The canoe inclined to the west readily enough; the fall in the river-bed was so sudden that the current remained quite unaffected by the cataract¹ at a distance of three hundred yards.  
On the bank were woods so dense² that sunlight could not penetrate³ the shade. Dick was conscious of a sad misgiving⁴ when he looked at the character of the territory through which they must necessarily pass. It did not seem practicable by any means to convey the canoe below the falls.
 
As they neared the shore, Dingo became intensely agitated⁵. At first Dick suspected that a wild beast or a native might be lurking⁶ in the papyrus⁷, but it soon became obvious that the dog was excited by grief rather than by rage.
 
"Dingo is crying," said Jack⁸; "poor Dingo!" and the child laid his arms over the creature's neck.
 
The dog, however, was too impatient to be caressed⁹; bounding away, he sprang into the water, swam across the twenty feet that intervened between the shore, and disappeared in the grass.
 
In a few moments the boat had glided¹⁰ on to a carpet of confervas and other aquatic¹¹ plants, starting a few kingfishers and some snow-white herons. Hercules moored¹² it to the stump¹³ of a tree, and the travellers went ashore¹⁴.
 
There was no pathway through the forest, only the
 
[Illustration: Upon the smooth wood were two great letters in dingy¹⁵ red.]
 
trampled¹⁶ moss¹⁷ showed that the place had been recently visited either by animals or men.
 
Dick took his gun and Hercules his hatchet¹⁸, and they set out to search for Dingo. They had not far to go before they saw him with his nose close to the ground, manifestly following a scent¹⁹; the animal raised his head for a moment, as if beckoning²⁰ them to follow, and kept on till he reached an old sycamore-stump. Having called out to the rest of the party to join them, Dick made his way farther into the wood till he got up to Dingo, who was whining²¹ piteously at the entrance of a dilapidated hut.
 
The rest were not long in following, and they all entered the hut together. The floor was strewn with bones whitened by exposure.
 
"Some one has died here," said Mrs. Weldon.
 
"Perhaps," added Dick, as if struck by a sudden thought, "it was Dingo's old master. Look at him! he is pointing with his paw."
 
The portion of the sycamore-trunk which formed the farther side of the hut had been stripped of its bark, and upon the smooth wood were two great letters in dingy red almost effaced²² by time, but yet plain enough to be distinguished²³.
 
"S. V.," cried Dick, as he looked where the dog's paw rested; "the same initials that Dingo has upon his collar. There can be no mistake. S. V."
 
A small copper²⁴ box, green with verdigris²⁵, caught his eye, and he picked it up. It was open, but contained a scrap²⁶ of discoloured paper. The writing upon this consisted of a few sentences, of which only detached words could be made out, but they revealed the sad truth only too plainly.
 
"Robbed by Negoro-murdered-Dingo-help-Negoro guide-l20 miles from coast-December 3rd, l871-write no more.
 
"S. VERNON."
 
Here was the clue to a melancholy²⁷ story. Samuel Vernon, under the guidance of Negoro, and taking with him his dog Dingo, had set out on an exploration of a district of Central Africa; he had taken a considerable quantity of money to procure²⁸ the necessary supplies on the way, and this had excited the cupidity²⁹ of his guide, who seized the opportunity, whilst they were encamping on the banks of the Congo, to assassinate³⁰ his employer, and get possession of his property. Negoro, however, had not escaped; he had fallen into the hands of the Portuguese³¹, by whom he was recognized as an agent of the slave-dealer Alvez, and condemned³² to spend the rest of his days in prison. He contrived³³ after a while to make his escape, and, as has been already mentioned, found his way to New Zealand, whence he had returned by securing an engagement on board the "Pilgrim." Between the time when he was attacked by Negoro and the moment of his death, Vernon had managed to write the few brief lines of which the fragments still survived, and to deposit the document in the box from which the money had been stolen, and by a last effort had traced out his initials in blood upon the naked wood which formed the wall of the hut. For many days Dingo watched beside his master, and throughout that time his eyes were resting so perpetually upon the two crimson³⁴ letters in front of him, that mere³⁵ instinct seemed to fasten them indelibly on his memory. Quitting his watch one day, perhaps to pacify³⁷ his hunger, the dog wandered to the coast, where he was picked up by the captain of the "Waldeck," afterwards to be transferred to the very ship on which his owner's murderer had been engaged as cook.
 
All throughout this time poor Vernon's bones had been bleaching³⁸ in the African forest, and the first resolution of Dick and Mrs. Weldon was to give the residue³⁹ of his remains⁴⁰ some semblance⁴¹ of a decent burial. They were just proceeding⁴² to their task when Dingo gave a furious growl⁴³, and dashed out of the hut; another moment, and a terrible shriek⁴⁴ made it evident that he was in conflict with some dread⁴⁵ antagonist⁴⁶.
 
Hercules was quickly in pursuit, and the whole party followed in time to witness the giant hurl⁴⁷ himself upon a man with whom already Dingo was in mortal combat.
 
[Illustration: The dog was griping the man by the throat]
 
The dog was griping the man by the throat, the man was lifting his cutlass high above the head of the dog.
 
That man was Negoro. The rascal⁴⁸, on getting his letter at Kazonndé, instead of embarking⁴⁹ at once for America, had left his native escort for a while, and returned to the scene of his crime to secure the treasure which he had left buried at a little distance in a spot that he had marked. At this very moment he was in the act of digging up the gold he had concealed⁵⁰; some glistening⁵¹ coins scattered⁵² here and there betrayed his purpose; but in the midst of his labours he had been startled by the dashing forward of a dog; another instant, and the dog had fixed⁵³ itself upon his throat, whilst he, in an agony of desperation, had

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