about noon
They had a cat that died in hot weather , and Andy threw it a good distance away in the scrub ; and early one morning the dog found the cat , after it had been dead a week or so , and carried it back to camp , and laid it just inside the tent-flaps , where it could best make its presence known when the mates should rise and begin to sniff suspiciously in the sickly smothering atmosphere of the summer sunrise . He used to retrieve them when they went in swimming ; he 'd jump in after them , and take their hands in his mouth , and try to swim out with them , and scratch their naked bodies with his paws . They loved him for his good-heartedness and his foolishness , but when they wished to enjoy a swim they had to tie him up in camp . He watched Andy with great interest all the morning making the cartridge , and hindered him considerably , trying to help ; but about noon he went off to the claim to see how Dave and Jim were getting on , and to come home to dinner with them . Andy saw them coming , and put a panful of mutton-chops on the fire . Andy was cook to-day ; Dave and Jim stood with their backs to the fire , as Bushmen do in all weathers , waiting till dinner should be ready . The retriever went nosing round after something he seemed to have missed .