the efforts I made to alleviate your condition, say
no word of my knowledge of Turkish, and ask the others also to remain
silent on this point."

The man had nodded, and the request was observed by them all.

The captain's irritation showed itself in his treatment of the other
captives. These were brought up every day from the hold, and kept on
deck until dark, as the price they would fetch in the slave market in
Tripoli would depend greatly upon their health and appearance; but when
the captain came near them he several times struck them brutally, if
they happened to be in his way. Gervaise had the greatest difficulty in
restraining his indignation, and, indeed, only did so because he felt
that his interference would but make things worse for them. When at last
the ship cast anchor off Tripoli, the captain ordered the boats to be
lowered. As he walked towards the gangway, he happened to push against
one of the captives, a Greek girl of some ten years of age. With an
angry exclamation he struck her to the deck. Gervaise sprang forward.

"You brute!" he exclaimed in English. "I have a good mind to throw you
overboard, and will do so the next time you strike one of these children
without cause."

Infuriated by Gervaise's interference and threatening attitude, the
corsair drew his long knife; but before he could strike, Gervaise caught
his wrist; the knife fell from his hand, and Gervaise kicked it through
the open gangway into the sea. The captain shouted to his men to seize
the Christian, but the young knight's blood was up now. The first
man who came at him he seized by the sash round his waist, and threw
overboard; the two next he stretched on the deck with blows from his
clenched fist. Some of the others now drew their weapons, but the
captain shouted to them to sheath them.

"Fools!" he yelled. "Is it not enough that your cowardice has already
cost us the lives of three knights, whose capture would have brought us
a big sum? Throw him down and bind him. What! are fifty of you afraid of
one unarmed man? No wonder these Christians capture our ships, if this
is the mettle of our crews!"

Goaded by his words, the men made a general rush upon Gervaise, and, in
spite of his desperate efforts, threw him on to the deck and bound him;
then the captain, seizing a heavy stick in his left hand, his right
being still powerless, showered blows upon him until Gervaise almost
lost consciousness. "Throw some water over the dog,