Read Online The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting - Free Book Online
Authors: Hugh Lofting
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very irregular thing with me; sometimes
I have some, and then sometimes I haven't."
"You are very good, Doctor," said my mother, drying her tears. "It seems
to me that Tommy is a very fortunate boy."
And then, thoughtless, selfish little imp that I was, I leaned over and
whispered in the Doctor's ear,
"Please don't forget to say something about the voyages."
"Oh, by the way," said John Dolittle, "of course occasionally my work
requires me to travel. You will have no objection, I take it, to your
son's coming with me?"
My poor mother looked up sharply, more unhappy and anxious than ever
at this new turn; while I stood behind the Doctor's chair, my heart
thumping with excitement, waiting for my father's answer.
"No," he said slowly after a while. "If we agree to the other
arrangement I don't see that we've the right to make any objection to
that."
Well, there surely was never a happier boy in the world than I was at
that moment. My head was in the clouds. I trod on air. I could scarcely
keep from dancing round the parlor. At last the dream of my life was
to come true! At last I was to be given a chance to seek my fortune, to
have adventures! For I knew perfectly well that it was now almost time
for the Doctor to start upon another voyage. Polynesia had told me that
he hardly ever stayed at home for more than six months at a stretch.
Therefore he would be surely going again within a fortnight. And I—I,
Tommy Stubbins, would go with him! Just to think of it!—to cross the
Sea, to walk on foreign shores, to roam the World!
PART TWO
*
The First Chapter. The Crew of "the Curlew"
*
FROM that time on of course my position in the town was very different.
I was no longer a poor cobbler's son. I carried my nose in the air as
I went down the High Street with Jip in his gold collar at my side; and
snobbish little boys who had despised me before because I was not
rich enough to go to school now pointed me out to their friends and
whispered, "You see him? He's a doctor's assistant—and only ten years
old!"
But their eyes would have opened still wider with wonder if they had but
known that I and the dog that was with me could talk to one another.
Two days after the Doctor had been to our house to dinner he told me
very sadly that he was afraid that he would have to give up trying to
learn the language of the shellfish—at all events for the present.
"I'm very discouraged, Stubbins, very. I've tried the mussels and the
clams, the oysters and the whelks, cockles and scallops; seven different
kinds of crabs and all the lobster family. I think I'll leave it for the
present and go at it again later on."
"What will you turn to now?" I asked.
"Well, I rather thought of going on a voyage, Stubbins. It's quite a
time now since I've been away. And there is a great deal of work waiting
for me abroad."
"When shall we start?" I asked.
"Well, first I shall have to wait till the Purple Bird-of-Paradise gets
here. I must see if she has any message for me from Long Arrow. She's
late. She should have been here ten days ago. I hope to goodness she's
all right."
"Well, hadn't we better be seeing about getting a boat?" I said. "She is
sure to be here in a day or so; and there will be lots of things to do
to get ready in the mean time, won't there?"
"Yes, indeed," said the Doctor. "Suppose we go down and see your friend
Joe, the mussel-man. He will know about boats."
"I'd like to come too," said Jip.
"All right, come along," said the Doctor, and off we went.
Joe said yes, he had a boat—one he had just bought—but it needed three
people to sail her. We told him we would like to see it anyway.
So the mussel-man took us off a little way down the river and showed
us the neatest, prettiest, little vessel that ever was built. She was
called The Curlew. Joe said he would sell her to us cheap. But the
trouble was that the boat needed three people, while we were only two.
"Of course I shall be taking Chee-Chee," said the Doctor. "But
I have some, and then sometimes I haven't."
"You are very good, Doctor," said my mother, drying her tears. "It seems
to me that Tommy is a very fortunate boy."
And then, thoughtless, selfish little imp that I was, I leaned over and
whispered in the Doctor's ear,
"Please don't forget to say something about the voyages."
"Oh, by the way," said John Dolittle, "of course occasionally my work
requires me to travel. You will have no objection, I take it, to your
son's coming with me?"
My poor mother looked up sharply, more unhappy and anxious than ever
at this new turn; while I stood behind the Doctor's chair, my heart
thumping with excitement, waiting for my father's answer.
"No," he said slowly after a while. "If we agree to the other
arrangement I don't see that we've the right to make any objection to
that."
Well, there surely was never a happier boy in the world than I was at
that moment. My head was in the clouds. I trod on air. I could scarcely
keep from dancing round the parlor. At last the dream of my life was
to come true! At last I was to be given a chance to seek my fortune, to
have adventures! For I knew perfectly well that it was now almost time
for the Doctor to start upon another voyage. Polynesia had told me that
he hardly ever stayed at home for more than six months at a stretch.
Therefore he would be surely going again within a fortnight. And I—I,
Tommy Stubbins, would go with him! Just to think of it!—to cross the
Sea, to walk on foreign shores, to roam the World!
PART TWO
*
The First Chapter. The Crew of "the Curlew"
*
FROM that time on of course my position in the town was very different.
I was no longer a poor cobbler's son. I carried my nose in the air as
I went down the High Street with Jip in his gold collar at my side; and
snobbish little boys who had despised me before because I was not
rich enough to go to school now pointed me out to their friends and
whispered, "You see him? He's a doctor's assistant—and only ten years
old!"
But their eyes would have opened still wider with wonder if they had but
known that I and the dog that was with me could talk to one another.
Two days after the Doctor had been to our house to dinner he told me
very sadly that he was afraid that he would have to give up trying to
learn the language of the shellfish—at all events for the present.
"I'm very discouraged, Stubbins, very. I've tried the mussels and the
clams, the oysters and the whelks, cockles and scallops; seven different
kinds of crabs and all the lobster family. I think I'll leave it for the
present and go at it again later on."
"What will you turn to now?" I asked.
"Well, I rather thought of going on a voyage, Stubbins. It's quite a
time now since I've been away. And there is a great deal of work waiting
for me abroad."
"When shall we start?" I asked.
"Well, first I shall have to wait till the Purple Bird-of-Paradise gets
here. I must see if she has any message for me from Long Arrow. She's
late. She should have been here ten days ago. I hope to goodness she's
all right."
"Well, hadn't we better be seeing about getting a boat?" I said. "She is
sure to be here in a day or so; and there will be lots of things to do
to get ready in the mean time, won't there?"
"Yes, indeed," said the Doctor. "Suppose we go down and see your friend
Joe, the mussel-man. He will know about boats."
"I'd like to come too," said Jip.
"All right, come along," said the Doctor, and off we went.
Joe said yes, he had a boat—one he had just bought—but it needed three
people to sail her. We told him we would like to see it anyway.
So the mussel-man took us off a little way down the river and showed
us the neatest, prettiest, little vessel that ever was built. She was
called The Curlew. Joe said he would sell her to us cheap. But the
trouble was that the boat needed three people, while we were only two.
"Of course I shall be taking Chee-Chee," said the Doctor. "But
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