The Story of Doctor Dolittle

_THE TWENTIETH CHAPTER_

THE FISHERMAN’S TOWN

GENTLY then—very gently, the Doctor woke the man up.

But just at that moment the match went out again. And the man thoughtit was Ben Ali coming back, and he began to punch the Doctor in thedark.

But when John Dolittle told him who it was, and that he had his littlenephew safe on his ship, the man was tremendously glad, and said he wassorry he had fought the Doctor. He had not hurt him much though—becauseit was too dark to punch properly. Then he gave the Doctor a pinch ofsnuff.

And the man told how the Barbary Dragon had put him on to this rock andleft him there, when he wouldn’t promise to become a pirate; and how heused to sleep down in this hole because there was no house on the rockto keep him warm.

And then he said,

“For four days I have had nothing to eat or drink. I have lived onsnuff.”

“There you are!” said Jip. “What did I tell you?”

So they struck some more matches and made their way out through thepassage into the daylight; and the Doctor hurried the man down to theboat to get some soup.

When the animals and the little boy saw the Doctor and Jip coming backto the ship with a red-headed man, they began to cheer and yell anddance about the boat. And the swallows up above started whistling atthe top of their voices—thousands and millions of them—to show thatthey too were glad that the boy’s brave uncle had been found. Thenoise they made was so great that sailors far out at sea thought thata terrible storm was coming. “Hark to that gale howling in the East!”they said.

And Jip was awfully proud of himself—though he tried hard not to lookconceited. When Dab-Dab came to him and said, “Jip, I had no idea youwere so clever!” he just tossed his head and answered,

“Oh, that’s nothing special. But it takes a dog to find a man, youknow. Birds are no good for a game like that.”

Then the Doctor asked the red-haired fisherman where his home was. Andwhen he had told him, the Doctor asked the swallows to guide the shipthere first.

And when they had come to the land which the man had spoken of, theysaw a little fishing-town at the foot of a rocky mountain; and the manpointed out the house where he lived.

And while they were letting down the anchor, the little boy’s mother(who was also the man’s sister) came running down to the shore to meetthem, laughing and crying at the same time. She had been sitting on ahill for twenty days, watching the sea and waiting for them to return.

And she kissed the Doctor many times, so that he giggled and blushedlike a school-girl. And she tried to kiss Jip too; but he ran away andhid inside the ship.

“It’s a silly business, this kissing,” he said. “I don’t hold by it.Let her go and kiss Gub-Gub—if she _must_ kiss something.”

“And she kissed the Doctor many times”]

The fisherman and his sister didn’t want the Doctor to go away againin a hurry. They begged him to spend a few days with them. So JohnDolittle and his animals had to stay at their house a whole Saturdayand Sunday and half of Monday.

And all the little boys of the fishing-village went down to the beachand pointed at the great ship anchored there, and said to one anotherin whispers,

“Look! That was a pirate-ship—Ben Ali’s—the most terrible pirate thatever sailed the Seven Seas! That old gentleman with the high hat,who’s staying up at Mrs. Trevelyan’s, _he_ took the ship away from TheBarbary Dragon—and made him into a farmer. Who’d have thought it ofhim—him so gentle-like and all!... Look at the great red sails! Ain’tshe the wicked-looking ship—and fast?—My!”

All those two days and a half that the Doctor stayed at the littlefishing-town the people kept asking him out to teas and luncheons anddinners and parties; all the ladies sent him boxes of flowers andcandies; and the village-band played tunes under his window every night.

At last the Doctor said,

“Good people, I must go home now. You have really been most kind. Ishall always remember it. But I must go home—for I have things to do.”

Then, just as the Doctor was about to leave, the Mayor of the town camedown the street and a lot of other people in grand clothes with him.And the Mayor stopped before the house where the Doctor was living; andeverybody in the village gathered round to see what was going to happen.

After six page-boys had blown on shining trumpets to make the peoplestop talking, the Doctor came out on to the steps and the Mayor spoke.

“Doctor John Dolittle,” said he: “It is a great pleasure for me topresent to the man who rid the seas of the Dragon of Barbary thislittle token from the grateful people of our worthy Town.”

And the Mayor took from his pocket a little tissue-paper packet, andopening it, he handed to the Doctor a perfectly beautiful watch withreal diamonds in the back.

Then the Mayor pulled out of his pocket a still larger parcel and said,

“Where is the dog?”

Then everybody started to hunt for Jip. And at last Dab-Dab found himon the other side of the village in a stable-yard, where all the dogsof the country-side were standing round him speechless with admirationand respect.

When Jip was brought to the Doctor’s side, the Mayor opened the largerparcel; and inside was a dog-collar made of solid gold! And a greatmurmur of wonder went up from the village-folk as the Mayor bent downand fastened it round the dog’s neck with his own hands.

For written on the collar in big letters were these words: “JIP—_TheCleverest Dog in the World._”

Then the whole crowd moved down to the beach to see them off. And afterthe red-haired fisherman and his sister and the little boy had thankedthe Doctor and his dog over and over and over again, the great, swiftship with the red sails was turned once more towards Puddleby and theysailed out to sea, while the village-band played music on the shore.