o leave you. I don't know--"

"I think this is damn silly," said the officer, patting his foolish
fubsy old retriever. He called to the private, who leaped to his feet,
marched forward, and saluted.

"You here?" said the officer, turning away his head.

"Yes, sir, but I'm just goin' back."

"I shall be leaving here at eleven in my cart. You come with me. I can't
have sick men running about fall over the place. Report yourself at
eleven, here."

We did not say much when we went indoors, but the officer muttered and
pulled his retriever's ears.

He was a disgraceful, overfed doormat of a dog; and when he waddled off
to my cookhouse to be fed, I had a brilliant idea.

At eleven o'clock that officer's dog was nowhere to be found, and you
never heard such a fuss as his owner made. He called and shouted and
grew angry, and hunted through my garden for half an hour.

Then I said:

"He's sure to turn up in the morning. Send a man in by rail, and I'll
find the beast and return him."

"Beast?" said the officer. "I value that dog considerably more than I
value any man I know. It's all very fine for you to talk--your dog's
here."

So she was--under my feet--and, had she been missing, food and wages
would have stopped in my house till her return. But some people grow
fond of dogs not worth a cut of the whip. My friend had to drive away at
last with Stanley in the back seat; and then the dog-boy said to me:

"What kind of animal is Bullen Sahib's dog? Look at him!"

I went to the boy's hut, and the fat old reprobate was lying on a mat
carefully chained up. He must have heard his master calling for twenty
minutes, but had not even attempted to join him.

"He has no face," said the dog-boy scornfully. "He is a punniar-kooter
(a spaniel). He never tried to get that cloth off his jaws when his
master called. Now Vixen-baba would have jumped through the window, and
that Great Dog would have slain me with his muzzled mouth. It is true
that there are many kinds of dogs."

Next evening who should turn up but Stanley. The officer had sent
him back fourteen miles by rail with a note begging me to return the
retriever if I had found him, and, if I had not, to offer huge rewards.
The last train to camp left at half-past ten, and Stanley, stayed till
ten talking to Garm. I argued and entreated, and even threatened to
shoot the bull-terrier, but the little man was as firm as a rock, though
I gave him a good dinner and talked to