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I could not see around the landing but I heard the most curious footstep on the upper flight. It sounded like some one hopping down from one step to the other, as though he were using only one leg. As the light came lower, it grew brighter and began to throw strange jumping shadows on the walls. "Ah-at last!" said the Doctor. "Good old Dab-Dab!" And then I thought I REALLY must be dreaming.
So Dab-Dab went and fetched the Doctor from the other end of the ship and Jip said to him, "The boy's uncle is starving. We must make the ship go as fast as we can." "How do you know he is starving?" asked the Doctor. "Because there is no other smell in the West wind but snuff," said Jip. "If the man were cooking or eating food of any kind, I would be bound to smell it too.
However, we saw a blackbird flying by who nested in our garden, and the Doctor asked her to go back for us and tell Dab-Dab about it. Down at the river-wall we found a great crowd waiting to see us off. Standing right near the gang-plank were my mother and father. I hoped that they would not make a scene, or burst into tears or anything like that.
THE next day I was sitting on the wall of the Doctor's garden after tea, talking to Dab-Dab. I had now learned so much from Polynesia that I could talk to most birds and some animals without a great deal of difficulty. I found Dab-Dab a very nice, old, motherly bird though not nearly so clever and interesting as Polynesia. She had been housekeeper for the Doctor many years now.
"Oh, yes, he could," said Dab-Dab. "You ask him." Then Jip, still fast asleep, began to growl again and his lip curled up angrily, showing his clean, white teeth. "I smell bad men," he growled "the worst men I ever smelt. I smell trouble. I smell a fight six bad scoundrels fighting against one brave man. I want to help him.
And wait a minute see if Dab-Dab has any bananas in the pan-try. Chee-Chee hasn't had a banana, he tells me, in two months." When I came down again to the kitchen I found everybody listening attentively to the monkey who was telling the story of his journey from Africa.
But as she got nearer to us and the laughing of the children grew louder, I noticed that her hands were very dark in color, and hairy, like a witch's. Then all of a sudden Dab-Dab at my side startled me by crying out in a loud voice, "Why, it's Chee-Chee! Chee-Chee come back at last! How dare those children tease him! I'll give the little imps something to laugh at!"
Every once in a while he would stop eating altogether and sit staring at the spots on the kitchen table-cloth as though his thoughts were far away; till Dab-Dab, who was watching to see that he got a good meal, would cough or rattle the pots in the sink. I did my best to cheer him up by reminding him of all he had done for Luke and his wife that afternoon.
Well, as I was saying, the old duck and I were sitting on the flat top of the garden-wall that evening, looking down into the Oxenthorpe Road below. We were watching some sheep being driven to market in Puddleby; and Dab-Dab had just been telling me about the Doctor's adventures in Africa. For she had gone on a voyage with him to that country long ago.
"Doctor!" he cried, "come into the library quick. I've got something to tell you No, Dab-Dab, the luncheon must wait. Please hurry, Doctor. There's not a moment to be lost. Don't let any of the animals come just you and Tommy." "Now," he said, when we were inside the library and the door was closed, "turn the key in the lock and make sure there's no one listening under the windows."
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