arrival at the beach we found the snail already feeling much
better and now able to move his tail without pain.

The porpoises (who are by nature inquisitive creatures) were still
hanging about in the offing to see if anything of interest was going to
happen. Polynesia, the plotter, while the Doctor was occupied with his
new patient, signaled to them and drew them aside for a little private
chat.

"Now see here, my friends," said she speaking low: "you know how much
John Dolittle has done for the animals--given his whole life up to
them, one might say. Well, here is your chance to do something for him.
Listen: he got made king of this island against his will, see? And now
that he has taken the job on, he feels that he can't leave it--thinks
the Indians won't be able to get along without him and all that--which
is nonsense, as you and I very well know. All right. Then here's the
point: if this snail were only willing to take him and us--and a little
baggage--not very much, thirty or forty pieces, say--inside his shell
and carry us to England, we feel sure that the Doctor would go; because
he's just crazy to mess about on the floor of the ocean. What's more
this would be his one and only chance of escape from the island. Now it
is highly important that the Doctor return to his own country to carry
on his proper work which means such a lot to the animals of the world.
So what we want you to do is to tell the sea-urchin to tell the starfish
to tell the snail to take us in his shell and carry us to Puddleby
River. Is that plain?"

"Quite, quite," said the porpoises. "And we will willingly do our very
best to persuade him--for it is, as you say, a perfect shame for the
great man to be wasting his time here when he is so much needed by the
animals."

"And don't let the Doctor know what you're about," said Polynesia as
they started to move off. "He might balk if he thought we had any hand
in it. Get the snail to offer on his own account to take us. See?"

John Dolittle, unaware of anything save the work he was engaged on, was
standing knee-deep in the shallow water, helping the snail try out his
mended tail to see if it were well enough to travel on. Bumpo and Long
Arrow, with Chee-Chee and Jip, were lolling at the foot of a palm a
little way up the beach. Polynesia and I now went and joined them. Half
an hour passed.

What success the porpoises had met with, we did not know, till suddenly
the Doctor left the snail's si