r to him all
the time, because the smell grows stronger every minute. But make the
ship go as fast as you can, for I am certain that the man is starving."

"All right," said the Doctor; and he sent Dab-Dab to ask the swallows
to pull the ship, the same as they had done when the pirates were
chasing them.

So the stout little birds came down and once more harnessed themselves
to the ship.

And now the boat went bounding through the waves at a terrible speed.
It went so fast that the fishes in the sea had to jump for their lives
to get out of the way and not be run over.

And all the animals got tremendously excited; and they gave up looking
at Jip and turned to watch the sea in front, to spy out any land or
islands where the starving man might be.

But hour after hour went by and still the ship went rushing on, over
the same flat, flat sea; and no land anywhere came in sight.

And now the animals gave up chattering and sat around silent, anxious
and miserable. The little boy again grew sad. And on Jip's face there
was a worried look.

At last, late in the afternoon, just as the sun was going down, the
owl, Too-Too, who was perched on the tip of the mast, suddenly startled
them all by crying out at the top of his voice,

"Jip! Jip! I see a great, great rock in front of us--look--way out
there where the sky and the water meet. See the sun shine on it--like
gold! Is the smell coming from there?"

And Jip called back,

"Yes. That's it. That is where the man is.-- At last, at last!"

And when they got nearer they could see that the rock was very
large--as large as a big field. No trees grew on it, no grass--nothing.
The great rock was as smooth and as bare as the back of a tortoise.

Then the Doctor sailed the ship right round the rock. But nowhere on
it could a man be seen. All the animals screwed up their eyes and
looked as hard as they could; and John Dolittle got a telescope from
downstairs.

But not one living thing could they spy--not even a gull, nor a
star-fish, nor a shred of sea-weed.

They all stood still and listened, straining their ears for any sound.
But the only noise they heard was the gentle lapping of the little
waves against the sides of their ship.

Then they all started calling, "Hulloa, there!--HULLOA!" till their
voices were hoarse. But only the echo came back from the rock.

And the little boy burst into tears and said,

"I am afraid I shall never see my uncle any mor