Chapter 17 The Ocean Gossips The animals quickly found an axe.
Dr. Doolittle picked it up, took two heavy swings, and chopped a hole through the door.
He made it just large enough to crawl through.
At first the room was too dark to see anything.
Dr. Doolittle lit a match.
The room was quite small.
There were no windows and a low ceiling.
There was only one small stool to sit on.
In the middle of the floor sat a small boy crying bitterly.
He was about eight years old.
The little boy was frightened by this man and all the strange animals, but as soon as he saw the doctor's face, he stopped crying and stood up.
"'You're not one of the pirates, are you?' he said.
The doctor threw back his head and laughed.
The little boy laughed, too.
You have a very friendly laugh, the boy said, not like a pirate at all.
I am worried, though.
Have you seen my uncle?
Your uncle, the doctor said.
Was he on board this boat?
Yes, the boy said.
There were tears in his eyes.
We were fishing together when the pirates caught us.
They wanted my uncle to join them as pirate.
They took him away when he refused.
And you have no idea what happened to him, Dr. Doolittle asked.
No, the boy cried.
They locked me in this room.
I haven't been outside in more than a week.
I asked them about my uncle, but they wouldn't tell me anything.
I'm so worried that he's drowned.
Try not to worry, Dr. Doolittle said.
He patted the boy on his head.
We'll do everything we can to find your uncle.
Oh, thank you, he said.
Could you describe your uncle for me?
Dr. Doolittle took out his notebook and pencil.
Well, he's quite tall, the boy said, and he has red hair.
His boat was called the Saucy Sally.
I have no idea what happened to it.
When he finished, the boy took a nap in the sun.
Dr. Doolittle went to the rail of the ship.
He called out until a group of dolphins appeared at the side of the boat.
I am looking for someone, he said.
Have you seen a tall fisherman with red hair?
We think he has been missing for a week or two.
Do you mean the owner of the saucy sallie? one of the dolphins asked.
We've seen his boat.
It's at the bottom of the sea.
The fisherman isn't there, though.
I can't say where he is, but he didn't drown.
How can you say that for sure?
Dr. Doolittle asked.
Oh, we would know, the dolphin answered.
They call us the ocean gossips because we know everything that happens in the water.
If that fisherman drowned, we would know.
Well, That's good news, at least, the doctor said.
I guess we'll have to keep looking.
If you hear of anything, please let us know.
His nephew is very worried.
The dolphins promised that they would.
Dr. Doolittle talked to the animals about forming a search party.
Tutu and Dab-Dab agreed to fly over the water to look for clues.
The swallow said they would look, too.
Remember to ask everyone you meet if they've seen a tall man with red hair, Dr. Doolittle said.
He must be somewhere.
The other animals made sure the boy was happy while on the deck.
They played games and ran along the deck.
As you might imagine, the boy had never seen a push-me-pulley before.
He wondered if he was seeing things.
The push-me-pulley who did not mind being stared at by a child.
He knew that the boy meant no harm.
In fact, the push-me-pulley who let the boy ride him around the boat.
Dr. Doolittle was quiet.
He was worried about the boy's uncle.
The doctor looked out over the water.
He hoped they heard something very soon.
