e,
Sakr-el-Bahr."

The corsair would have renewed his pleadings, but that his eye caught
the eager white face of Marzak and the gleaming expectant eyes, looking
so hopefully for his ruin. He checked, and bowed his head with an
assumption of indifference.

"Name thou their price then, and forthwith will I pay it into thy
treasury."

But Asad shook his head. "It is not for me to name their price, but for
the buyers," he replied. "I might set the price too high, and that were
unjust to thee, or too low, and that were unjust to others who would
acquire them. Deliver them over to the bagnio."

"It shall be done," said Sakr-el-Bahr, daring to insist no further and
dissembling his chagrin.

Very soon thereafter he departed upon that errand, giving orders,
however, that Rosamund and Lionel should be kept apart from the other
prisoners until the hour of the sale on the morrow when perforce they
must take their place with the rest.

Marzak lingered with his father after Oliver had taken his leave, and
presently they were joined there in the courtyard by Fenzileh--this
woman who had brought, said many, the Frankish ways of Shaitan into
Algiers.

CHAPTER VIII. MOTHER AND SON

Early on the morrow--so early that scarce had the Shehad been
recited--came Biskaine-el-Borak to the Basha. He had just landed from a
galley which had come upon a Spanish fishing boat, aboard of which there
was a young Morisco who was being conducted over seas to Algiers. The
news of which the fellow was the bearer was of such urgency that for
twenty hours without intermission the slaves had toiled at the oars of
Biskaine's vessel--the capitana of his fleet--to bring her swiftly home.

The Morisco had a cousin--a New-Christian like himself, and like
himself, it would appear, still a Muslim at heart--who was employed in
the Spanish treasury at Malaga. This man had knowledge that a galley was
fitting out for sea to convey to Naples the gold destined for the pay
of the Spanish troops in garrison there. Through parsimony this
treasure-galley was to be afforded no escort, but was under orders to
hug the coast of Europe, where she should be safe from all piratical
surprise. It was judged that she would be ready to put to sea in a week,
and the Morisco had set out at once to bring word of it to his Algerine
brethren that they might intercept and capture her.

Asad thanked the young Morisco for his news, bade him be housed and
cared for, and prom