ear that it is in this ship that Matteo also
sails," for Matteo had come home for his brother's wedding.

"I am very glad of that," Francis said. "I wish that poor Giuseppi was
also here to go with me. I shall miss him terribly. He was a most
faithful and devoted follower."

"I have already sent orders, to my agent in Tunis, to spare no pains in
discovering to whom the crew of the Naxos were sold. It is unfortunate
that so many other captives were sold at the same time, as it will make
it so much more difficult to trace our men. Those purchasing are not
likely to know more than their first names, and may not even take the
trouble to find out those, but may give them the first appellation that
comes to hand. Therefore he has to find out who are now the masters of
the whole of the captives sold at the same time, and then to pursue his
investigations until he discovers the identity of the men he is looking
for. Once he has found this, I will promise you there will be no delay.
I have ordered him to make the best bargain in each case he can, but
that at any rate he is to buy every one of them, whatever it may cost.

"I have sent him the personal descriptions of each man of the boat's
crew, as given to me by their friends and relatives here, as this will
be an assistance in his search. If, for instance, he hears of a
Christian slave named Giuseppi living with a master some hundreds of
miles in the interior, the fact that this man is middle aged will show
at once that he was not the Giuseppi, age 20, of whom he is in search.
I have particularly impressed upon him, in my letter, that we were
especially anxious for the rescue of the captain, and the young man
Giuseppi, so I hope that by the time you return from the voyage, I may
have received some news of them."

Matteo was greatly pleased when he heard that he was going to sail
under Francis.

"I would rather that we had both been volunteers," Francis said. "It
seems absurd my being appointed second officer, while you as yet have
no official position."

"I am not in the least bit in the world jealous, Francisco. With the
exception of taking part in the fight at Antium, I have had no
experience whatever, while you have been going through all sorts of
adventures for the last two years, and always have come out of them
marvellously well."

An hour after Matteo left him, a retainer of the family brought Francis
a letter from Signor Giustiniani, inviting him to come to his