English
Well,youcanguesshowgladwewerewhennextmorningtheDoctor,afterhisall-nightconversationwiththesnail,toldusthathehadmadeuphismindtotaketheholiday.
AproclamationwaspublishedrightawaybytheTownCrierthatHisMajestywasgoingintothecountryforaseven-dayrest,butthatduringhisabsencethepalaceandthegovernmentofficeswouldbekeptopenasusual.
Polynesiawasimmenselypleased.Sheatoncesetquietlytoworkmakingarrangementsforourdeparture—takinggoodcarethewhilethatnooneshouldgetaninklingofwhereweweregoing,whatweweretakingwithus,thehourofourleavingorwhichofthepalace-gateswewouldgooutby.
Cunningoldschemerthatshewas,sheforgotnothing.
Andnotevenwe,whowereoftheDoctor'sparty,couldimaginewhatreasonsshehadforsomeofherpreparations.
ShetookmeinsideandtoldmethattheonethingImustremembertobringwithmewasALLoftheDoctor'snote-books.
LongArrow,whowastheonlyIndianletintothesecretofourdestination,saidhewouldliketocomewithusasfarasthebeachtoseetheGreatSnail;andhimPolynesiatoldtobesureandbringhiscollectionofplants.
BumposheorderedtocarrytheDoctor'shighhat—carefullyhiddenunderhiscoat.
Shesentoffnearlyallthefootmenwhowereonnightdutytodoerrandsinthetown,sothatthereshouldbeasfewservantsaspossibletoseeusleave.
Andmidnight,thehourwhenmostofthetowns-peoplewouldbeasleep,shefinallychoseforourdeparture.
Wehadtotakeaweek'sfood-supplywithusfortheroyalholiday.
So,withourotherpackages,wewereheavyladenwhenonthestrokeoftwelveweopenedthewestdoorofthepalaceandsteppedcautiouslyandquietlyintothemoonlitgarden.
"Tiptoeincognito,"whisperedBumpoaswegentlyclosedtheheavydoorsbehindus.
Noonehadseenusleave.
AtthefootofthestonestepsleadingfromthePeacockTerracetotheSunkenRosary,somethingmademepauseandlookbackatthemagnificentpalacewhichwehadbuiltinthisstrange,far-offlandwherenowhitemenbutourselveshadevercome.
SomehowIfeltitinmybonesthatwewereleavingitto-nightnevertoreturnagain.
AndIwonderedwhatotherkingsandministerswoulddwellinitssplendidhallswhenweweregone.
Theairwashot;andeverythingwasdeadlystillbutforthegentlesplashingofthetameflamingoespaddlinginthelily-pond.
Suddenlythetwinklinglanternofanightwatchmanappearedroundthecornerofacypresshedge.
Polynesiapluckedatmystockingand,inanimpatientwhisper,bademehurrybeforeourflightbediscovered.
Onourarrivalatthebeachwefoundthesnailalreadyfeelingmuchbetterandnowabletomovehistailwithoutpain.
Theporpoises(whoarebynatureinquisitivecreatures)werestillhangingaboutintheoffingtoseeifanythingofinterestwasgoingtohappen.
Polynesia,theplotter,whiletheDoctorwasoccupiedwithhisnewpatient,signaledtothemanddrewthemasideforalittleprivatechat.
"Nowseehere,myfriends,"saidshespeakinglow:"youknowhowmuchJohnDolittlehasdonefortheanimals—givenhiswholelifeuptothem,onemightsay.
Well,hereisyourchancetodosomethingforhim.
Listen:hegotmadekingofthisislandagainsthiswill,see?
Andnowthathehastakenthejobon,hefeelsthathecan'tleaveit—thinkstheIndianswon'tbeabletogetalongwithouthimandallthat—whichisnonsense,asyouandIverywellknow.Allright.
Thenhere'sthepoint:ifthissnailwereonlywillingtotakehimandus—andalittlebaggage—notverymuch,thirtyorfortypieces,say—insidehisshellandcarryustoEngland,wefeelsurethattheDoctorwouldgo;becausehe'sjustcrazytomessaboutontheflooroftheocean.
What'smorethiswouldbehisoneandonlychanceofescapefromtheisland.
NowitishighlyimportantthattheDoctorreturntohisowncountrytocarryonhisproperworkwhichmeanssuchalottotheanimalsoftheworld.
Sowhatwewantyoutodoistotellthesea-urchintotellthestarfishtotellthesnailtotakeusinhisshellandcarryustoPuddlebyRiver.Isthatplain?"
"Quite,quite,"saidtheporpoises."Andwewillwillinglydoourverybesttopersuadehim—foritis,asyousay,aperfectshameforthegreatmantobewastinghistimeherewhenheissomuchneededbytheanimals."
