"They reminded him of old broken down cab horses"
While he was talking to the Chief (who seemed to be a kindly old man) Speedy swept into the Chief's hut in a great state of excitement.
"Doctor," he cried, "the mail has been robbed! The thrush has come back to the post office and says his package was taken from him on the way. The pearls are gone!"
[CHAPTER II]
THE GREAT MAIL ROBBERY
"Great heavens!" cried the Doctor, springing up. "The pearls gone? And they were registered, too!"
"Yes," said Speedy, "here's the thrush himself. He'll tell you all about it."
And going to the door, he called in the bird who had carried the registered package.
"Doctor," said the thrush, who was also very upset and breathless, "it wasn't my fault. I never let those pearls out of my sight. I flew straight off for the Harmattan Rocks. But part of the trip I had to go over land, if I took the shortest cut. And on the way I saw a sister of mine whom I hadn't met in a long time, sitting in a tree in the jungle below me. And I thought it would be no harm if I went and talked to her a while. So I flew down and she was very glad to see me. I couldn't talk properly with the string of the package in my mouth, so I put the parcel down on the bough of the tree behind me—right near me, you understand—and went on talking to my sister. And when I turned around to pick it up again it was gone."