The Story of Dr Dolittle / История доктора Дулиттла. 5 класс
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The doctor and his pets went through the jungle and talked, and Polynesia said, “We must tread softly and talk low because we are going through the land of the Jolliginki. If the King hears us, he will send his soldiers to catch us again; I am sure he is still very angry.”
One day, when they were in a very thick part of the forest, Chee-Chee went ahead of them to look for coconuts. And while he was away, the Doctor and the rest of the animals got lost in the deep woods. They could not find their way to the seashore. Chee-Chee, when he could not see them anywhere, was really upset. He climbed high trees and looked out from the top branches to see the Doctor’s high hat; he waved and shouted; he called to all the animals by name. But it was no use.
Indeed they lost their way very badly. The jungle was so thick with bushes and vines that sometimes they could hardly move at all, and then the Doctor used his pocket-knife and cut the way along. They scratched themselves on thorns, and twice they nearly lost the medicine-bag in the forest. At last, after many days, they walked right into the King’s back-garden by mistake. The King’s men caught them at once. But Polynesia flew into a tree in the garden and hid herself.
The King’s men brought The Doctor and the animals to the King. “Ha, ha!” cried the King. “So you are here again! This time you will not escape. Take them all back to prison and put double locks on the door. This White Man will scrub my kitchen-floor for the rest of his life!” So the Doctor and his pets were back in prison. They were all very unhappy.
Then Polynesia saw Chee-Chee who still looked for the Doctor. When Chee-Chee saw her, he came into her tree and asked her about the Doctor and his friends. “The Doctor and all the animals are in prison again,” whispered Polynesia. “We lost our way in the jungle and came into the palace-garden by mistake… Sh! – Look! There’s Prince Bumpo in the garden! He must not see us. – Don’t move!”
And there was Prince Bumpo, the King’s son. He opened the garden-gate. He carried a book of fairy-tales under his arm. He reached a stone seat right under the tree where the parrot and the monkey were. Then he lay down on the seat and began reading the fairy-stories to himself. Chee-Chee and Polynesia watched him, and they were very quiet and still. After a while the King’s son laid the book down and sighed.
“I want to be a WHITE prince so much!” said he, with a dreamy look in his eyes.
Then the parrot, talking in a small, high voice like a little girl, said aloud, “Bumpo, someone can turn you into a white prince.”
The King’s son started up off the seat [20] and looked all around.
“What is this I hear?” he cried. “How strange!”
“Worthy Prince,” said Polynesia, “I am Tripsitinka, the Queen of the Fairies. I am hiding in a rose-bud.”
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подскочил
“Oh tell me, Fairy-Queen,” cried Bumpo, “who can make me white?”
“In your father’s prison,” said the parrot, “there lies a famous wizard, John Dolittle. Many things he knows of medicine and magic. Go to him, brave Bumpo, secretly, after the sunset; and he will make you the whitest prince! I must now go back to Fairyland. Farewell! [21] ”
“Farewell!” cried the Prince. “A thousand thanks, good Tripsitinka!” And he sat down on the seat again with a smile upon his face and started waiting for the sunset.
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Прощай!
The Twelfth Chapter
Medicine and Magic
Very, very quietly Polynesia then slipped out at the back of the tree and flew to the prison to talk to the Doctor.
“Listen,” said the parrot to the Doctor, “Prince Bumpo is coming here tonight to see you. And you have to find some way to turn him white. But make him promise you first that he will open the prison-door and find a ship for you so that you could cross the sea.”
“This is all very well,” said the Doctor. “But it isn’t so easy to turn a black man white.
“I don’t know anything about that,” said Polynesia impatiently. “But you MUST turn this man white. Think of a way – think hard. You’ve got a lot of medicines in the bag. He’ll do anything for you if you change his color. It is your only chance to get out of prison.”
“Well, I think it MIGHT be possible, [22] ” said the Doctor. “Let me see —,” and he took his medicine-bag…
That night Prince Bumpo came secretly to the Doctor in prison and said to him, “White Man, I am an unhappy prince. Years ago I went in search of The Sleeping Beauty. [23] I read about her in a book. And I traveled through the world many days and at last I found her and kissed the lady very gently to awaken her – as the book said I should. It is true indeed that she awoke. But when she saw my face she cried out, ‘Oh, he’s black!’ And she ran away and didn’t marry me – but went to sleep again somewhere else. So I came back to my father’s kingdom. Now I know that you are a wonderful magician. So please help me. If you turn me white, so that I may go back to The Sleeping Beauty, I will give you half my kingdom and anything you ask.”
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это, может быть, и возможно
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Спящая Красавица
“Prince Bumpo,” said the Doctor and looked thoughtfully at the bottles in his medicine-bag, “I could make your hair a nice blonde color – will you be happy then?”
“No,” said Bumpo. “Nothing else will satisfy me. I must be a white prince.”
“You know it is very hard to change the color of a prince,” said the Doctor – “one of the hardest things that a magician can do. You only want your face white, don’t you?”
“Yes, that is all,” said Bumpo. “Because I will wear shining armor, like the other white princes, and ride on a horse.”
“Must your face be white all over?” asked the Doctor.
“Yes, all over,” said Bumpo, “and I would like my eyes blue too, but I think that will be very hard to do.”
“Yes, it will,” said the Doctor quickly. “Well, I will do what I can for you. You must be very patient. Maybe I will try two or three times. Now come over here by the light – Oh, but before I do anything, you must first go to the beach and get a ship ready, with food in it, to take me across the sea. Do not speak a word about this to any one. And when I make your face white, you must let me and all my animals out of prison. Promise!”
So the Prince promised and went away to get a ship ready at the seashore. When he came back and said that it was ready, the Doctor asked Dab-Dab to bring a basin. Then he mixed a lot of medicines in the basin and told Bumpo to dip his face in it. The Prince leaned down and put his face in the basin. He held it there a long time. At last the Prince lifted his face up out of the basin. It was difficult for him to breathe. And all the animals cried out in surprise because the Prince’s face was as white as snow, and his eyes were gray, not mud-colored! When John Dolittle gave him a little looking-glass, he began dancing around the prison. But the Doctor asked him not to make so much noise about it; and then he told him to open the prison-door. So the Prince unlocked the door. And the Doctor with all his animals ran as fast as they could down to the seashore.