With the help of Dr. Dolittle and Polynesia, Tommy understood what had happened.
"I can't believe Luke would harm anyone, doctor," cried Tommy.
"Nor can I, Tommy," said the doctor gravely.
"That's why we must go and see Luke."
Luke was being held in a dark, damp cell.
Bob started to whine sadly when he saw his master.
Dr. Dolittle called out Luke's name several times, but he didn't respond.
"Luke!" he called again.
Finally, Luke lifted his head.
"We're here to help you, Luke," said the doctor.
Luke shook his head.
"I killed him. There's nothing you can do."
Dr. Dolittle and Tommy looked at each other with concern.
Bob began barking wildly.
"That's not true! That's not true!"
Dr. Dolittle knelt down beside Bob.
"Did you see what happened?" he asked.
Bob let out a loud bark. "Yes!"
The doctor sat talking with Bob for a few minutes.
Finally, he stood up and said, "I have a plan.
I don't know if it's going to work, but I will do my best."
"What for, doctor?
No one is going to believe you," said Luke.
"And the trial is about to begin."
"But they will believe the witness," Dr. Dolittle assured him.
"Witness? There were no witnesses," Luke exclaimed.
"Yes, there was," said Dr. Dolittle.
"Bob saw what happened."
A few hours later, Luke's trial began.
It wasn't going well for Luke.
The man called the prosecutor had a long nose.
He kept pointing a finger at Luke and accusing him of many awful things.
Then he called for a man named Mendoza to stand up.
Mendoza explained that he, Luke, and another man named Boggs were partners.
"What kind of partners?" asked the prosecutor.
"We were looking for gold," Mendoza answered.
"Finally one day, we hit it big!"
Mendoza rubbed his hands greedily and licked his lips.
Bob growled dangerously.
"But what happened?" the prosecutor asked.
"That man," Mendoza pointed to Luke, "wanted the gold for himself.
So he killed Boggs.
He would have killed me, but I escaped."
Bob jumped up and barked loudly.
"Quiet! Silence!" shouted the judge.
Luke's lawyer stood up.
"Your honor, I would like to call Dr. Dolittle."
"Dr. Dolittle? The animal doctor?" the judge asked in surprise.
"Yes, Your Honor," replied Luke's lawyer.
"He is going to speak on behalf of the witness, Luke's dog Bob."
At that, the courtroom exploded with loud laughter.
Dr. Dolittle stood before the judge.
"Can you really speak to animals?" the judge asked.
"Yes, Your Honor," confirmed the doctor.
"That's impossible," whispered some people in the courtroom.
"He can! He cured my horse," said a man beside them.
"This is an outrage!" protested the prosecutor.
The judge sat silent for a moment or two.
"You must prove that you can talk with animals.
Then I will allow you to speak on behalf of Bob," he finally said.
He motioned to a guard.
The guard went out and came back with the judge's dog.
The judge's dog was even bigger than Bob.
He sat in the witness box and growled, showing sharp white teeth.
"Now, Doctor," said the judge, "this is Sweetie." Everyone giggled.
"Only Sweetie and I know what I had for dinner last night.
Ask him what I ate, Doctor."
Dr. Dolittle approached Sweetie and began to make dog noises.
"What on earth is he doing?" a large woman whispered.
"It's a trick!
How can a man speak to animals?" a man said nastily.
Dr. Dolittle glanced at the judge and began to giggle.
He continued talking with Sweetie.
"What's taking so long?" the judge asked impatiently.
"Oh, sorry, Your Honor.
Sweetie was telling me what you did after supper," chuckled the doctor.
"Never mind that," the judge snapped.
"What did I have for dinner?"
"You had lamb chops, potatoes, and a glass of wine," the doctor smiled, "and then you left the house and . . ."
The judge's eyes grew very wide.
Interrupting, he said quickly, "Very well.
Bob is allowed as a witness."