aid my uncle. "He couldn't
swim ashore now, for the sharks, so I suppose he means to come with us.
Let's see."

My uncle pointed to the shore, but Mr Ebony shook his head, so Uncle
Dick pointed right ahead eastward, in the direction we were going, and
our black friend nodded, and jumping up danced about, grinning and
muttering excitedly the while.

"Well, Nat," said my uncle, "what's to be done? He wants to go with
us."

"Can't we take him, uncle?" I replied.

"Oh yes, Nat, we can take him," he replied; "and he would be very
useful. Only it comes upon me like a surprise. It is, of course, a
good thing to have a black with us, for it will teach the people we come
across that we are friendly, even if we cannot make them understand,
though, I dare say, Ebony here will be able sometimes to act as
interpreter."

"Ebo-Nee, Ebo-Nee, Ebo-Nee," cried our passenger loudly; and he began to
beat his chest to show that he comprehended whom we meant.

Then touching me on the chest he cried with great eagerness, "Nat, my
boy--Nat, my boy," looking delighted when we laughed; and to give
further example of his powers as a linguist, he next touched my uncle as
he had touched me.

"Ung-go-Dit, Ung-go-Dit," he cried, finishing off by slapping his naked
flesh, and shouting, "Ebo-Nee, Ebo-Nee."

"Very good, Master Ebo-Nee," said Uncle Dick; "since you are so apt at
learning, you may as well go on and pick up our words, for I quite
despair of learning yours."

The black was shrewd enough to see that we accepted his presence, and
upon this he shook hands with us both twice over and then took the great
paddle from my hand, steering and showing himself thoroughly skilful in
the management of our canoe.

My uncle pointed east as the course he wanted to go; but our crew, as we
called him, rose in mutiny directly, pointing south, and handing the
paddle back to me he grew very excited, saying, "Bird, bird," flapping
his arms like wings and uttering screeches, whistles, and cries, before
lifting an imaginary gun to his shoulder and uttering the word "Bang!"

"That is plain enough to understand, Nat," said my uncle.

"Yes," I replied; "he means that there are plenty of parrots and other
birds on some island where he will take us."

"Bird, bird," cried Ebo-Nee, as we called him henceforth, and he pointed
south-west.

"It does not much matter where we go, Nat," said my uncle, "so long as
we visit islands where naturalists have ne