“The poor wretch is dying of thirst!” said Dick.
It soon appeared that the dog was very far from being engrossed with its own interests. The boat was being pushed back a few yards in order to allow the captain to ascertain the most convenient place to get alongside the Waldeck, when the creature seized Dick by the jacket, and set up a howl that was almost human in its piteousness. It was evidently in a state of alarm that the boat was not going to return to the wreck. The dog’s meaning could not be misunderstood. The boat was accordingly brought against the larboard side of the vessel, and while the two sailors lashed her securely to the Waldeck’s cat-head, Captain Hull and Dick, with the dog persistently accompanying them, clambered, after some difficulty, to the open hatchway between the stumps of the masts, and made their way into the hold. It was half full of water, but perfectly destitute of cargo, its sole contents being the ballast sand which had slipped to larboard, and now served to keep the vessel on her side.
One glance was sufficient to convince the captain that there was no salvage to be effected.
“There is nothing here; nobody here,” he said.
“So I see,” said the apprentice, who had made his way to the extreme forepart of the hold.
“Then we have only to go up again,” remarked the captain.
They ascended the ladder, but no sooner did they reappear upon the deck than the dog, barking irrepressibly, began trying manifestly to drag them towards the stern.
Yielding to what might be called the importunities of the dog, they followed him to the poop, and there, by the dim glimmer admitted by the skylight, Captain Hull made out the forms of five bodies, motionless and apparently lifeless, stretched upon the floor.
One after another, Dick hastily examined them all, and emphatically declared it to be his opinion, that not one of them had actually ceased to breathe; whereupon the captain did not lose a minute in summoning the two sailors to his aid, and although it was far from an easy task, he succeeded in getting the five unconscious men, who were all negroes, conveyed safely to the boat.
The dog followed, apparently satisfied.
With all possible speed the boat made its way back again to the Pilgrim, a girt-line was lowered from the mainyard, and the unfortunate men were raised to the deck.
“Poor things!” said Mrs. Weldon, as she looked compassionately on the motionless forms.
“But they are not dead,” cried Dick eagerly; “they are not dead; we shall save them all yet!”
“What’s the matter with them?” asked Cousin Benedict, looking at them with utter bewilderment.
“We shall hear all about them soon, I dare say,” said the captain, smiling; “but first we will give them a few drops of rum in some water.”
Cousin Benedict smiled in return.
“Negoro!” shouted the captain.
At the sound of the name, the dog, who had hitherto been quite passive, growled fiercely, showed his teeth, and exhibited every sign of rage.
The cook did not answer.
“Negoro!” again the captain shouted, and the dog became yet more angry.
At this second summons Negoro slowly left his kitchen, but no sooner had he shown his face upon the deck than the animal made a rush at him, and would unquestionably have seized him by the throat if the man had not knocked him back with a poker which he had brought with him in his hand.
The infuriated beast was secured by the sailors, and prevented from inflicting any serious injury.
“Do you know this dog?” asked the captain.
“Know him? Not I! I have never set eyes on the brute in my life.”
“Strange!” muttered Dick to himself; “there is some mystery here. We shall see.”
IV
The Survivors of the Waldeck
In spite of the watchfulness of the French and English cruisers, there is no doubt that the slave-trade is still extensively carried on in all parts of equatorial Africa, and that year after year vessels loaded with slaves leave the coasts of Angola and Mozambique to transport their living freight to many quarters even of the civilized world.
Of this Captain Hull was well aware, and although he was now in a latitude which was comparatively little traversed by such slavers, he could not help almost involuntarily conjecturing that the negroes they had just found must be part of a slave-cargo which was on its way to some colony of the Pacific; if this were so, he would at least have the satisfaction of announcing to them that they had regained their freedom from the moment that they came on board the Pilgrim.
Whilst these thoughts were passing through his mind, Mrs. Weldon, assisted by Nan and the ever active Dick Sands, was doing everything in her power to restore consciousness to the poor sufferers. The judicious administration of fresh water and a limited quantity of food soon had the effect of making them revive; and when they were restored to their senses it was found that the eldest of them, a man of about sixty years of age, who immediately regained his powers of speech, was able to reply in good English to all the questions that were put to him. In answer to Captain Hull’s inquiry whether they were not slaves, the old negro proudly stated that he and his companions were all free American citizens, belonging to the state of Pennsylvania.
“Then, let me assure you, my friend,” said the captain, “you have by no means compromised your liberty in having
