Some of the animals were too sick to go home. So Dr. Dolittle kept them in the house. His sister did not like that.
"John! These animals must go!" she screamed.
"But they’re very sick, Sarah," he replied.
"Give them medicine! I don’t care! They can’t stay in MY house!" she shouted.
Dr. Dolittle didn’t know it, but his life was about to change again. "Drink plenty of water," Dr. Dolittle told a goat one morning.
"Hey! Are you the animal doc?" a big man shouted loudly.
"Yes, I’m Dr. Dolittle. How can I help you?" replied the gentle doctor.
"Something’s wrong with this trouble maker. Fix him for me!" growled the man.
"Please save me. My master is a bad man," the monkey begged.
Dr. Dolittle was a gentle and kind man. But he did not like people who treated animals badly.
"I will buy this monkey from you," Dr. Dolittle gave the man some coins.
"He’s stupid, you know," the man said, as he took the money.
"No, sir. Animals aren’t stupid. Humans are," the doctor spoke boldly.
"What? Why you . . ." The man raised his fist.
"Don’t ever come back!" Dr. Dolittle ordered.
Dr. Dolittle could not stand to see animals treated badly. He spent all his money buying them from their mean masters. Sarah, of course, was not happy at all.
"If you keep buying more animals, we won’t have any money left!" she argued.
"Money is a headache," he sighed.
"If you spend all the money," she warned, "I’ll leave you and get married!"
Once again, Sarah was right. Soon Dr. Dolittle didn’t have any money left. Soon after that, Sarah did leave to get married.
"Poor Dr. Dolittle," cried Gub-Gub.
"What can we do to help him?" asked Jip.
Chee-Chee, the monkey saved by Dr. Dolittle, spoke up. "We must take care of the housework."
"That’s a good idea," Polynesia agreed.
"I like cooking," said Chee-Chee.
"I can sweep the floors," Jip barked.
"I’ll take care of the beds!" quacked Dab-Dab.
"Look how clean the windows are!" Gub-Gub shouted joyfully.
Too-Too took care of the little money that was left. And Polynesia made sure that everything was done right.
"Thank you all very much! The house looks so clean and tidy!" the doctor smiled.
Even with the animals' help, it was hard to live without money.
"Oh, I’m so cold!" cried Gub-Gub.
"Doctor! Dr. Dolittle!" Chee-Chee burst through the door.
"What is it, Chee-Chee? What’s the matter?" Dr. Dolittle asked the shaking monkey. "My cousin . . . ," cried Chee-Chee. "My cousin in Africa . . . sickness . . . all the monkeys . . . sick . . . dying . . ."
"Tell me what’s happened," Dr. Dolittle asked Chee-Chee.
"There is a message for you from Africa," the monkey said slowly.
"What kind of message?" asked Polynesia.
"The monkeys are all sick. They beg for you to come," answered Chee-Chee.
"Then I must go!" Dr. Dolittle stood up.
"But how? You don’t have any money," pointed out Too-Too.
"We must go to Africa! Or the monkeys will die!"
Dr. Dolittle and the animals stayed up all night thinking.