statue, so
still—his keen old eyes keeping a sharp look-out for floating wrecks,
sand-bars, and other dangers. Each one of us had some special job to do,
part of the proper running of a ship. Even old Polynesia was taking the
sea's temperature with the Doctor's bath-ther-mometer tied on the end of
a string, to make sure there were no icebergs near us. As I listened
to her swearing softly to herself because she 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!

JUST before supper-time Bumpo appeared from downstairs and went to the
Doctor at the wheel.

"A stowaway in the hold, Sir," said he in a very business-like seafaring
voice. "I just discovered him, behind the flour-bags."

"Dear me!" said the Doctor. "What a nuisance! Stubbins, go down with
Bumpo and bring the man up. I can't leave the wheel just now."

So Bumpo and I went down into the hold; and there, behind the
flour-bags, plastered in flour from head to foot, we found a man. After
we had swept most of the flour off him with a broom, we discovered that
it was Matthew Mugg. We hauled him upstairs sneezing and took him before
the Doctor.

"Why Matthew!" said John Dolittle. "What on earth are you doing here?"

"The temptation was too much for me, Doctor," said the cat's-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 you would find
I came in handy like and keep me. But I had to lie so doubled up, for
hours, behind them flour-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 wouldn't
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 light-houses there are before I
change the ship's course and sail inshore."

"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 minks."