didn't want to wake you," said she. "I guessed you must be tired
after all you've been through--Don't squash the life out of me, boy: I'm
not a stuffed duck, you know."

"Oh, Miranda, you dear old thing," said I, "I'm so glad to see you. Tell
me, where is the Doctor? Is he alive?"

"Of course he's alive--and it's my firm belief he always will be. He's
over there, about forty miles to the westward."

"What's he doing there?"

"He's sitting on the other half of the Curlew shaving himself--or he
was, when I left him."

"Well, thank Heaven he's alive!" said I--"And Bumpo--and the animals,
are they all right?"

"Yes, they're with him. Your ship broke in half in the storm. The Doctor
had tied you down when he found you stunned. And the part you were on
got separated and floated away. Golly, it was a storm! One has to be a
gull or an albatross to stand that sort of weather. I had been watching
for the Doctor for three weeks, from a cliff-top; but last night I had
to take refuge in a cave to keep my tail-feathers from blowing out. As
soon as I found the Doctor, he sent me off with some porpoises to look
for you. A Stormy Petrel volunteered to help us in our search. There had
been quite a gathering of sea-birds waiting to greet the Doctor; but the
rough weather sort of broke up the arrangements that had been made to
welcome him properly. It was the petrel that first gave us the tip where
you were."

"Well, but how can I get to the Doctor, Miranda?--I haven't any oars."

"Get to him!--Why, you're going to him now. Look behind you."

I turned around. The moon was just rising on the sea's edge. And I now
saw that my raft was moving through the water, but so gently that I had
not noticed it before.

"What's moving us?" I asked.

"The porpoises," said Miranda.

I went to the back of the raft and looked down into the water. And just
below the surface I could see the dim forms of four big porpoises, their
sleek skins glinting in the moonlight, pushing at the raft with their
noses.

"They're old friends of the Doctor's," said Miranda. "They'd do anything
for John Dolittle. We should see his party soon now. We're pretty near
the place I left them--Yes, there they are! See that dark shape?--No,
more to the right of where you're looking. Can't you make out the figure
of the black man standing against the sky?--Now Chee-Chee spies us--he's
waving. Don't you see them?"

I didn't--for my eyes were not as sharp as Miranda's.