"What's the whole ship's company doing here?
Is this a garden-party, Mr.Robbins ?" "Get forward!" roared the mate, in a voice that sent the jackal almost crazy with renewed fright; and at the creature's wild cry the sailors hurried off, muttering that they had taken a whole cargo of misfortune aboard.
The hunter looked reproachfully at the mate, who was mounting to the bridge, and then began once more to soothe the frightened animal, which in time took a bit of raw meat he proffered.

The man drank his broth, and then sat up to stare about him with quick glances.
When lying down he had seemed black, but, now that he was in the light, it was seen that he was more mahogany 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 smoky hue of the negro.

As he sat, Mr.Hume rubbed the back of his neck, and fed him with broth, a mouthful at a time, and as this went on the fierce black eyes again and again returned from their swift, suspicious range to the hunter's face.
"He seems to grow stronger," said Venning.
"Fetch a rug from my cabin; we will make him a bed in his own canoe.
He will rest easier there till the morning." The rug was brought, and the man nodded his head as it was arranged comfortably; then, with another long intent look at the hunter, he settled himself down with a sigh, spoke a word to his strange companion, which at once curled itself at his feet, and was asleep.
"Now, boys," said Mr.Hume, "you go to bed.

I will watch here, and in the morning, maybe, we will find out the mystery." In the morning the steamer was on the yellow waters of the Congo, and the boys forgot even about the strange couple in their first view of the mighty river; but the sight of a native-manned canoe, shooting out from the mist which hung in wisp over the waters, recalled the incident.