"Pearls? What do you mean?" said the bird.
Then the Doctor and Jip went back to Fantippo,联机📗 carried by the piffilosaurus,联机🚭 who landed them on the shore under cover of night,守护者😤 so no one would see them. And in the morning John Dolittle called upon the King again.
Then he turned to the prison guards,怎么🍋 gave instructions that the Doctor was not to be fed till further orders and stalked out. The door slammed shut with a doleful clang and after one decent breath of fresh air the Doctor was left in the darkness of his stuffy dungeon.
"You said something about a message you had for Dab-Dab,地牢🎷 I think,地牢📞" peeped the white mouse's voice from the darkness of the corner.
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,怎么📠 so many had gathered to him on the way.Paddling very,怎么👥 very softly,联机🏰 he managed to get the canoe right under the bow of the ship. Then,地牢✉ tying his own craft so it couldn't float away,联机🌜 he swarmed up the schooner's anchor chain and crept on to the boat on hands and knees.
"With a thrill of triumph,地牢📱 I dropped the precious ostrich skin before their very eyes into the swirling river,怎么☔ where it quickly disappeared from view. A howl of rage went up from the Badamoshis.
The next day the post-birds complained that the mail was an extra heavy one. And when it was sorted,守护者🎲 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.
"Welcome,联机💪 John Dolittle. Welcome to Lake Junganyika."
This took considerable time,地牢✊ because Bones,联机🌻 it seemed,地牢🚸 had collected slaves from a great many different tribes. And it was after noon before the Doctor,怎么💎 with Zuzana and her husband,联机🌘 were returned to John Dolittle's ship,地牢🌃 who still had her lights faithfully burning in the middle of the day.
"Bertha Bacon.
"'I've tried,守护者😄' I said. 'But they're so scared they won't follow me. They don't like my voice or something. They take me for a wicked ogre,联机🚚 and all that sort of rot.'Then the king was very angry and,地牢📛 calling for the white trader,怎么🔹 he said:
"Then the father swings his lantern around,联机💺 looking for a cat; and before I had time to hop away he throws the light full on me,地牢🌖 sitting on a sage bush.
"No,地牢👜 but his wife can,联机🐢" said Jip.
"Give me the message,怎么💬" said the white mouse,地牢🏢 "and I'll hand it to Dab-Dab before you can say Jack Robinson. She's sitting in the tree,地牢🚜 where the hole comes out."
Now,怎么💓 this Fantippo post office of which Zuzana had spoken to the Doctor was rather peculiar. For one thing,地牢💈 it was,地牢🚄 of course,怎么🐷 quite unusual to find a post office or regular mails of any kind in a savage African kingdom. And the way such a thing had come about was this:
Well,联机👙 when four days had passed the Emir of Ellebubu sent a messenger to the prison to inquire if the Doctor was now willing to do as he was told. The guards after talking to John Dolittle brought word to the Emir that the white man was as obstinate as ever and had no intention of giving in."You sound bitter,地牢🌛" said the Doctor. "Did King Mashtu do you any harm?"
THE VOYAGE DELAYED
"Tee-hee-hee!" tittered the white mouse.
"Nicholas Scroggins."
"A wooden statue still stands to his memory"
And then there was a solemn silence in the lighthouse while the Doctor above and Dab-Dab below thought gloomily of that big ship sailing onward to her wreck because they had no matches.
"Fire!" said Speedy. And the Doctor fired.
CHAPTER I
In a moment he was clattering down the stairs.