章节正文
stood against the walls, fastened at the bottom
so they wouldn't tumble with the rolling of the
ship; and above the barrels, pewter jugs of all
sizes hung from wooden pegs. There was a
strong, winey smell. And in the middle of the
floor sat a little boy, about eight years old,
crying bitterly.
"I declare, it is the pirates' rum-room!"
said Jip in a whisper.
"Yes. Very rum!" said Gub-Gub.
"The smell makes me giddy."
The little boy seemed rather frightened to
find a man standing there before him and all
those animals staring in through the hole in the
broken door. But as soon as he saw John
Dolittle's face by the light of the match, he stopped
crying and got up.
"You aren't one of the pirates, are you?" he asked.
And when the Doctor threw back his head
and laughed long and loud, the little boy smiled
too and came and took his hand.
"You laugh like a friend," he said--"not
like a pirate. Could you tell me where my
uncle is?"
"I am afraid I can't," said the Doctor.
"When did you see him last?"
"It was the day before yesterday," said the
boy. "I and my uncle were out fishing in our
little boat, when the pirates came and caught
us. They sunk our fishing-boat and brought us
both on to this ship. They told my uncle that
they wanted him to be a pirate like them--for
he was clever at sailing a ship in all weathers.
But he said he didn't want to be a pirate,
because killing people and stealing was no work
for a good fisherman to do. Then the leader,
Ben Ali, got very angry and gnashed his teeth,
and said they would throw my uncle into the
sea if he didn't do as they said. They sent me
downstairs; and I heard the noise of a fight
going on above. And when they let me come up
again next day, my uncle was nowhere to be
seen. I asked the pirates where he was; but
they wouldn't tell me. I am very much afraid
they threw him into the sea and drowned him."
And the little boy began to cry again.
"Well now--wait a minute," said the Doctor.
"Don't cry. Let's go and have tea in the dining-
room, and we'll talk it over. Maybe your
uncle is quite safe all the time. You don't KNOW
that he was drowned, do you? And that's
something. Perhaps we can find him for you. First
we'll go and have tea--with strawberry-jam;
and then we will see what can be done."
All the animals had been standing around
listening with great curiosity. And when they
had gone into the ship's dining-room and were
having tea, Dab-Dab came up behind the
Doctor's chair and whispered.
"Ask the porpoises if the boy's uncle was
drowned--they'll know."
"All right," said the Doctor, taking a second
piece of bread-and-jam.
"What are those funny, clicking noises you
are making with your tongue?" asked the boy.
"Oh, I just said a couple of words in duck-
language," the Doctor answered. "This is
Dab-Dab, one of my pets."
"I didn't even know that ducks had a
language," said the boy. "Are all these other
animals your pets, too? What is that strange-
looking thing with two heads?"
"Sh!" the Doctor whispered. "That is the
pushmi-pullyu. Don't let him see we're talking
about him--he gets so dreadfully embarrassed....
Tell me, how did you come to be
locked up in that little room?"
"The pirates shut me in there when they
were going off to steal things from another ship.
When I heard some one chopping on the door,
I didn't know who it could be. I was very
glad to find it was you. Do you think you will
be able to find my uncle for me?"
"Well, we are going to try very hard," said
the Doctor. "Now what was your uncle like to
look at?"
"He had red hair," the boy answered--"very
red hair, and the picture of an anchor tattooed
on his arm. He was a strong man, a kind uncle
and the best sailor in the South Atlantic. His
fishing-boat was called The Saucy Sally--a
cutter-rigged sloop."
"What's `cutterigsloop'?" whispered Gub-
Gub, turning to Jip.
"Sh!--That's the kind of a ship the man had,"
said Jip. "Keep still, can't you?"
"Oh," said the pig, "is that all? I thought
it was something to drink."
So the Doctor left the boy to play with the
animals in the dining-room, and went upstairs
to look for passing porpoises.
And soon a whole school came dancing and
jumping through the water, on their way to
Brazil.
When they saw the Doctor leaning on the
rail of his ship, they came over to see how he
was getting on.
And the Doctor asked them if they had seen
anything of a man with red hair and an anchor
tattooed on his arm.
