that the pirates threw his uncle into the sea.
Would you be so good as to find out for me, for sure, whether he has
been drowned or not?"

"Oh, he isn't drowned," said the porpoises. "If he were, we would be
sure to have heard of it from the deep-sea Decapods. We hear all the
salt-water news. The shell-fish call us 'The Ocean Gossips.' No--tell
the little boy we are sorry we do not know where his uncle is; but we
are quite certain he hasn't been drowned in the sea."

So the Doctor ran downstairs with the news and told the nephew, who
clapped his hands with happiness. And the pushmi-pullyu took the
little boy on his back and gave him a ride round the dining-room table;
while all the other animals followed behind, beating the dish-covers
with spoons, pretending it was a parade.

THE EIGHTEENTH CHAPTER

SMELLS

"YOUR uncle must now be FOUND," said the Doctor--"that is the next
thing--now that we know he wasn't thrown into the sea."

Then Dab-Dab came up to him again and whispered,

"Ask the eagles to look for the man. No living creature can see better
than an eagle. When they are miles high in the air they can count the
ants crawling on the ground. Ask the eagles."

So the Doctor sent one of the swallows off to get some eagles.

And in about an hour the little bird came back with six different kinds
of eagles: a Black Eagle, a Bald Eagle, a Fish Eagle, a Golden Eagle,
an Eagle-Vulture, and a White-tailed Sea Eagle. Twice as high as the
boy they were, each one of them. And they stood on the rail of the
ship, like round-shouldered soldiers all in a row, stern and still and
stiff; while their great, gleaming, black eyes shot darting glances
here and there and everywhere.

Gub-Gub was scared of them and got behind a barrel. He said he felt as
though those terrible eyes were looking right inside of him to see what
he had stolen for lunch.

And the Doctor said to the eagles,

"A man has been lost--a fisherman with red hair and an anchor marked on
his arm. Would you be so kind as to see if you can find him for us?
This boy is the man's nephew."

Eagles do not talk very much. And all they answered in their husky
voices was,

"You may be sure that we will do our best--for John Dolittle."

Then they flew off--and Gub-Gub came out from behind his barrel to see
them go. Up and up and up they went--higher and higher and higher
still. Then, when the Doctor could only just see them, they parted
compan