we wished to honour him, and to become his fortunate slaves, whose
chief delight it would be to do his bidding. We reminded him that
although he was so rich and powerful he was still our brother, and
that we desired nothing better than to live in continual friendship
with him.

"He received and feasted us very kindly, and gave us appointments
as mounted guards to the marshal of the Sultan, as which we served
happily for seven months. We were already thinking about sending for
some of our family to come and relieve us, that we might return home
ourselves, when one day Si Mohammed sent for us to say that he was
going away for a time, having received commands from the Sultan to
visit a distant tribe with the effects of Royal displeasure. After
mutual compliments and blessings he set off with his soldiers.

"Five days later a party of soldiers came to our house. To our utter
astonishment and dismay, without a word of explanation, they put
chains on our necks and wrists, and placing us on mules, bore us away.
Remonstrance and resistance were equally vain. We were in Mequinez.
It was already night, and though the gates were shut, and are never
opened again except in obedience to high authority, they were silently
opened for us to pass through. Once outside, our eyes were bandaged,
and we were lashed to our uncomfortable seats. Thus we travelled on as
rapidly as possible, in silence all night long. It was a long night,
that, indeed, Bashador, a weary night, but we felt sure some worse
fate awaited us; what, we could not imagine, for we had committed no
crime. Finally, after three days we halted, and the bandages were
removed from our eyes. We found ourselves in a market-place in
Rahamna, within the jurisdiction of our cursed kaid. All around
us were our flocks and herds, camels, and horses, all our movable
property, which we soon learnt had been brought there for public sale.
A great gathering was there to purchase.

"The kaid was there, and when he saw us he exclaimed, 'There you are,
are you? You can't escape from me now, you children of dogs!' Then he
turned to a brutal policeman, crying, 'Put the bastards on the ground,
and give them a thousand lashes.' Those words ring in my ears still.
I felt as in a dream. I was too utterly in his power to think of
answering, and after a very few strokes the power of doing so was
taken from me, for I lost consciousness. How many blows we received I
know not, but we must have been v