"Do you mean the master of The Saucy Sally?"
asked the porpoises.
"Yes," said the Doctor. "That's the man.
Has he been drowned?"
"His fishing-sloop was sunk," said the
porpoises--"for we saw it lying on the bottom of
the sea. But there was nobody inside it, because
we went and looked."
"His little nephew is on the ship with me
here," said the Doctor. "And he is terribly
afraid that the pirates threw his uncle into the
sea. Would you be so good as to find out for
me, for sure, whether he has been drowned or
not?"
"Oh, he isn't drowned," said the porpoises.
"If he were, we would be sure to have heard of
it from the deep-sea Decapods. We hear all
the salt-water news. The shell-fish call us `The
Ocean Gossips.' No--tell the little boy we are
sorry we do not know where his uncle is; but
we are quite certain he hasn't been drowned in
the sea."
So the Doctor ran downstairs with the news
and told the nephew, who clapped his hands
with happiness. And the pushmi-pullyu took the
little boy on his back and gave him a ride round
the dining-room table; while all the other animals
followed behind, beating the dish-covers
with spoons, pretending it was a parade.
THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
SMELLS
YOUR uncle must now be FOUND," said the Doctor--"that is the
next thing--now that we know he wasn't thrown into the sea."
Then Dab-Dab came up to him again and whispered,
"Ask the eagles to look for the man. No living
creature can see better than an eagle. When they
are miles high in the air they can count the ants
crawling on the ground. Ask the eagles."
So the Doctor sent one of the swallows off
to get some eagles.
And in about an hour the little bird came
back with six different kinds of eagles: a Black
Eagle, a Bald Eagle, a Fish Eagle, a Golden
Eagle, an Eagle-Vulture, and a White-tailed
Sea Eagle. Twice as high as the boy they were,
each one of them. And they stood on the rail
of the ship, like round-shouldered soldiers all
in a row, stern and still and stiff; while their
great, gleaming, black eyes shot darting glances
here and there and everywhere.
Gub-Gub was scared of them and got
behind a barrel. He said he felt as though those
terrible eyes were looking right inside of him
to see what he had stolen for lunch.
And the Doctor said to the eagles,
"A man has been lost--a fisherman with red
hair and an anchor marked on his arm. Would
you be so kind as to see if you can find him for
us? This boy is the man's nephew."
Eagles do not talk very much. And all they
answered in their husky voices was,
"You may be sure that we will do our best
--for John Dolittle."
Then they flew off--and Gub-Gub came out
from behind his barrel to see them go. Up and
up and up they went--higher and higher and
higher still. Then, when the Doctor could only
just see them, they parted company and started
going off all different ways--North, East,
South and West, looking like tiny grains of
black sand creeping across the wide, blue sky.
"My gracious!" said Gub-Gub in a hushed
voice. "What a height! I wonder they don't
scorch their feathers--so near the sun!"
They were gone a long time. And when
they came back it was almost night.
And the eagles said to the Doctor,
"We have searched all the seas and all the
countries and all the islands and all the cities
and all the villages in this half of the world.
But we have failed. In the main street of
Gibraltar we saw three red hairs lying on a wheel-
barrow before a baker's door. But they were
not the hairs of a man--they were the hairs out
of a fur-coat. Nowhere, on land or water, could
we see any sign of this boy's uncle. And if WE
could not see him, then he is not to be seen....
For John Dolittle--we have done our best."
Then the six great birds flapped their big
wings and flew back to their homes in the
mountains and the rocks.
so they wouldn't tumble with the rolling of the
ship; and above the barrels, pewter jugs of all
sizes hung from wooden pegs. There was a
strong, winey smell. And in the middle of the
floor sat a little boy, about eight years old,
crying bitterly.
"I declare, it is the pirates' rum-room!"
said Jip in a whisper.
"Yes. Very rum!" said Gub-Gub.
"The smell makes me giddy."
The little boy seemed rather frightened to
find a man standing there before him and all
those animals staring in through the hole in the
broken door. But as soon as he saw John
Dolittle's face by the light of the match, he stopped
crying and got up.
"You aren't one of the pirates, are you?" he asked.
