."

"Oh, dear me, how tiresome!" cried the lady. "I thought you were at
first; and then I thought you were sent with our ransom. What are we to
do? Mr Burne," she continued, turning to him, "you said you were a
lawyer. Pray, send for these people at once, and tell them that they
will be very severely punished if they do not set us at liberty."

"My dear madam," said the old lawyer, "I am only just getting myself
thawed, and I have had nothing but snuff since breakfast. I must have
some food before I can speak or even think."

Meanwhile little Mr Chumley was whispering to Lawrence on the other
side of the fire, and relating all his troubles. "Taken everything
away, sir," he said--"watch, purse, cigars, and I actually saw the
scoundrel who is at the head of them smoking my beautiful _partagas_
that I brought with me from England. I say, what had we better do?"

"Try and escape, I suppose," said Lawrence.

"Escape! Look here, young man; are you a fly, or a bird, or a black
beetle?" whispered the little man.

"I think not," said Lawrence laughing.

"Then you can't get away from here, so don't think it. Why, it's
impossible."

Just then the fierce-looking chief entered, followed by a man carrying a
great smoking dish, and as the leader drew near the fire, Lawrence bit
his lip, for he saw that the tall ruffian was wearing his sword, and
carrying his handsome gun in the hollow of his arm.

The chief turned to Yussuf, who was seated in one corner of the room,
and said a few words to him.

Yussuf rose and addressed his little party in a low voice.

"The brigand captain says, excellencies, that you are to be prepared to
send in one of his men to-morrow morning as messenger to your agent
where you like. You are to write and say that, if injury is done to the
messenger, you will be killed. The messenger is to bring back six
thousand pounds--two for each of you--as a ransom, and that, upon the
money being paid, you will be set free."

"And if the money be not paid, Yussuf, what then?" said the professor
quietly.

"The chief says no more, excellency."

"But he will to-morrow or next day," cried Mr Chumley. "He'll say that
if the money is not paid he'll--"

"Will you be quiet, Charley?" cried his wife. "How you do chatter, to
be sure! Are you going to send for the money?"

"I don't know yet," said the professor smiling. "I must think over our
position first."

"But, Mr Burne!" cried the lady.

"M