S AILING homeward, the Doctor’s ship had to pass the coast of Barbary. This coast is the seashore of the Great Desert. It is a wild, lonely place—all sand and stones. And it was here that the Barbary pirates lived.
 
These pirates, a bad lot of men, used to wait for sailors to be shipwrecked on their shores. And often, if they saw a boat passing, they would come out in their fast sailing-ships and chase it. When they caught a boat like this at sea, they would steal everything on it; and after they had taken the people off they would sink the ship and sail back to Barbary singing songs and feeling proud of the mischief they had done. Then they used to make the people they had caught write home to their friends for money. And if[112] the friends sent no money, the pirates often threw the people into the sea.
 
Now one sunshiny day the Doctor and Dab-Dab were walking up and down on the ship for exercise; a nice fresh wind was blowing the boat along, and everybody was happy. Presently Dab-Dab saw the sail of another ship a long way behind them on the edge of the sea. It was a red sail.
 
“I don’t like the look of that sail,” said Dab-Dab. “I have a feeling it isn’t a friendly ship. I am afraid there is more trouble coming to us.”
 
Jip, who was lying near taking a nap in the sun, began to growl and talk in his sleep.
 
“I smell roast beef cooking,” he mumbled—“underdone roast beef—with brown gravy over it.”
 
“Good gracious!” cried the Doctor. “What’s the matter with the dog? Is he smelling in his sleep—as well as talking?”
 
“I suppose he is,” said Dab-Dab. “All dogs can smell in their sleep.”
 
“But what is he smelling?” asked the Doctor.[113] “There is no roast beef cooking on our ship.”
 
“No,” said Dab-Dab. “The roast beef must be on that other ship over there.”
 
“But that’s ten miles away,” said the Doctor. “He couldn’t smell that far surely!”
 
“Oh, yes, he could,” said Dab-Dab. “You ask him.”
 
Then Jip, still fast asleep, began to growl again and his lip curled up angrily, showing his clean, white teeth.
 
“I smell bad men,” he growled—“the worst men I ever smelt. I smell trouble. I smell a fight—six bad scoundrels fighting against one brave man. I want to help him. Woof—oo—WOOF!” Then he barked, loud, and woke himsel............