the pirate stepped on deck he ordered some torches to be brought.

"This is the Christian I spoke of," he said to the Arab, pointing to
Gervaise, who was leaning carelessly against the bulwark.

"He is, as you see, capable of hard work of any kind; his strength is
prodigious, for it took ten of my best men to bind him this morning."

"Why did you wish to bind him?" the Arab asked coldly; "you told me that
although so strong he was of a quiet disposition, and would make a good
household slave."

"I struck a slave girl who stood in my way," the captain said, "and he
came at me so suddenly that I had to call upon the men to bind him. He
threw one of them overboard, and with his naked hands knocked down two
others; and, as I have told you, it took all the efforts of eight or ten
more before they could overcome him."

The Arab took a torch from one of the sailors, walked across to
Gervaise, who was naked from the waist upwards, his upper garments
having been torn into shreds in the struggle, and examined him closely.

"And then you beat him," he said, turning to the captain.

"Certainly I beat him. Do you think that a slave is to mutiny on board
my ship, and escape unpunished?"

The Arab, without replying, again inspected Gervaise.

"You ask a large sum for him," he said.

"I should ask twice as much," the captain replied, "if it were not for
the regulation that one slave from each cargo brought in belongs to the
sultan, and his officers would as a matter of course choose this fellow,
for the others are merely such as are sold in the market every day. This
man is one of the accursed Order of Rhodes, and would fetch a ransom
many times greater than the sum I ask for him, only I have not the time
to wait for months until the affair could be arranged."

"And, moreover, Hassan," the Arab said grimly, "it has doubtless not
escaped you that as the Sultan of Turkey is fitting out an expedition
to destroy the community of Rhodes, the chance of their ransoming their
comrade is a very slight one."

"Threatened men live long," the captain said. "The sultan has been
talking of attacking them for years, and something has always happened
to prevent his carrying out his intention. It may be the same again."

"I will take him," the Arab said shortly. "Here is a purse with the sum
you named; count it, and see that it is right." As he stood apart while
the pirate counted out the money, the eight released slaves came up in a
bo