“Oh, pshaw!” said the Doctor. “No one could hear us at that range.”
“Don’t forget how sound travels on the Moon,” warned the parrot.
“But my goodness!” said the Doctor. “They know we’ve got to go some time. We can’t stay here forever. Didn’t I tell the President himself I had jobs to attend to on the Earth? If I felt they needed me badly enough I wouldn’t mind staying quite a while yet. But there’s Stubbins here. He came away without even telling his parents where he was going or how long it might be before he returned. I don’t know what Jacob Stubbins may be thinking, or his good wife. Probably worried to death. I—”
“Sh!—Sh!—Will you be quiet?” whispered Polynesia again. “Didn’t you hear that? I tell you there’s some one listening—or I’m a Double Dutchman. Pipe down, for pity’s sake. There are ears all around us. Go to sleep!”
We all took the old parrot’s advice—only too willingly. And very soon every one of us was snoring.
This time we did not awaken early. We had no jobs to attend to and we took advantage of a chance to snooze away as long as we wished.
It was nearly midday again when we finally got stirring. We were in need of water for breakfast. Getting the water had always been Chee-Chee’s job. This morning, however, the Doctor wanted him to hunt up a further supply of medicinal plants for his surgical work. I volunteered therefore to act as water-carrier.
With several vessels which we had made from gourds I started out for the forests.
I had once or twice performed this same office of emergency water-carrier before. I was therefore able on reaching the edge of the jungle to make straight for the place where we usually got our supplies.
I hadn’t gone very far before Polynesia overtook me.