The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

By Hugh Lofting.

Table of Contents

1. Titlepage
2. Imprint
3. Dedication
4. The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle
   1. Prologue
   2. Part I
      1. I: The Cobbler’s Son
      2. II: I Hear of the Great Naturalist
      3. III: The Doctor’s Home
      4. IV: The Wiff-Waff
      5. V: Polynesia
      6. VI: The Wounded Squirrel
      7. VII: Shellfish Talk
      8. VIII: Are You a Good Noticer?
      9. IX: The Garden of Dreams
      10. X: The Private Zoo
      11. XI: My Schoolmaster, Polynesia
      12. XII: My Great Idea
      13. XII: A Traveler Arrives
      14. XIV: Chee-Chee’s Voyage
      15. XV: I Become a Doctor’s Assistant
   3. Part II
      1. I: The Crew of The Curlew
      2. II: Luke the Hermit
      3. III: Jip and the Secret
      4. IV: Bob
      5. V: Mendoza
      6. VI: The Judge’s Dog
      7. VII: The End of the Mystery
      8. VIII: Three Cheers
      9. IX: The Purple Bird-of-Paradise
      10. X: Long Arrow, the Son of Golden Arrow
      11. XI: Blind Travel
      12. XII: Destiny and Destination
   4. Part III
      1. I: The Third Man
      2. II: Goodbye!
      3. III: Our Troubles Begin
      4. IV: Our Troubles Continue
      5. V: Polynesia Has a Plan
      6. VI: The Bed-Maker of Monteverde
      7. VII: The Doctor’s Wager
      8. VIII: The Great Bullfight
      9. IX: We Depart in a Hurry
   5. Part IV
      1. I: Shellfish Languages Again
      2. II: The Fidgit’s Story
      3. III: Bad Weather
      4. IV: Wrecked!
      5. V: Land!
      6. VI: The Jabizri
      7. VII: Hawk’s-Head Mountain
   6. Part V
      1. I: A Great Moment
      2. II: “The Men of the Moving Land”
      3. III: Fire
      4. IV: What Makes an Island Float
      5. V: War!
      6. VI: General Polynesia
      7. VII: The Peace of the Parrots
      8. VIII: The Hanging Stone
      9. IX: The Election
      10. X: The Coronation of King Jong
   7. Part VI
      1. I: New Popsipetel
      2. II: Thoughts of Home
      3. III: The Red Man’s Science
      4. IV: The Sea-Serpent
      5. V: The Shellfish Riddle Solved at Last
      6. VI: The Last Cabinet Meeting
      7. VII: The Doctor’s Decision
5. Colophon
6. Uncopyright

Imprint

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To
Colin
and
Elizabeth

The Voyages of Doctor Dolittle

Prologue

All that I have written so far about Doctor Dolittle I heard long after it happened from those who had known him⁠—indeed a great deal of it took place before I was born. But I now come to set down that part of the great man’s life which I myself saw and took part in.

Many years ago the Doctor gave me permission to do this. But we were both of us so busy then voyaging around the world, having adventures and filling notebooks full of natural history that I never seemed to get time to sit down and write of our doings.

Now of course, when I am quite an old man, my memory isn’t so good any more. But whenever I am in doubt and have to hesitate and think, I always ask Polynesia, the parrot.

That wonderful bird (she is now nearly two hundred and fifty years old) sits on the top of my desk, usually humming sailor songs to herself, while I write this book. And, as everyone who ever met her knows, Polynesia’s memory is the most marvelous memory in the world. If there is any happening I am not quite sure of, she is always able to put me right, to tell me exactly how it took place, who was there and everything about it. In fact sometimes I almost think I ought to say that this book was written by Polynesia instead of me.

Very well then, I will begin. And first of all I must tell you something about myself and how I came to meet the Doctor.

Part I

I

The Cobbler’s Son

My name was Tommy Stubbins, son of Jacob Stubbins, the cobbler of Puddleby-on-the-Marsh; and I was nine and a half years old. At that time Puddleby was only quite a small town. A river ran through the middle of it; and over this river there was a very old stone bridge, called Kingsbridge, which led you from the marketplace on one side to the churchyard on the other.

Sailing-ships came up this river from the sea and anchored near the bridge. I used to go down and watch the sailors unloading the ships upon the river-wall. The sailors sang strange songs as they pulled upon the ropes; and I learned these songs by heart. And I would sit on the river-wall with my feet dangling over the water and sing with the men, pretending to myself that I too was a sailor.

For I longed always to