THE SIXTH CHAPTER POLYNESIA AND THE KING

 W

HEN they had gone a little way through the thick forest, they came to a wide, clear space; and they saw the King’s palace which was made of mud.

 

This was where the King lived with his Queen, Ermintrude, and their son, Prince Bumpo. The Prince was away fishing for salmon¹ in the river. But the King and Queen were sitting under an umbrella before the palace door. And Queen Ermintrude was asleep.

 

When the Doctor had come up to the palace the King asked him his business; and the Doctor told him why he had come to Africa.

 

“You may not travel through my lands,” said the King. “Many years ago a white man came[48] to these shores; and I was very kind to him. But after he had dug holes in the ground to get the gold, and killed all the elephants to get their ivory² tusks³, he went away secretly in his ship— without so much as saying ‘Thank you.’ Never again shall a white man travel through the lands of Jolliginki.”

 

King and queen sitting under an umbrella

“And Queen Ermintrude was asleep”

Then the King turned to some of the black men who were standing⁴ near and said, “Take[49] away this medicine-man—with all his animals, and lock them up in my strongest prison.”

 

So six of the black men led the Doctor and all his pets away and shut them up in a stone dungeon⁵. The dungeon had only one little window, high up in the wall, with bars in it; and the door was strong and thick.

 

Then they all grew very sad; and Gub-Gub, the pig, began to cry. But Chee-Chee said he would spank⁶ him if he didn’t stop that horrible noise; and he kept quiet.

 

“Are we all here?” asked the Doctor, after he had got used to the dim light.

 

“Yes, I think so,” said the duck and started to count them.

 

“Where’s Polynesia?” asked the crocodile. “She isn’t here.”

 

“Are you sure?” said the Doctor. “Look again. Polynesia! Polynesia! Where are you?”

 

“I suppose she escaped,” grumbled⁷ the crocodile. “Well, that’s just like her!—Sneaked off into the jungle as soon as her friends got into trouble.”

 

[50]

 

“I’m not that kind of a bird,” said the parrot, climbing out of the pocket in the tail of the Doctor’s coat. “You see, I’m small enough to get through the bars of that window; and I was afraid they would put me in a cage instead. So while the King was busy talking, I hid in the Doctor’s pocket—and here I am! That’s what you call a ‘ruse,’” she said, smoothing down her feathers with her beak⁸.

 

“Good Gracious⁹!” cried the Doctor. “You’re lucky I didn’t sit on you.”

 

“Now listen,” said Polynesia, “to-night, as soon as it gets dark, I am going to creep through the bars of that window and fly over to the palace. And then—you’ll see—I’ll soon find a way to make the King let us all out of prison.”

 

“Oh, what can you do?” said Gub-Gub, turning up his nose and beginning to cry again. “You’re only a bird!”

 

“Quite true,” said the parrot. “But do not forget that although I am only a bird, I can talk like a man—and I know these darkies.”

 

So that night, when the moon was shining through the palm-trees and all the King’s men[51] were asleep, the parrot slipped out through the bars of the prison and flew across to the palace. The pantry window had been broken by a tennis ball the week before; and Polynesia popped in through the hole in the glass.

 

She heard Prince Bumpo snoring in his bedroom at the back of the palace. Then she tip-toed up the stairs till she came to the King’s bedroom. She opened the door gently and peeped in.

 

The Queen was away at a dance that night at her cousin’s; but the King was in bed fast asleep.

 

Polynesia crept in, very softly, and got under the bed.

 

Then she coughed—just the way Doctor Dolittle used to cough. Polynesia could mimic¹⁰ any one.

 

The King opened his eyes and said sleepily: “Is that you, Ermintrude?” (He thought it was the Queen come back from the dance.)

 

Then the parrot coughed again—loud, like a man. And the King sat up, wide awake, and said, “Who’s that?”

 

[52]

 

“I am Doctor Dolittle,” said the parrot—just the way the Doctor would have said it.

 

“What are you doing in my bedroom?” cried the King. “How dare you get out of prison! Where are you?—I don’t see you.”

 

King in bed

“‘Who’s that?’”

But the parrot just laughed—a long, deep* jolly laugh, like the Doctor’s.

 

“Stop laughing and come here at once, so I can see you,” said the King.

