Page:Dick Sands the Boy Captain.djvu/72

 58 DICK SANDS, THE BOY CAPTAIN. was quite unnoticed, and no one observed the peculiar glance with whîch he looked at the two letters over which Dingo stîU persi3ted in keepîng guard. The dog, however, no sooner caught sight of the cook than he began to bristle with rage, whereupon Negoro, with a threatening gesture which seemed half învoluntary, withdrew imme- diately to his accustomed quarters. The incident did not escape the captaîn's observation. " No doubt," he said, " there îs some mystery hère ; ** and he was pondering the niatter over in his mind when Dick Sands spoke. " Don*t you think it very sîngular, sir, that thîs dog should hâve such a knowledge of the alphabet ? " Jack hère put in his word. " My mamma has told me about a dog whose name was Munito, who could read as well as a schoolmaster, and could play dominoes." Mrs. Weldon smiled, " I am afraid, my child, that that dog was not quite so learned as you imagine. I don't suppose he knew one letter from another; but his master, who was a clever American, having found out that the animal had a very keen sensé oi hearing, taught him some curious tricks." " What sort of tricks i " asked Dick, who was almost as much înterested as littlc Jack. Weldon, "a lot of letters like yours, Jack, wcre spread out upon a table, and Munito would put together any word that the company should propose, eîther aloud or in a whisper, to his master. The créature would walk about until he stopped at the very letter which was wanted. The secret of it ail was that the dog's owner gave him a signal when he was to stop by rattling a little tooth-pick in his pocket, making a slight noise that only the dog's earswere acute enough to perceive." Dick was highly amused, and said, — " But thai was a dog who could do nothing wonderful without his master." ^^/ust so," answercd Mrs. Weldon ; "and it surprises me
 * When he had to perform in public," continued Mrs.