“Very good, Sir,” said Bumpo, turning round smartly and making for the stairway.

“Now Matthew,” said the Doctor, “you can take the coach from Penzance to Bristol.  And from there it is not very far to Puddleby, as you know.  Don’t forget to take the usual provisions to the house every Thursday, and be particularly careful to remember the extra supply of herrings for the baby minks.”

While we were waiting for the maps Chee-Chee and I set about lighting the lamps:  a green one on the right side of the ship, a red one on the left and a white one on the mast.

At last we heard some one trundling on the stairs again and the Doctor said,

“Ah, here’s Bumpo with the maps at last!”

But to our great astonishment it was not Bumpo alone that appeared but three people.

“Good Lord deliver us!  Who are these?” cried John Dolittle.

“Two more stowaways, Sir,” said Bumpo stepping forward briskly.  “I found them in your cabin hiding under the bunk.  One woman and one man, Sir.  Here are the maps.”

“This is too much,” said the Doctor feebly.  “Who are they?  I can’t see their faces in this dim light.  Strike a match, Bumpo.”

You could never guess who it was.  It was Luke and his wife.  Mrs. Luke appeared to be very miserable and seasick.

They explained to the Doctor that after they had settled down to live together in the little shack out on the fens, so many people came to visit them (having heard about the great trial) that life became impossible; and they had decided to escape from Puddleby in this manner—­ for they had no money to leave any other way—­and try to find some new place to live where they and their story wouldn’t be so well known.  But as soon as the ship had begun to roll Mrs. Luke had got most dreadfully unwell.

Poor Luke apologized many times for being such a nuisance and said that the whole thing had been his wife’s idea.

The Doctor, after he had sent below for his medicine-bag and had given Mrs. Luke some sal volatile and smelling-salts, said he thought the best thing to do would be for him to lend them some money and put them ashore at Penzance with Matthew.  He also wrote a letter for Luke to take with him to a friend the Doctor had in the town of Penzance who, it was hoped, would be able to find Luke work to do there.

As the Doctor opened his purse and took out some gold coins I heard Polynesia, who was sitting on my shoulder watching the whole affair, mutter beneath her breath,

“There he goes—­lending his last blessed penny—­three pounds ten—­ all the money we had for the whole trip!  Now we haven’t the price of a postage-stamp aboard if we should lose an anchor or have to buy a pint of tar—­Well, let’s, pray we don’t run out of food—­ Why doesn’t he give them the ship and walk home?”

Presently with the help of the map the course of the boat was changed and, to Mrs. Luke’s great relief, we made for Penzance and dry land.