 

[53]

 

“Foolish King!” answered Polynesia. “Have you forgotten that you are talking to John Dolittle, M.D.—the most wonderful man on earth? Of course you cannot see me. I have made myself invisible. There is nothing I cannot do. Now listen: I have come here to-night to warn you. If you don’t let me and my animals travel through your kingdom, I will make you and all your people sick like the monkeys. For I can make people well: and I can make people ill—just by raising my little finger. Send your soldiers at once to open the dungeon door, or you shall have mumps¹¹ before the morning sun has risen on the hills of Jolliginki.”

 

Then the King began to tremble and was very much afraid.

 

“Doctor,” he cried, “it shall be as you say. Do not raise your little finger, please!” And he jumped out of bed and ran to tell the soldiers to open the prison door.

 

As soon as he was gone, Polynesia crept downstairs and left the palace by the pantry window.

 

But the Queen, who was just letting herself in at the backdoor with a latch-key, saw the parrot[54] getting out through the broken glass. And when the King came back to bed she told him what she had seen.

 

Then the King understood that he had been tricked, and he was dreadfully angry. He hurried back to the prison at once.

 

But he was too late. The door stood open. The dungeon was empty. The Doctor and all his animals were gone.

1 salmon   

n.鲑，大马哈鱼，橙红色的

参考例句：

• We saw a salmon jumping in the waterfall there.我们看见一条大马哈鱼在那边瀑布中跳跃。
• Do you have any fresh salmon in at the moment?现在有新鲜大马哈鱼卖吗？

2 ivory   

n.象牙，乳白色；adj.象牙制的，乳白色的

参考例句：

• My grandmother has some jewelry made of ivory.我祖母有一些象牙首饰。
• It is carved from ivory.它是用象牙雕成的。

3 tusks   

n.（象等动物的）长牙( tusk的名词复数 )；獠牙；尖形物；尖头

参考例句：

• The elephants are poached for their tusks. 为获取象牙而偷猎大象。
• Elephant tusks, monkey tails and salt were used in some parts of Africa. 非洲的一些地区则使用象牙、猴尾和盐。 来自英语晨读30分（高一）

4 standing   

n.持续，地位；adj.永久的，不动的，直立的，不流动的

参考例句：

• After the earthquake only a few houses were left standing.地震过后只有几幢房屋还立着。
• They're standing out against any change in the law.他们坚决反对对法律做任何修改。

5 dungeon   

n.地牢，土牢

参考例句：

• They were driven into a dark dungeon.他们被人驱赶进入一个黑暗的地牢。
• He was just set free from a dungeon a few days ago.几天前，他刚从土牢里被放出来。

6 spank   

v.打，拍打(在屁股上)

参考例句：

• Be careful.If you don't work hard,I'll spank your bottom.你再不好好学习，小心被打屁股。
• He does it very often.I really get mad.I can't help spank him sometimes.他经常这样做。我很气愤。有时候我忍不住打他的屁股。

7 grumbled   

抱怨( grumble的过去式和过去分词 )； 发牢骚； 咕哝； 发哼声

参考例句：

• He grumbled at the low pay offered to him. 他抱怨给他的工资低。
• The heat was sweltering, and the men grumbled fiercely over their work. 天热得让人发昏，水手们边干活边发着牢骚。

8 beak   

n.鸟嘴，茶壶嘴，钩形鼻

参考例句：

• The bird had a worm in its beak.鸟儿嘴里叼着一条虫。
• This bird employs its beak as a weapon.这种鸟用嘴作武器。

9 gracious   

adj.亲切的，客气的，宽厚的，仁慈的

参考例句：

• She was a very gracious lady.她是一位非常和蔼可亲的女士。
• She was gracious enough to show us round her home.她彬彬有礼地领我们参观了她的家。

10 mimic   

v.模仿，戏弄；n.模仿他人言行的人

参考例句：

• A parrot can mimic a person's voice.鹦鹉能学人的声音。
• He used to mimic speech peculiarities of another.他过去总是模仿别人讲话的特点。

11 mumps   

n.腮腺炎

参考例句：

• Sarah got mumps from her brother.萨拉的弟弟患腮腺炎，传染给她了。
• I was told not go near Charles. He is sickening for mumps.别人告诉我不要走近查尔斯， 他染上了流行性腮腺炎。