And when the Doctor threw back his head
and laughed long and loud, the little boy smiled
too and came and took his hand.
"You laugh like a friend," he said--"not
like a pirate. Could you tell me where my
uncle is?"
"I am afraid I can't," said the Doctor.
"When did you see him last?"
"It was the day before yesterday," said the
boy. "I and my uncle were out fishing in our
little boat, when the pirates came and caught
us. They sunk our fishing-boat and brought us
both on to this ship. They told my uncle that
they wanted him to be a pirate like them--for
he was clever at sailing a ship in all weathers.
But he said he didn't want to be a pirate,
because killing people and stealing was no work
for a good fisherman to do. Then the leader,
Ben Ali, got very angry and gnashed his teeth,
and said they would throw my uncle into the
sea if he didn't do as they said. They sent me
downstairs; and I heard the noise of a fight
going on above. And when they let me come up
again next day, my uncle was nowhere to be
seen. I asked the pirates where he was; but
they wouldn't tell me. I am very much afraid
they threw him into the sea and drowned him."
And the little boy began to cry again.
"Well now--wait a minute," said the Doctor.
"Don't cry. Let's go and have tea in the dining-
room, and we'll talk it over. Maybe your
uncle is quite safe all the time. You don't KNOW
that he was drowned, do you? And that's
something. Perhaps we can find him for you. First
we'll go and have tea--with strawberry-jam;
and then we will see what can be done."
All the animals had been standing around
listening with great curiosity. And when they
had gone into the ship's dining-room and were
having tea, Dab-Dab came up behind the
Doctor's chair and whispered.
"Ask the porpoises if the boy's uncle was
drowned--they'll know."
"All right," said the Doctor, taking a second
piece of bread-and-jam.
"What are those funny, clicking noises you
are making with your tongue?" asked the boy.
"Oh, I just said a couple of words in duck-
language," the Doctor answered. "This is
Dab-Dab, one of my pets."
"I didn't even know that ducks had a
language," said the boy. "Are all these other
animals your pets, too? What is that strange-
looking thing with two heads?"
"Sh!" the Doctor whispered. "That is the
pushmi-pullyu. Don't let him see we're talking
about him--he gets so dreadfully embarrassed....
Tell me, how did you come to be
locked up in that little room?"
"The pirates shut me in there when they
were going off to steal things from another ship.
When I heard some one chopping on the door,
I didn't know who it could be. I was very
glad to find it was you. Do you think you will
be able to find my uncle for me?"
"Well, we are going to try very hard," said
the Doctor. "Now what was your uncle like to
look at?"
"He had red hair," the boy answered--"very
red hair, and the picture of an anchor tattooed
on his arm. He was a strong man, a kind uncle
and the best sailor in the South Atlantic. His
fishing-boat was called The Saucy Sally--a
cutter-rigged sloop."
"What's `cutterigsloop'?" whispered Gub-
Gub, turning to Jip.
"Sh!--That's the kind of a ship the man had,"
said Jip. "Keep still, can't you?"
"Oh," said the pig, "is that all? I thought
it was something to drink."
So the Doctor left the boy to play with the
animals in the dining-room, and went upstairs
to look for passing porpoises.
And soon a whole school came dancing and
jumping through the water, on their way to
Brazil.
When they saw the Doctor leaning on the
rail of his ship, they came over to see how he
was getting on.
And the Doctor asked them if they had seen
anything of a man with red hair and an anchor
tattooed on his arm.
"Do you mean the master of The Saucy Sally?"
asked the porpoises.
"Yes," said the Doctor. "That's the man.
Has he been drowned?"
"His fishing-sloop was sunk," said the
porpoises--"for we saw it lying on the bottom of
the sea. But there was nobody inside it, because
we went and looked."
"His little nephew is on the ship with me
here," said the Doctor. "And he is terribly
afraid that the pirates threw his uncle into the
sea. Would you be so good as to find out for
me, for sure, whether he has been drowned or
not?"
"Oh, he isn't drowned," said the porpoises.
"If he were, we would be sure to have heard of
it from the deep-sea Decapods. We hear all
the salt-water news. The shell-fish call us `The
Ocean Gossips.' No--tell the little boy we are
sorry we do not know where his uncle is; but
we are quite certain he hasn't been drowned in
the sea."
