ed with the interest which
the negro steward had taken in Wolf's fate, "as he has come so far. If
we kill anything, as I hope we shall presently, he'll be of use in
helping to take the meat back to the camp."

"That's so," said Seth; and with this tacit consent to his remaining,
Jasper joined the party, who now proceeded to look more carefully after
game than they had previously done, the young engineer's allusions to
"meat" having acted as a spur to their movements, besides, no doubt,
whetting their appetites.

It was curious to observe, however, before they separated to hunt up a
deer--of which there were but few traces about, when Wolf attached
himself, like a proper sporting-dog, closely behind Ernest--how
interested the animal seemed to be in Sailor Bill, who accompanied Seth,
of course, on their leaving the camp. As soon as the dog had given, as
he thought, ample testimony of his delight at rejoining his own master,
he sniffed about the boy as if he also were well-known to him; and he
was nearly equally glad to meet him again, only leaving him when Ernest
Wilton gave him the signal to "come to heel."

It was singular; but no one paid much notice to it, excepting that Mr
Rawlings regarded it as another instance of how dumb animals, like
savages, have some sort of especial sympathy with those afflicted beings
who have not the entire possession of their mental faculties, and seem
actuated by instinct rather than reason, like themselves.

"Seems, mister, as if he war kinder acquainted with him?" said Seth.

"Yes," replied Ernest Wilton; "but that's impossible, as I've had Wolf
ever since he was a puppy. My aunt gave him to me," he continued aside
to Mr Rawlings in a confidential key, "and I ought to have been more
thoughtful in writing to her, as you hauled me over the coals just now
for not doing, if only in gratitude for all the comfort that dog has
been to me since I left home. I suppose I'm an ungrateful brute--more
so than Wolf, eh, old fellow?"--patting the latter's head again as he
looked up into his master's face with his wistful brown eyes, saying as
plainly as he could in doggy language how much he would like to be able
to speak, so that he could express his affectionate feelings more
explicitly.

"No," said Mr Rawlings, "not ungrateful, I hope and believe, only
unthinking, that's all."

"Ah!" replied the other, "`evil is wrought by want of thought,'" quoting
the old distich. "But," he added, sh