Dr. Dolittle and his friends stayed on Spider Monkey Island for over a month. During that time, Dr. Dolittle and Long Arrow spent many days learning from each other. Long Arrow taught the doctor about herbs and plants.
"Do not touch the leaves on this one," the Indian said in eagle talk. "Only pick it by its stem."
Dr. Dolittle taught Long Arrow about modern medicine.
"Put this in your ears," he said. The doctor held up a stethoscope and passed it to the Indian. He held the metal disc against Long Arrow’s chest. Long Arrow jumped back in fear.
"Don’t worry," laughed Dr. Dolittle. "That’s the sound of your heart beating."
As the days went by, Tommy noticed it getting colder and colder. "Brrrr," he shivered. "It feels like winter."
"Yes, I noticed that, too," the doctor remarked.
He looked around the village of Popsipetal. People everywhere seemed to be trembling and shaking from the cold.
Dr. Dolittle and Tommy walked to the beach. They saw a large flock of birds shivering in the cold.
"Dr. Dolittle!" called out Polynesia.
Tommy noticed that her beak was blue and her wings were shaking.
"What’s going on here, Polynesia?" the doctor looked around.
"They’re all leaving," she replied, pointing to the birds. "It’s too cold for them to live here."
"But what is causing this sudden cold?" the doctor asked aloud.
"It’s the island, Doctor," answered the parrot. "Spider Monkey Island is a floating island."
Dr. Dolittle slapped his knee.
"That’s right! So we must be moving south."
"Are we moving toward the South Pole?" asked Polynesia.
"It seems that way," the doctor answered.
"We must turn around, Doctor," said Tommy urgently. "The Popsipetal people and the animals can’t survive in a cold climate."
As soon as Tommy had spoken, all the animals started to come out of the forest. There were monkeys, opossums, butterflies, pigs, and all kinds of insects.
"Please help us, Dr. Dolittle," said one monkey. "We’re all so cold."
"All the plants and fruits are freezing," cried an opossum. "There is nothing to eat."
Dr. Dolittle thought and thought about what he could do. "Polynesia," he said finally, "we need the help of some whales."
"Whales?" asked Tommy.
"Whales are big strong creatures," explained the doctor. "Perhaps they can push the island back north."
So Polynesia and some other birds flew off in search of whales. Shortly, Polynesia returned with two dolphins.
"I asked for whales, Polynesia," sighed the doctor.
"Not to worry, Dr. Dolittle," said one dolphin. "The whales are already in the back pushing you along."
"But I can’t feel anything," said Tommy.
The dolphins stared at him with open mouths. "He can speak our language, too?" they cried.
"Yes, he’s very clever," the doctor said proudly. "Now, how many whales are there?"
"We were lucky, and ran into a large herd," replied Polynesia.
"Good work, Polynesia," smiled the doctor. "We should soon be heading back north."
All the animals, birds, and other creatures cheered loudly.
Tommy wanted to ask the dolphins. "Why does this island float?" But he made a mistake in dolphin language and said instead, "Do your toes float in water?"
Dr. Dolittle, Polynesia, and the dolphins could not stop laughing. Poor Tommy turned bright red. He asked again, correctly this time.
A big dolphin explained: "Spider Monkey Island used to be a part of a large piece of land. But for some reason it broke away and fell into the water. Only part of the island is above the water. The other, bigger half is underwater."
Another dolphin continued: "See all those mountains. For some strange reason, they are hollow. When the land fell into the water, the air inside stopped it from sinking. That is why the island floats."
"Just like a balloon," Tommy exclaimed.
"There must be a way to stop the island from floating," said Dr. Dolittle.
"We need to get the air out of the mountains," said Polynesia.
"But how?" asked Tommy.
Everyone thought, but no one could come up with a solution.