And the little boy began to cry again.

"Well now--wait a minute," said the Doctor. "Don't cry. Let's go and have tea in the dining- room, and we'll talk it over. Maybe your uncle is quite safe all the time. You don't KNOW that he was drowned, do you? And that's something. Perhaps we can find him for you. First we'll go and have tea--with strawberry-jam; and then we will see what can be done."

All the animals had been standing around listening with great curiosity. And when they had gone into the ship's dining-room and were having tea, Dab-Dab came up behind the Doctor's chair and whispered.

"Ask the porpoises if the boy's uncle was drowned--they'll know."

"All right," said the Doctor, taking a second piece of bread-and-jam.

"What are those funny, clicking noises you are making with your tongue?" asked the boy.

"Oh, I just said a couple of words in duck- language," the Doctor answered. "This is Dab-Dab, one of my pets."

"I didn't even know that ducks had a language," said the boy. "Are all these other animals your pets, too? What is that strange- looking thing with two heads?"