The men lowered.  “That’s right.  I’m in the boat, or whatever it is.  Now let down the lantern.”

Those leaning over the side saw Venning reach up for the lantern, and then they heard a snarling and snapping.

“Stand ready to haul in!” cried the captain.  “That brute will attack the boy.  One of you men go down.”

The snarling continued, mingled with soothing cries from Venning; and then the weird howl burst forth anew, daunting the sailor who was carrying out the captain’s order.

The mate stepped forward.  “Stand aside!” he cried, and swung himself over and down.  He reached Venning’s side, and they saw him peering about him.

“By thunder!” he muttered.

“What is it?” demanded the captain, irritably.  “D’ye expect me to spend the whole night here?”

“A minute, sir.  Let over a running tackle, and we’ll have the whole thing aboard.”

“Lively there!  Lower the tackle, and don’t stand staring with your mouths open.  Swing out those davits.”

The davits swung out, the tackle ran through the pulleys into the water with a splash, and the mate shifted the unknown craft, with its mysterious freight, amidships.  A few moments he occupied in getting the tackle into position.

“Haul in!” he shouted.

“Heave!” roared the captain, in a state of high excitement; and the sailors, wrought up to a pitch, heaved with a will.

The captain, Mr. Hume, and Compton, peering over the side, saw a long, narrow canoe rising up, with the forms of the mate and Venning standing amidships, and some huddled object aft.

The canoe swung clear of the rails, the tackle was made fast, the davits swung in, and then the canoe was slowly lowered to the main deck.

“Why, it’s a man,” shouted Compton.

“And a dog,” muttered the sailors, falling back.  “With a mouthful of teeth.”

The mate and Venning stepped out as the canoe reached the deck, and the mate turned the lantern full on the huddled group, showing a jackal, with raised mane and bared teeth, crouching over the prostrate form of a man, whose teeth also were bared, and whose eyes seemed to glare with the same fury that showed in the flaming green eyes of the animal.

“What a pair of demons!”

“The man is gagged and bound, captain,” said Venning.  “If the cook will bring a piece of meat for the jackal, I think I can get to the man without trouble.”

“You’ve done very well, Venning,” said Mr. Hume, quietly.  “Leave this matter to me; it is more in my line.”

With his eyes on the jackal, he placed his hand on the side of the canoe and moved forward gently while he spoke in Kaffir.  “Peace, little friend,” were his words, as he afterwards explained to the amazed captain.  “We are hunters both, eh?  We know each other, eh?  There is no harm in me towards you.  You know it, little hunter; you know it well.”