_THE SIXTH CHAPTER_
POLYNESIA AND THE KING
WHEN they had gone a little way through the thick forest, they came toa wide, clear space; and they saw the King’s palace which was made ofmud.
This was where the King lived with his Queen, Ermintrude, and theirson, Prince Bumpo. The Prince was away fishing for salmon in the river.But the King and Queen were sitting under an umbrella before the palacedoor. And Queen Ermintrude was asleep.
When the Doctor had come up to the palace the King asked him hisbusiness; and the Doctor told him why he had come to Africa.
“You may not travel through my lands,” said the King. “Many years ago awhite man came to these shores; and I was very kind to him. But afterhe had dug holes in the ground to get the gold, and killed all theelephants to get their ivory tusks, he went away secretly in his ship—without so much as saying ‘Thank you.’ Never again shall a white mantravel through the lands of Jolliginki.”
“And Queen Ermintrude was asleep”]
Then the King turned to some of the black men who were standing nearand said, “Take away this medicine-man—with all his animals, and lockthem up in my strongest prison.”
So six of the black men led the Doctor and all his pets away and shutthem up in a stone dungeon. The dungeon had only one little window,high up in the wall, with bars in it; and the door was strong and thick.
Then they all grew very sad; and Gub-Gub, the pig, began to cry. ButChee-Chee said he would spank him if he didn’t stop that horriblenoise; and he kept quiet.
“Are we all here?” asked the Doctor, after he had got used to the dimlight.
“Yes, I think so,” said the duck and started to count them.
“Where’s Polynesia?” asked the crocodile. “She isn’t here.”
“Are you sure?” said the Doctor. “Look again. Polynesia! Polynesia!Where are you?”
“I suppose she escaped,” grumbled the crocodile. “Well, that’s justlike her!—Sneaked off into the jungle as soon as her friends got intotrouble.”
“I’m not that kind of a bird,” said the parrot, climbing out of thepocket in the tail of the Doctor’s coat. “You see, I’m small enoughto get through the bars of that window; and I was afraid they wouldput me in a cage instead. So while the King was busy talking, I hid inthe Doctor’s pocket—and here I am! That’s what you call a ‘ruse,’” shesaid, smoothing down her feathers with her beak.
“Good Gracious!” cried the Doctor. “You’re lucky I didn’t sit on you.”
“Now listen,” said Polynesia, “to-night, as soon as it gets dark, Iam going to creep through the bars of that window and fly over to thepalace. And then—you’ll see—I’ll soon find a way to make the King letus all out of prison.”
“Oh, what can _you_ do?” said Gub-Gub, turning up his nose andbeginning to cry again. “You’re only a bird!”
“Quite true,” said the parrot. “But do not forget that although I amonly a bird, _I can talk like a man_—and I know these darkies.”
So that night, when the moon was shining through the palm-trees andall the King’s men were asleep, the parrot slipped out through thebars of the prison and flew across to the palace. The pantry window hadbeen broken by a tennis ball the week before; and Polynesia popped inthrough the hole in the glass.
She heard Prince Bumpo snoring in his bedroom at the back of thepalace. Then she tip-toed up the stairs till she came to the King’sbedroom. She opened the door gently and peeped in.
The Queen was away at a dance that night at her cousin’s; but the Kingwas in bed fast asleep.
Polynesia crept in, very softly, and got under the bed.
Then she coughed—just the way Doctor Dolittle used to cough. Polynesiacould mimic any one.
The King opened his eyes and said sleepily: “Is that you, Ermintrude?”(He thought it was the Queen come back from the dance.)
Then the parrot coughed again—loud, like a man. And the King sat up,wide awake, and said, “Who’s that?”
“I am Doctor Dolittle,” said the parrot—just the way the Doctor wouldhave said it.
“What are you doing in my bedroom?” cried the King. “How dare you getout of prison! Where are you?—I don’t see you.”
“‘Who’s that?’”]
But the parrot just laughed—a long, deep* jolly laugh, like theDoctor’s.
“Stop laughing and come here at once, so I can see you,” said the King.
“Foolish King!” answered Polynesia. “Have you forgotten that youare talking to John Dolittle, M.D.—the most wonderful man on earth?Of course you cannot see me. I have made myself invisible. There isnothing I cannot do. Now listen: I have come here to-night to warnyou. If you don’t let me and my animals travel through your kingdom,I will make you and all your people sick like the monkeys. For I canmake people well: and I can make people ill—just by raising my littlefinger. Send your soldiers at once to open the dungeon door, or youshall have mumps before the morning sun has risen on the hills ofJolliginki.”
Then the King began to tremble and was very much afraid.
“Doctor,” he cried, “it shall be as you say. Do not raise your littlefinger, please!” And he jumped out of bed and ran to tell the soldiersto open the prison door.
As soon as he was gone, Polynesia crept downstairs and left the palaceby the pantry window.
But the Queen, who was just letting herself in at the backdoor with alatch-key, saw the parrot getting out through the broken glass. Andwhen the King came back to bed she told him what she had seen.
Then the King understood that he had been tricked, and he wasdreadfully angry. He hurried back to the prison at once.
But he was too late. The door stood open. The dungeon was empty. TheDoctor and all his animals were gone.