imself.

Chee-Chee and Polynesia watched him, keeping very quiet and still.

After a while the King's son laid the book down and sighed a weary sigh.

"If I were only a WHITE prince!" said he, with a dreamy, far-away look
in his eyes.

Then the parrot, talking in a small, high voice like a little girl,
said aloud,

"Bumpo, some one might turn thee into a white prince perchance."

The King's son started up off the seat and looked all around.

"What is this I hear?" he cried. "Methought the sweet music of a
fairy's silver voice rang from yonder bower! Strange!"

"Worthy Prince," said Polynesia, keeping very still so Bumpo couldn't
see her, "thou sayest winged words of truth. For 'tis I, Tripsitinka,
the Queen of the Fairies, that speak to thee. I am hiding in a
rose-bud."

"Oh tell me, Fairy-Queen," cried Bumpo, clasping his hands in joy, "who
is it can turn me white?"

"In thy father's prison," said the parrot, "there lies a famous wizard,
John Dolittle by name. Many things he knows of medicine and magic, and
mighty deeds has he performed. Yet thy kingly father leaves him
languishing long and lingering hours. Go to him, brave Bumpo,
secretly, when the sun has set; and behold, thou shalt be made the
whitest prince that ever won fair lady! I have said enough. I must
now go back to Fairyland. Farewell!"

"Farewell!" cried the Prince. "A thousand thanks, good Tripsitinka!"

And he sat down on the seat again with a smile upon his face, waiting
for the sun to set.

THE TWELFTH CHAPTER

MEDICINE AND MAGIC

VERY, very quietly, making sure that no one should see her, Polynesia
then slipped out at the back of the tree and flew across to the prison.

She found Gub-Gub poking his nose through the bars of the window,
trying to sniff the cooking-smells that came from the palace-kitchen.
She told the pig to bring the Doctor to the window because she wanted
to speak to him. So Gub-Gub went and woke the Doctor who was taking a
nap.

"Listen," whispered the parrot, when John Dolittle's face appeared:
"Prince Bumpo is coming here to-night to see you. And you've got to
find some way to turn him white. But be sure to make him promise you
first that he will open the prison-door and find a ship for you to
cross the sea in."

"This is all very well," said the Doctor. "But it isn't so easy to turn
a black man white. You speak as though he were a dress to be re-dyed.
It's not so simple. 'Shall the leopard