# The Rock explained — The Story of Doctor Dolittle

> Chapter companion for The Story of Doctor Dolittle by Hugh Lofting.

## What happens

After waiting for the wind to change, Jip catches the scent of snuff from the West and leads the crew to a barren rock in the sea. There, they discover a hidden cave where the boy's uncle is found asleep, surviving only on snuff.

## Themes in this chapter

### Friendship and Loyalty

The crew's unwavering commitment to finding the boy's uncle, with Jip's relentless tracking and the Doctor's trust in his abilities.

### Adventure and Exploration

The journey across the sea, the waiting for the wind, and the discovery of the mysterious rock and hidden cave.

## Character check-ins

### Jip

Uses his keen sense of smell to track the boy's uncle across the sea, leading the ship to the rock and discovering the hidden cave.

### Doctor Dolittle

Steers the ship according to Jip's directions, investigates the rock, and enters the cave to find the sleeping man.

### Dab-Dab

Relays messages between Jip and the Doctor, and is sent to ask the swallows to pull the ship.

### Too-Too

Spots the rock from the mast and alerts the crew, confirming it as the source of the smell.

### Gub-Gub

Present among the animals watching Jip and the search, though not directly involved in the discovery.

### Chee-Chee

Part of the crew observing the search and the eventual discovery of the rock.

## Key lines

> Jip! Jip! I see a great, great rock in front of us⁠—look⁠—way out there where the sky and the water meet. See the sun shine on it⁠—like gold! Is the smell coming from there?

Too-Too spots a large, sunlit rock on the horizon and asks Jip if that's the source of the smell.

_Too-Too's sighting confirms the location of the missing man._

> The boy’s uncle is down there. No wonder those silly eagles couldn’t see him!⁠—It takes a dog to find a man.

Jip declares that the uncle is in a hole in the rock, emphasizing that only a dog's nose could locate him.

_Jip's discovery highlights the superiority of scent over sight in this search._

> I smell no snuff as yet. We must wait till the wind changes to the East.

Jip reports that the South wind carries no snuff scent and advises waiting for the East wind.

_Jip's reliance on wind direction shows his methodical tracking approach._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters/xix-the-rock
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_story_of_doctor_dolittle_se/chapters