So the Doctor ran downstairs with the news
and told the nephew, who clapped his hands
with happiness. And the pushmi-pullyu took the
little boy on his back and gave him a ride round
the dining-room table; while all the other animals
followed behind, beating the dish-covers
with spoons, pretending it was a parade.
THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER
SMELLS
YOUR uncle must now be FOUND," said the Doctor--"that is the
next thing--now that we know he wasn't thrown into the sea."
Then Dab-Dab came up to him again and whispered,
"Ask the eagles to look for the man. No living
creature can see better than an eagle. When they
are miles high in the air they can count the ants
crawling on the ground. Ask the eagles."
So the Doctor sent one of the swallows off
to get some eagles.
And in about an hour the little bird came
back with six different kinds of eagles: a Black
Eagle, a Bald Eagle, a Fish Eagle, a Golden
Eagle, an Eagle-Vulture, and a White-tailed
Sea Eagle. Twice as high as the boy they were,
each one of them. And they stood on the rail
of the ship, like round-shouldered soldiers all
in a row, stern and still and stiff; while their
great, gleaming, black eyes shot darting glances
here and there and everywhere.
Gub-Gub was scared of them and got
behind a barrel. He said he felt as though those
terrible eyes were looking right inside of him
to see what he had stolen for lunch.
And the Doctor said to the eagles,
"A man has been lost--a fisherman with red
hair and an anchor marked on his arm. Would
you be so kind as to see if you can find him for
us? This boy is the man's nephew."
Eagles do not talk very much. And all they
answered in their husky voices was,
"You may be sure that we will do our best
--for John Dolittle."
Then they flew off--and Gub-Gub came out
from behind his barrel to see them go. Up and
up and up they went--higher and higher and
higher still. Then, when the Doctor could only
just see them, they parted company and started
going off all different ways--North, East,
South and West, looking like tiny grains of
black sand creeping across the wide, blue sky.
"My gracious!" said Gub-Gub in a hushed
voice. "What a height! I wonder they don't
scorch their feathers--so near the sun!"
They were gone a long time. And when
they came back it was almost night.
And the eagles said to the Doctor,
"We have searched all the seas and all the
countries and all the islands and all the cities
and all the villages in this half of the world.
But we have failed. In the main street of
Gibraltar we saw three red hairs lying on a wheel-
barrow before a baker's door. But they were
not the hairs of a man--they were the hairs out
of a fur-coat. Nowhere, on land or water, could
we see any sign of this boy's uncle. And if WE
could not see him, then he is not to be seen....
For John Dolittle--we have done our best."
Then the six great birds flapped their big
wings and flew back to their homes in the
mountains and the rocks.
- wooden [´wudn]
a.木制的；呆板的 (初中英语单词) - standing [´stændiŋ] n.持续 a.直立的 (初中英语单词)
- fisherman [´fiʃəmən] n.渔民，渔夫，打鱼人 (初中英语单词)
- curiosity [,kjuəri´ɔsiti] n.好奇；奇事；珍品 (初中英语单词)
- dreadfully [dredfuli] ad.可怕地；糟透地 (初中英语单词)
- anchor [´æŋkə] n.锚 v.抛锚 (初中英语单词)
- nephew [´nevju:, ´nɛfju] n.侄子；外甥 (初中英语单词)
- downstairs [,daun´steəz] ad.在楼下 a.楼下的 (初中英语单词)
- barrel [´bærəl] n.(琵琶)桶；圆筒 (初中英语单词)
- stolen [´stəulən] steal 的过去分词 (初中英语单词)
- pirate [´paiərət] n.海盗 v.做海盗；掠夺 (高中英语单词)
- nowhere [´nəuweə] n.无处；不知道 (高中英语单词)
- fishing [´fiʃiŋ] n.钓鱼；捕鱼；渔业 (英语四级单词)
- taking [´teikiŋ] a.迷人的 n.捕获物 (英语六级单词)
- beating [´bi:tiŋ] n.敲；搅打；失败 (英语六级单词)
文章标签:名著
章节正文
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