"Anddon'tlettheDoctorknowwhatyou'reabout,"saidPolynesiaastheystartedtomoveoff.
"Hemightbalkifhethoughtwehadanyhandinit.
Getthesnailtoofferonhisownaccounttotakeus.See?"
JohnDolittle,unawareofanythingsavetheworkhewasengagedon,wasstandingknee-deepintheshallowwater,helpingthesnailtryouthismendedtailtoseeifitwerewellenoughtotravelon.
BumpoandLongArrow,withChee-CheeandJip,werelollingatthefootofapalmalittlewayupthebeach.
PolynesiaandInowwentandjoinedthem.Halfanhourpassed.
Whatsuccesstheporpoiseshadmetwith,wedidnotknow,tillsuddenlytheDoctorleftthesnail'ssideandcamesplashingouttous,quitebreathless.
"Whatdoyouthink?"hecried,"whileIwastalkingtothesnailjustnowheoffered,ofhisownaccord,totakeusallbacktoEnglandinsidehisshell.
Hesayshehasgottogoonavoyageofdiscoveryanyway,tohuntupanewhome,nowthattheDeepHoleisclosed.
Saiditwouldn'tbemuchoutofhiswaytodropusatPuddlebyRiver,ifwecaredtocomealong—Goodness,whatachance!I'dlovetogo.
ToexaminetheflooroftheoceanallthewayfromBraziltoEurope!Nomaneverdiditbefore.Whataglorioustrip!
—OhthatIhadneverallowedmyselftobemadeking!
NowImustseethechanceofalifetimeslipby."
Heturnedfromusandmoveddownthesandsagaintothemiddlebeach,gazingwistfully,longinglyoutatthesnail.
Therewassomethingpeculiarlysadandforlornabouthimashestoodthereonthelonely,moonlitshore,thecrownuponhishead,hisfigureshowingsharplyblackagainsttheglitteringseabehind.
OutofthedarknessatmyelbowPolynesiaroseandquietlymoveddowntohisside.
"NowDoctor,"saidsheinasoftpersuasivevoiceasthoughsheweretalkingtoawaywardchild,"youknowthiskingbusinessisnotyourrealworkinlife.
Thesenativeswillbeabletogetalongwithoutyou—notsowellastheydowithyouofcourse—butthey'llmanage—thesameastheydidbeforeyoucame.
Nobodycansayyouhaven'tdoneyourdutybythem.Itwastheirfault:theymadeyouking.
Whynotacceptthesnail'soffer;andjustdropeverythingnow,andgo?
Theworkyou'lldo,theinformationyou'llcarryhome,willbeoffarmorevaluethanwhatyou'redoinghere."
"Goodfriend,"saidtheDoctorturningtohersadly,"Icannot.
Theywouldgobacktotheiroldunsanitaryways:badwater,uncookedfish,nodrainage,entericfeverandtherest....No.
Imustthinkoftheirhealth,theirwelfare.
Ibeganlifeasapeople'sdoctor:Iseemtohavecomebacktoitintheend.Icannotdesertthem.Laterperhapssomethingwillturnup.ButIcannotleavethemnow."
"That'swhereyou'rewrong,Doctor,"saidshe."Nowiswhenyoushouldgo.Nothingwill'turnup.'Thelongeryoustay,theharderitwillbetoleave—Gonow.Goto-night."
"What,stealawaywithoutevensayinggood-byetothem!Why,Polynesia,whatathingtosuggest!"
"Afatchancetheywouldgiveyoutosaygood-bye!"
snortedPolynesiagrowingimpatientatlast.
"Itellyou,Doctor,ifyougobacktothatpalacetonight,forgoodbysoranythingelse,youwillstaythere.
Now—thismoment—isthetimeforyoutogo."
Thetruthoftheoldparrot'swordsseemedtobestrikinghome;fortheDoctorstoodsilentaminute,thinking.
"Buttherearethenote-books,"hesaidpresently:"Iwouldhavetogobacktofetchthem."
"Ihavethemhere,Doctor,"saidI,speakingup—"allofthem."
Againhepondered.
"AndLongArrow'scollection,"hesaid."Iwouldhavetotakethatalsowithme."
"Itishere,OhKindlyOne,"cametheIndian'sdeepvoicefromtheshadowbeneaththepalm.
"Butwhataboutprovisions,"askedtheDoctor—"foodforthejourney?"
"Wehaveaweek'ssupplywithus,forourholiday,"saidPolynesia—"that'smorethanwewillneed."
ForathirdtimetheDoctorwassilentandthoughtful.
