5 A Message from Africa

CHAPTER 5 A Message from Africa That winter was indeed a cold one. One night in December, all the animals were gathered

around the fire. Doctor Dolittle read to them. He translated stories into animal language so they could enjoy them, too. Suddenly Too-Too flew down from the rafters. "Shh!" the owl said. "What's that noise outside?" They all listened. Too-Too was right: There was a strange noise coming from outside. It was the sound of something running. Then the door flew open and Chee-Chee ran inside. He was out of breath. "Doctor!" he cried. "I've just had a message from my cousin in Africa. There is a terrible sickness among the monkeys there. They have all heard of you. They are begging you to come and help." "Who brought this news?" the doctor asked. He was amazed that a message could arrive from so far away. "A swallow," Chee-Chee said. "She is still outside near the garden gate."

"Well, bring her in," Doctor Dolittle exclaimed. "It is far too cold outdoors for a little bird, especially a bird from Africa. She can warm herself by the fire." So the swallow came inside. She was cold and nervous at first. She quickly warmed up by the fire, though. She told them all about the monkey sickness in Africa. It was very serious. They needed Doctor Dolittle right away. "Of course, of course," the doctor said. "I will leave as soon as possible. I'm worried that we won't have enough money for the tickets, though. Chee-Chee! Would you please hand me the money box?" The monkey climbed up and took the box from the top shelf of the bookcase. There was nothing in it—not a single penny! "Nothing!" the doctor exclaimed. "I was certain we had at least a little left." "Don't you remember that you had to buy Jip a new collar?" Too-Too asked.

"Oh, right," Doctor Dolittle replied. "I forgot about that. Well, I suppose I'll have to go down to the seaside and ask to borrow a boat. Hopefully, one of the fishermen will be kind enough to lend us one." So the next morning, Doctor Dolittle made his way down to the seaside. He found a fisherman who agreed to lend him a boat to take to Africa. The fisherman knew that Dolittle would not be able to pay him. "That's all right, Doctor," he said. "You helped my boy a long time ago. And I know how you take care of all those animals. I am glad I can finally help you." Doctor Dolittle promised to bring the boat back as soon as possible. He then hurried back to his home to tell the animals the good news. All the animals were very happy! The crocodile, Chee-Chee, and Polynesia were excited to go to Africa. After all, it was where they were born. They had not been back in many

years. "I shall only be able to take you three," Doctor Dolittle said. "And Jip, Dab-Dab, and Gub-Gub, of course. Everyone else will have to stay here. Africa would not be a good place for many of them anyway." Thankfully, Polynesia had been on many sea voyages. She told the doctor everything he would need for the trip. "We will need to bring special food with us," she said. "There is bread called hardtack. It lasts for a long time. We will also need to bring many cans of beans and vegetables. There is always a worry that food will spoil on long trips." "Yes, yes, of course," the doctor said. He wrote down everything Polynesia told him in his little notebook. "I assume the boat will come with its own anchor." "Yes, it will have its own anchor," Polynesia said. "But we should make sure we have a lot of rope. Rope is very handy on long sea voyages."

There was still the problem of money. How would they buy everything they needed for their trip if the money box was empty? You can only imagine Doctor Dolittle's surprise when the butcher arrived at his door with all the supplies! "I knew that you would need these things for your trip," the butcher said. "Please don't worry about paying me back right now. The grocer and I talked it over. You are doing important work. We'll deal with the bill when you return from Africa." Doctor Dolittle shook his friend's hand. "My word!" he exclaimed. "You are very good to us. How will I ever thank you?" "There is no need," the butcher replied. "I am glad to help." The animals and Doctor Dolittle worked quickly to pack all their things. They turned the water off so the pipes would not freeze while they were away. They put shutters over the