sons,--which will be discovered in the conversation that ensued,
after they had swallowed their liquid breakfasts.

Terence had proposed adopting this course,--that is, to go in search of
the man from whom the maherry must have wandered. The young Irishman had
never been a great reader,--at all events no account of the many
"lamentable shipwrecks on the Barbary coast" had ever fallen into his
hands,--and he knew nothing of the terrible reputation of its people.
Neither had Bill obtained any knowledge of it from books; but, for all
that,--thanks to many a forecastle yarn,--the old sailor was well
informed both about the character of the coast on which they had
suffered shipwreck, and its inhabitants. Bill had the best of reasons
for dreading the denizens of the Saaeran desert.

"Sure they're not cannibals?" urged Terence. "They won't eat us, any
how?"

"In troth I'm not so shure av that, Masther Terry," replied Bill. "Even
supposin' they won't ate us, they'll do worse."

"Worse!"

"Aye, worse, I tell you. They'd torture us, till death would be a
blissin'."

"How do you know they would?"

"Ach, Masther Terry!" sighed the old sailor, assuming an air of
solemnity, such as his young comrades had never before witnessed upon
his usually cheerful countenance; "I could tell yez something that 'ud
convince ye of the truth av what I've been sayin', an' that'll gie ye a
hidear av what we've got to expect if we fall into the 'ands av these
feerocious Ayrabs."

Bill had already hinted at the prospective peril of an encounter with
the people of the country.

"Tell us, Bill. What is it?"

"Well, young masthers, it beant much,--only that my own brother was
wrecked som'ere on this same coast. That was ten years agone. He never
returned to owld Hengland."

"Perhaps he was drowned?"

"Betther for 'im, poor boy, if he 'ad. No, he 'adn't that luck. The
crew,--it was a tradin' vessel, and there was tin o' them,--all got safe
ashore. They were taken prisoners as they landed by a lot o' Ayrabs.
Only one av the tin got home to tell the tale; and he wouldn't a 'ad the
chance but for a Jew merchant at Mogador, that found he had rich
relations as 'ud pay well to ransom him. I see him a wee while after he
got back to Hengland; and he tell me what he had to go through, and my
hown brother as well: for Jim,--that be my brother's name,--was with the
tribe as took 'im up the counthry. None o' yez iver heerd o' cruelties
like they 'ad to