The little boy liked this manner of learning to read very much.  Each day he passed some hours, sometimes in the cabin, sometimes on the deck, in arranging and disarranging the letters of his alphabet.

Now, one day this led to an incident so extraordinary, so unexpected, that it is necessary to relate with some detail.

It was on the morning of February 9th, Jack, half-lying on the deck, was amusing himself forming a word which old Tom was to put together again, after the letters had been mixed.  Tom, with his hand over his eyes so as not to cheat, as he agreed, would see nothing, and did see nothing of the work of the little boy.

Of these different letters, about fifty in number, some were large, others small.  Besides, some of these cubes carried a figure, which taught the child to form numbers as well as to form words.

These cubes were arranged on the deck, and little Jack was taking sometimes one, sometimes another, to make a word—­a truly great labor.

Now, for same moments, Dingo was moving round the young child, when suddenly it stopped.  Its eyes became fixed, its right paw was raised, its tail wagged convulsively.  Then, suddenly throwing itself on one of the cubes, it seized it in its mouth and laid it on the deck a few steps from Jack.

This cube bore a large letter—­the letter S.

“Dingo, well Dingo!” cried the little boy, who at first was afraid that his S was swallowed by the dog.

But Dingo had returned, and, beginning the same performance again, it seized another cube, and went to lay it near the first.

This second cube was a large V.

This time Jack gave a cry.

At this cry, Mrs. Weldon, Captain Hull, and the young novice, who were walking on the deck, assembled.  Little Jack then told them what had just passed.

Dingo knew its letters; Dingo knew how to read!  That was very certain, that!  Jack had seen it!

Dick Sand wanted to go and take the two cubes, to restore them to his friend Jack, but Dingo showed him its teeth.

However, the novice succeeded in gaining possession of the two cubes, and he replaced them in the set.

Dingo advanced again, seized again the same two letters, and carried them to a distance.  This time its two paws lay on them; it seemed decided to guard them at all hazards.  As to the other letters of the alphabet, it did not seem as if it had any knowledge of them.

“That is a curious thing,” said Mrs. Weldon.

“It is, in fact, very singular,” replied Captain Hull, who was looking attentively at the two letters.

“S.  V.,” said Mrs. Weldon.

“S.  V.,” repeated Captain Hull.  “But those are precisely the letters which are on Dingo’s collar!”

Then, all at once, turning to the old black:  “Tom,” he asked, “have you not told me that this dog only belonged to the captain of the ‘Waldeck’ for a short time?”