"Andthenthere'smyhat,"hesaidfretfullyatlast."Thatsettlesit:I'llHAVEtogobacktothepalace.Ican'tleavewithoutmyhat.HowcouldIappearinPuddlebywiththiscrownonmyhead?"
"Hereitis,Doctor,"saidBumpoproducingthehat,old,batteredandbeloved,fromunderhiscoat.Polynesiahadindeedthoughtofeverything.
YetevennowwecouldseetheDoctorwasstilltryingtothinkupfurtherexcuses.
"OhKindlyOne,"saidLongArrow,"whytemptillfortune?Yourwayisclear.
Yourfutureandyourworkbeckonyoubacktoyourforeignhomebeyondthesea.
WithyouwillgoalsowhatloreItoohavegatheredformankind—tolandswhereitwillbeofwiderusethanitcaneverhere.
Iseetheglimmeringsofdawnintheeasternheaven.Dayisathand.Gobeforeyoursubjectsareabroad.Gobeforeyourprojectisdiscovered.
FortrulyIbelievethatifyougonotnowyouwilllingertheremainderofyourdaysacaptivekinginPopsipetel."
Greatdecisionsoftentakenomorethanamomentinthemaking.
AgainstthenowpalingskyIsawtheDoctor'sfiguresuddenlystiffen.
SlowlyheliftedtheSacredCrownfromoffhisheadandlaiditonthesands.
Andwhenhespokehisvoicewaschokedwithtears.
"Theywillfindithere,"hemurmured,"whentheycometosearchforme.
AndtheywillknowthatIhavegone....Mychildren,mypoorchildren!
—IwonderwilltheyeverunderstandwhyitwasIleftthem....Iwonderwilltheyeverunderstand—andforgive."
HetookhisoldhatfromBumpo;thenfacingLongArrow,grippedhisoutstretchedhandinsilence.
"Youdecidearight,ohKindlyOne,"saidtheIndian—"thoughnonewillmissandmournyoumorethanLongArrow,thesonofGoldenArrow—Farewell,andmaygoodfortuneeverleadyoubythehand!"
ItwasthefirstandonlytimeIeversawtheDoctorweep.Withoutawordtoanyofus,heturnedandmoveddownthebeachintotheshallowwaterofthesea.
Thesnailhumpedupitsbackandmadeanopeningbetweenitsshouldersandtheedgeofitsshell.
TheDoctorclamberedupandpassedwithin.
Wefollowedhim,afterhandingupthebaggage.
Theopeningshuttightwithawhistlingsuctionnoise.
ThenturninginthedirectionoftheEast,thegreatcreaturebeganmovingsmoothlyforward,downtheslopeintothedeeperwaters.
Justastheswirlingdarkgreensurfwasclosinginaboveourheads,thebigmorningsunpoppedhisrimupovertheedgeoftheocean.
Andthroughourtransparentwallsofpearlwesawthewateryworldaboutussuddenlylightupwiththatmostwondrouslycolorfulofvisions,adaybreakbeneaththesea.
Therestofthestoryofourhomewardvoyageissoontold.
Ournewquarterswefoundverysatisfactory.
Insidethespaciousshell,thesnail'swidebackwasextremelycomfortabletositandloungeon—betterthanasofa,whenyouoncegotaccustomedtothedampandclammyfeelingofit.
Heaskedus,shortlyafterwestarted,ifwewouldn'tmindtakingoffourboots,asthehobnailsinthemhurthisbackasweranexcitedlyfromonesidetoanothertoseethedifferentsights.
Themotionwasnotunpleasant,verysmoothandeven;infact,butforthelandscapepassingoutside,youwouldnotknow,onthelevelgoing,thatyouweremovingatall.
Ihadalwaysthoughtforsomereasonorotherthatthebottomoftheseawasflat.
Ifoundthatitwasjustasirregularandchangefulasthesurfaceofthedryland.
Weclimbedovergreatmountain-ranges,withpeakstoweringabovepeaks.
Wethreadedourwaythroughdenseforestsoftallsea-plants.
Wecrossedwideemptystretchesofsandymud,likedeserts—sovastthatyouwentonforawholedaywithnothingaheadofyoubutadimhorizon.
Sometimesthescenewasmoss-covered,rollingcountry,greenandrestfultotheeyelikerichpastures;sothatyoualmostlookedtoseesheepcroppingontheseunderwaterdowns.
Andsometimesthesnailwouldrollusforwardinsidehimlikepeas,whenhesuddenlydippeddownwardtodescendintosomedeepsecludedvalleywithsteeplyslopingsides.
