Kitabı oku: «The Story of Doctor Dolittle / История Доктора Дулиттла. Уровень 1», sayfa 9
The meat seller was there to see them off. He brought a large pudding as a present for the Doctor because he thought you couldn’t get puddings in foreign parts.
It was four o’clock in the afternoon when they got onto the boat. Gub-Gub, the pig, asked where the beds were because he wanted his nap. So Polynesia took him downstairs into the inside of the ship and showed him the beds. They were set all on top of one another like book-shelves against a wall.
“Why, that isn’t a bed!” cried Gub-Gub. “That’s a shelf!”
“Beds are always like that on ships,” said the parrot. “It isn’t a shelf. Climb up into it and go to sleep. That’s what you call ‘a bunk13.’”
“I don’t think I’ll go to bed yet,” said Gub-Gub. “I’m too excited. I want to go upstairs again and see them start.”
“Well, this is your first trip,” said Polynesia. “You will get used to the life after a while.” And she went back up the stairs of the ship.
They were just going to start on their journey, when the Doctor said he would have to go back and ask the sailor the way to Africa. But the swallow said she knew the way and would show them how to get there.
So the Doctor told Chee-Chee to pull up the anchor and the journey began.
The Fifth Chapter
The Great Journey
Now for six whole weeks they went sailing on and on. The swallow flew before the ship to show them the way. At night she carried a tiny light, so they should not miss her in the dark. The people on the other ships that passed said that the light must be a shooting star.
As they sailed further and further into the South, it got warmer and warmer. Polynesia, Chee-Chee and the crocodile enjoyed the hot sun no end. They ran about laughing and looking over the side of the ship to see if they could see Africa yet.
But for the pig and the dog and the owl, Too-Too, the weather was too hot. They could do nothing but sat at the end of the ship in the shade and drink lemonade.
Dab-Dab, the duck, used to keep herself cool by jumping into the sea and swimming behind the ship. And every time the top of her head got too hot, she would dive under the ship and come up on the other side. In this way, too, she used to catch fish on Tuesdays and Fridays—when everybody on the boat ate fish to make the beef last longer.
When they got near to the Equator they saw some flying-fishes coming towards them. And the fishes asked the parrot if this was Doctor Dolittle’s ship. When she told them it was, they said they were glad, because the monkeys in Africa were getting worried that he would never come. Polynesia asked them how many miles they had yet to go; and the flying-fishes said it was only fifty-five miles now to the coast of Africa.
And another timea whole school14 of dolphins came dancing through the waves. The too asked Polynesia if this was the ship of the famous doctor. And when they heard that it was, they asked the parrot if the Doctor wanted anything for his journey.
