FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247  
248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   >>   >|  
shore; but, on the whole, the slave protested, Myrtilus's health, thanks to the pure sea air on the Hydra, had improved, in spite of the longing which often assailed him, and the great excitements to which he was sometimes exposed. There had been anxious hours when Hanno's father and brothers visited the Hydra to induce her captain to make money out of the captive sculptor, and either sell him at a high price or extort a large ransom from him; but Bias had overheard how resolutely Ledscha opposed these proposals, and represented to old Satabus of what priceless importance Myrtilus might become to them if either should be captured and imprisoned. The greatest excitements, of course, had been connected with the battles of the pirates. Myrtilus, who, in spite of his feeble health, by no means lacked courage, found it especially hard to bear that during the conflicts he was locked up with Bias, but even Ledscha could neither prevent nor restrict these measures. Bias could not tell what seas the Hydra had sailed, nor at what--usually desolate-shores she had touched. He only knew that she had gone to Sinope in Pontus, passed through the Propontis, and then sought booty near the coasts of Asia Minor. Ledscha had refused to answer every question that referred to these things. Latterly, the young wife had become very grave, and apparently completely severed her relations with her husband; but she also studiously avoided the Gaul and, if they talked to each other at all, it was in hurried whispers. So events went on until something occurred which was to affect the lives of the prisoners deeply. It must have been just beyond the outlet from the Hellespont into the AEgean Sea; for, in order to pass through the narrow straits leading thither from Pontus, the Hydra had been most skilfully given the appearance of a peaceful merchant vessel. The slave's soul must have been greatly agitated by this experience, for while, hitherto, whenever he was interrupted by Hermon he had retained his composure, and could not refrain from occasionally connecting a practical application with his report, now, mastered by the power of the remembrance, he uttered what he wished to tell his master in an oppressed tone, while bright drops of perspiration bedewed the speaker's brow. A large merchant ship had approached them, and three men came on board the Hydra--old Satabus, his son Labaja, and a gray-haired, bearded seafarer of tall statu
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   223   224   225   226   227   228   229   230   231   232   233   234   235   236   237   238   239   240   241   242   243   244   245   246   247  
248   249   250   251   252   253   254   255   256   257   258   259   260   261   262   263   264   265   266   267   268   269   270   271   272   >>   >|  



Top keywords:

Myrtilus

 

Ledscha

 

Satabus

 

excitements

 

Pontus

 

health

 
merchant
 
narrow
 

thither

 

leading


straits

 

Hellespont

 

outlet

 

AEgean

 

avoided

 

studiously

 

talked

 

husband

 

apparently

 
completely

severed

 

relations

 

affect

 

occurred

 

prisoners

 

deeply

 

whispers

 

hurried

 
events
 

agitated


bright

 

perspiration

 

bedewed

 

speaker

 

oppressed

 
uttered
 

remembrance

 

wished

 

master

 

seafarer


bearded

 
haired
 

approached

 

mastered

 

Labaja

 

experience

 
hitherto
 

greatly

 

skilfully

 
appearance