Then the King understood that he had been
tricked, and he was dreadfully angry. He hurried
back to the prison at once

But he was too late. The door stood open.
The dungeon was empty. The Doctor and all
his animals were gone.



THE SEVENTH CHAPTER

THE BRIDGE OF APES

QUEEN ERMINTRUDE had never in her life seen her husband
so terrible as he got that night. He gnashed his teeth
with rage. He called everybody a fool. He threw his
tooth-brush at the palace cat. He rushed round
in his night-shirt and woke up all his army and
sent them into the jungle to catch the Doctor.
Then he made all his servants go too--his cooks
and his gardeners and his barber and Prince
Bumpo's tutor--even the Queen, who was tired
from dancing in a pair of tight shoes, was packed
off to help the soldiers in their search.

All this time the Doctor and his animals were
running through the forest towards the Land of
the Monkeys as fast as they could go.