It was strange to hear the deep accents of an unknown tongue, strange to see a man using speech in complete gravity to a wild animal, but stranger than all to note the effect on the animal itself.

At first the red mouth opened wide and the green eyes flamed up, but as the strong hand crept nearer, the glare went out under the steady gaze of the man’s tawny eyes, and next, with a whimper, the jackal crept forward on its stomach, till the sharp black nose smelt the man’s hand.

“We are friends, little hunter, we three;” and the great fingers passed over the yellow body up towards the face of the bound man.  “Friends—­together—­for we are hunters all—­you, myself, and this poor one here with his speech cut off.”  “We will see to that, eh?” The fingers were on the man’s face, and with a twist the gag was out, and the man drew in his breath with a great sob.

“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 the man and his beast continued fixed on the hunter, following his every movement, and never straying to the ring of faces round, showing white in the glare of the light.  The strong fingers moved swiftly here and there, loosening the hide ropes that bound the legs and arms, and then rubbing ointment with a strong smell of eucalyptus into the bruised skin.

“So—­now a little broth for the man, cook, and a scrap of meat for the jackal.  Gently, gently, 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 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.”