Chapter 1

       The Fireside Circle

       Table of Contents

      This is the story of that part of Doctor Dolittle’s adventures which came about through his joining and travelling with a circus. He had not planned in the beginning to follow this life for any considerable time. His intention had only been to take the pushmi-pullyu out on show long enough to make sufficient money to pay the sailor back for the boat which had been borrowed and wrecked.

      But a remark Too-Too had made was true; it was not so hard for John Dolittle to become rich – for indeed he was easily satisfied where money was concerned – but it was a very different matter for him to remain rich. Dab-Dab used to say that during the years she had known him he had, to her knowledge, been quite well off five or six times; but that the more money he had, the sooner you could expect him to be poor again.

      Dab-Dab’s idea of a fortune was not, of course, very large. But certainly during his experience with the circus