Part 6 (1/2)

”Ow--ay, that is better; now a little water”

Still keeping his eyes fixed on the man and his beast, Mr Hume held out a hand for a cup, and with a moistened handkerchief bathed the cracked and swollen lips The eyes of both thehis everyof faces round, shohite in the glare of the light The strong fingersthe hide ropes that bound the legs and ar smell of eucalyptus into the bruised skin

”So--now a little broth for the ently, cook; don't scare them, and don't crowd in, you others”

”Ay, ay,” burst out the captain, in a sudden fury ”What's the whole shi+p's coarden-party, Mr Robbins?”

”Get forward!” roared the mate, in a voice that sent the jackal alht; and at the creature's wild cry the sailors hurried off, o of misfortune aboard

The hunter looked reproachfully at the an once htened animal, which in time took a bit of raw meat he proffered The man drank his broth, and then sat up to stare about hi down he had seeht, it was seen that he was any than black, with a more prominent nose and thinner lips than are usually found with the negroid stock His hair, however, was in little tufts, and the white of his eyes had the sro As he sat, Mr Hume rubbed the back of his neck, and fed him with broth, a mouthful at a tiain returned froe to the hunter's face

”He see from my cabin; ill make him a bed in his own canoe

He will rest easier there till the ht, and the ed co intent look at the hunter, he settled hie companion, which at once curled itself at his feet, and was asleep

”Now, boys,” said Mr Hu,the steaot even about the strange couple in their first view of theout fro in wisp over the waters, recalled the incident They found Mr Hu cup of coffee, and at his feet, stretching along the scuppers, was the canoe, still with its crew aboard and asleep, though the jackal slept apparently with one eye open The canoe was, they saw, le tree-trunk, and was thickly coated with the slihly shaped craft, ht boat that skimmed into view from out the mist

”What do youinspection

”It see, ”that the jackal has a very dark coat”

”That is so; it is unusually dark What does that suggest to you?”

”Well, as the colour is adapted to the nature of the country in which the animal hunts, I should say that the jackal came from a wooded district”

”Good And what is your opinion, Compton?”

Compton bent down to examine the bows ”Look here, sir,” he said; ”there is a prayer to Allah carved in Arabic on a leaden medallion, and fixed into the wood”

”Is that so?” and the hunter looked at the signs with interest ”I had not seen that And itto do with theof the canoe”

”Umph! I doubt very much if it is Arab-built That talish that is impossible;” and Mr Hume pondered ”The Arabs may have taken the canoe from the native owner and fixed in the ; and the three of them saw that the man, without sounder such altered circuravely inspected each in turn, he sat up and raised his hand in salutation The rug slipped off his shoulders, showing his bare breast, with every rib exposed, and clearly outlined in blue was the form of an animal

”A tote

”Ask the steward if he has the porridge ready that I ordered”

Venning ran off, and returned with a basin of thick oatravely, made another salutation, and ate the whole