Intheselowerlevelsweoftencameupontheshadowyshapesofdeadships,wreckedandsunkHeavenonlyknowshowmanyyearsago;andpassingthemwewouldspeakinhushedwhisperslikechildrenseeingmonumentsinchurches.
Heretoo,inthedeeper,darkerwaters,monstrousfishes,feedingquietlyincavesandhollowswouldsuddenlyspringup,alarmedatourapproach,andflashawayintothegloomwiththespeedofanarrow.
Whileotherbolderones,allsortsofunearthlyshapesandcolors,wouldcomerightupandpeerinatusthroughtheshell.
"Isupposetheythinkweareasortofsanaquarium,"saidBumpo—"I'dhatetobeafish."
Itwasathrillingandever-changingshow.
TheDoctorwroteorsketchedincessantly.
Beforelongwehadfilledalltheblanknote-bookswehadleft.
Thenwesearchedourpocketsforanyoddscrapsofpaperonwhichtojotdownstillmoreobservations.
Weevenwentthroughtheusedbooksasecondtime,writinginbetweenthelines,scribblingalloverthecovers,backandfront.
Ourgreatestdifficultywasgettingenoughlighttoseeby.Inthelowerwatersitwasverydim.
Onthethirddaywepassedabandoffire-eels,asortoflarge,marineglow-worm;andtheDoctoraskedthesnailtogetthemtocomewithusforaway.
Thistheydid,swimmingalongside;andtheirlightwasveryhelpful,thoughnotbrilliant.
Howourgiantshellfishfoundhiswayacrossthatvastandgloomyworldwasagreatpuzzletous.
JohnDolittleaskedhimbywhatmeanshenavigated—howheknewhewasontherightroadtoPuddlebyRiver.
AndwhatthesnailsaidinreplygottheDoctorsoexcited,thathavingnopaperleft,hetoreouttheliningofhisprecioushatandcovereditwithnotes.
Bynightofcourseitwasimpossibletoseeanything;andduringthehoursofdarknessthesnailusedtoswiminsteadofcrawl.
Whenhedidsohecouldtravelataterrificspeed,justbywagglingthatlongtailofhis.
Thiswasthereasonwhywecompletedthetripinsoshortatimefiveandahalfdays.
Theairofourchamber,nothavingachangeinthewholevoyage,gotverycloseandstuffy;andforthefirsttwodaysweallhadheadaches.
Butafterthatwegotusedtoitanddidn'tminditintheleast.
Earlyintheafternoonofthesixthday,wenoticedwewereclimbingalonggentleslope.Aswewentupwarditgrewlighter.
Finallywesawthatthesnailhadcrawledrightoutofthewateraltogetherandhadnowcometoadeadstoponalongstripofgraysand.
Behinduswesawthesurfaceofthesearippledbythewind.
Onourleftwasthemouthofariverwiththetiderunningout.
Whileinfront,thelowflatlandstretchedawayintothemist—whichpreventedonefromseeingveryfarinanydirection.
Apairofwildduckswithcraningnecksandwhirringwingspassedoverusanddisappearedlikeshadows,seaward.
Asalandscape,itwasagreatchangefromthehotbrilliantsunshineofPopsipetel.
Withthesamewhistlingsuctionsound,thesnailmadetheopeningforustocrawloutby.Aswesteppeddownuponthemarshylandwenoticedthatafine,drizzlingautumnrainwasfalling.
"CanthisbeMerrieEngland?"askedBumpo,peeringintothefog—"doesn'tlooklikeanyplaceinparticular.Maybethesnailhasn'tbroughtusrightafterall."
"Yes,"sighedPolynesia,shakingtherainoftherfeathers,"thisisEnglandallright—Youcantellitbythebeastlyclimate."
"Oh,butfellows,"criedJip,ashesniffeduptheairingreatgulps,"ithasaSMELL—agoodandglorioussmell!—Excusemeaminute:Iseeawater-rat."
"Sh!—Listen!"
saidChee-Cheethroughteeththatchatteredwiththecold.
"There'sPuddlebychurch-clockstrikingfour.
Whydon'twedivideupthebaggageandgetmoving.
We'vegotalongwaytofootithomeacrossthemarshes."
"Let'shope,"Iputin,"thatDab-Dabhasanicefireburninginthekitchen."
"I'msureshewill,"saidtheDoctorashepickedouthisoldhandbagfromamongthebundles—"WiththiswindfromtheEastshe'llneedittokeeptheanimalsinthehousewarm.Comeon.
Let'shugtheriver-banksowedon'tmissourwayinthefog.
Youknow,there'ssomethingratherattractiveinthebadweatherofEngland—whenyou'vegotakitchen-firetolookforwardto....Fouro'clock!
Comealong—we'lljustbeinnicetimefortea."
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