10 The Rarest Animal of All

CHAPTER 10 The Rarest Animal of All The pushmi-pullyus are now extinct. There are no more to be found anywhere on earth. In the

days when Doctor Dolittle lived, there were still a few in the jungles of Africa. Even then, though, they were very, very rare. They had no tail but a head at each end. There were sharp horns on each head. They were shy and terribly hard to catch. You could not sneak up on pushmi-pullyus, as they could always see you coming. Also, their heads slept at different times. So no pushmi-pullyu had ever been caught. Many hunters had tried over the years, but none was successful. So the monkeys set out to find a pushmipullyu. It was several miles into the jungle when one of them spotted unusual hoof prints. These were fresh tracks. They knew that a pushmipullyu was close by. They walked along the riverbank, following the tracks. They noticed a place where the grass was thick and tall. It was the perfect hiding place for a pushmi-pullyu. They all joined hands and made a giant circle

around the grassy spot. The pushmi-pullyu heard them and tried to run away. He could not break through the ring of monkeys, though. When he saw that there was no use trying to escape, he sat down. He waited to see what would happen next. "We would like to ask a favor," the Grand Gorilla said. "Would you go back to Puddleby with Doctor Dolittle? We are grateful for all he's done. We want to give him something very special." "Oh, most certainly not," the pushmi-pullyu said. "I could never do that!" The monkeys explained to him that he would not be put into a zoo. He would live with the doctor at his home and have a wonderful life. The pushmi-pullyu shook his head. "No. You know how shy I am. I would hate to be stared at." The monkeys tried to convince him that he would enjoy living with the good doctor. After quite some time, the pushmi-pullyu

agreed to meet with Doctor Dolittle. If he liked him, he would consider going with him. So the pushmi-pullyu and the monkeys traveled back to Doctor Dolittle's grass hut. They knocked on the door. The duck was packing the trunk. She turned to the door and said, "Come in!" Chee-Chee brought the pushmi-pullyu inside. He was very proud. "My goodness!" the doctor exclaimed. "What on earth is that?" He couldn't believe his eyes. "My word!" Dab-Dab the duck said. She looked at the strange animal with a head on both ends of its body. "How does it make up its mind?" "This is the pushmi-pullyu," said Chee-Chee. "It is the rarest animal in all the African jungles. It is the only two-headed beast in the world. If you take him home with you, all your money troubles will be solved. People will pay any money to see him."

"But I don't want any money," said the doctor. "Yes, you do," said Dab-Dab. "You always forget that we need money to live." "Don't you remember how we had to scrimp and save?" asked Jip. "Also, we borrowed the fisherman's boat and now it's ruined. How will we pay him back if we don't have any money?" "I was going to build him one," said the doctor sheepishly. "Oh, do be sensible!" cried Dab-Dab. "You're not a carpenter. You've never built anything out of wood. You would have no idea where to start. Chee-Chee is right. We need to take this funny- looking creature with us." "Well, I do see your point," murmured the doctor. "I don't think that would be a very nice move for him, though. I would hate for him to leave this lovely place to go on display. It wouldn't seem fair. But would he—I'm sorry, I forgot his name—would he like to come home with us?"

"Yes, I'll go," said the pushmi-pullyu. He had seen at once that Doctor Dolittle was a man to be trusted. "You have been so kind to all the animals here. The monkeys tell me that I am the only one who will do. But you must promise me one thing." "Of course," Doctor Dolittle said. "Whatever you would like." "If I don't like living in your land, you must promise to send me back." "Why, certainly," he said. "Excuse me, would you mind if I asked you a question?" "Please go ahead," the pushmi-pullyu said. Doctor Dolittle took his book out of his pocket and started to make notes. "I notice that you only speak with one mouth. Can you talk with the other one?" "Certainly," the pushmi-pullyu said. "I just like to save the other one for eating. That way, I can talk while I eat and not appear rude." When the packing was done and they were