ficer from St. Pelagius.
One stepped forward.

"This is the only slave for you," he said, pointing to Gervaise. "He is
of a better class than the rest, and in the future may be he will do for
a servitor at one of the auberges, but none have at present occasion for
one, and so he is to go to you. He says that his father is a merchant,
and will be ready to pay a ransom for him; but they all say that, and we
must not heed it overmuch. As he seems a smart young fellow, it may be
that he will be sent to one of the auberges later on; but at present,
at any rate, you can put him with the rest, and send him out with the
gangs."

"He is a well built young fellow, Sir John," the officer remarked, "and
should make a good rower in a galley. I will put him in the crew of the
St. Elmo. Follow me," he said, in Turkish, to Gervaise, and then led the
way up to the prison. On entering he crossed a courtyard to a door which
was standing open. Within was a vaulted room, some forty feet long by
twenty wide; along each side there were rushes strewn thickly.

"The others have just started to their work," he said, "so that for
today you can sleep."

After he had left, Gervaise looked with some disgust at the rushes, that
had evidently been for weeks unchanged.

"I would rather have the bare stones, if they were clean," he muttered
to himself. "However, it can't be helped."

He presently strolled out into the courtyard, where some other slaves,
disabled by illness or injuries, were seated in the sun. Gervaise walked
across to them, and they looked listlessly up at him as he approached.

"You are a newcomer," one said, as he came up. "I saw you brought in,
but it didn't need that. By the time you have been here a week or two,
your clothes will be like ours," and he pointed to his ragged garments.
"When did you arrive? Are there no others coming up here?"

"The galley came in last night," Gervaise said, "but they did not land
us until this morning. I wish they had killed me rather than that I
should have been brought here to work as a slave."

"One always thinks so at first," the man said. "But somehow one clings
to life. We shall die when Allah wills it, and not before."

"What is the matter with your foot?" Gervaise asked.

"I was with the gang quarrying stones, and a mass of rock fell upon it.
I have been in the infirmary for weeks, and I own that the Christian
dogs treated me well. A slave has his value, you see. I am nearly cured