so did all of
them.

John Dolittle was the last to cross. And just as he was getting to the
other side, the King's men came rushing up to the edge of the cliff.

Then they shook their fists and yelled with rage. For they saw they
were too late. The Doctor and all his animals were safe in the Land of
the Monkeys and the bridge was pulled across to the other side.

Then Chee-Chee turned to the Doctor and said,

"Many great explorers and gray-bearded naturalists have lain long weeks
hidden in the jungle waiting to see the monkeys do that trick. But we
never let a white man get a glimpse of it before. You are the first to
see the famous 'Bridge of Apes.'"

And the Doctor felt very pleased.

THE EIGHTH CHAPTER

THE LEADER OF THE LIONS

JOHN DOLITTLE now became dreadfully, awfully busy. He found hundreds
and thousands of monkeys sick--gorillas, orangoutangs, chimpanzees,
dog-faced baboons, marmosettes, gray monkeys, red ones--all kinds. And
many had died.

The first thing he did was to separate the sick ones from the well
ones. Then he got Chee-Chee and his cousin to build him a little house
of grass. The next thing: he made all the monkeys who were still well
come and be vaccinated.

And for three days and three nights the monkeys kept coming from the
jungles and the valleys and the hills to the little house of grass,
where the Doctor sat all day and all night, vaccinating and vaccinating.

Then he had another house made--a big one, with a lot of beds in it;
and he put all the sick ones in this house.

But so many were sick, there were not enough well ones to do the
nursing. So he sent messages to the other animals, like the lions and
the leopards and the antelopes, to come and help with the nursing.

But the Leader of the Lions was a very proud creature. And when he
came to the Doctor's big house full of beds he seemed angry and
scornful.

"Do you dare to ask me, Sir?" he said, glaring at the Doctor. "Do you
dare to ask me--ME, THE KING OF BEASTS, to wait on a lot of dirty
monkeys? Why, I wouldn't even eat them between meals!"

Although the lion looked very terrible, the Doctor tried hard not to
seem afraid of him.

"I didn't ask you to eat them," he said quietly. "And besides, they're
not dirty. They've all had a bath this morning. YOUR coat looks as
though it needed brushing--badly. Now listen, and I'll tell you
something: the day may come when the lions get sick. And if you don't