The Sea-Hawk

sure now put up the shutters of their little booths. The Hebrew pedlar of gems closed his box and effaced himself, leaving the steps about the well clear for the most prominent patron

en wound a fresh imperious blast and fell permanently silent. The crowd about the gates fell back to right and left, and very slowly and stately three tall dalals, dressed from head to foot in white a

of bees, and then utter silence. In the solemn and grave demeanour of the dalals there was something almo

ith downcast eyes; then with hands outstretched to catch a bless

arth praiseth Allah, Who is the Mighty, the Wise! His the kingdom of the Heavens and of the Earth. He maketh alive and kil

intoned t

give the world the True Belief, and curses upon Shaita

me

d upon all who may buy and sell herein, and may Allah increase t

ustle the close ranks relaxed from the tense att

ins were drawn aside and the huddled slaves displayed-

t appalled by the fate which had haled them thither. They caught the eye of the dalal, and although the usual course was for a buyer to indicate a slave he was prepared to purchase, yet t

ameful thing to separate. Who needs such a pair for strong labour let him say what he will give." He set out on a s

contingent of the galeasse of Sakr-el-Bahr. He had been strictly enjoined to buy naught but the stoutest stuff the market could afford-with one e

n himself the eyes of the assembly, and sunning himself in the admiring looks bestowed upon one of the

, O Ali-Reis," replied the dalal in all

philips for

mnly on, the slaves

tiest slaves that by the favour of Allah were ever brou

t of him, and the slaves scenting here a buyer, and preferring any service to that of the galleys with whi

feeling their muscles, and then forced back

d, and the dalal passed on with his wares, ann

ircuit and came to stan

Ali! By the Koran, they are worth three hu

and thirty,"

hundred and thirty I am now offered, O

Hamet, and resumed his s

philips?" ple

nother

two hundred and thirty. Give thank

owers, whilst the dalal's two assistants a

is not the name of Sakr

urchase money be paid ere a slave

, and we will make one account an it please thee. That fellow yonder now. I have orders to buy him for my cap

instant in the eyes of the dalal. B

yellow-haired infi

that the woman leaned over to him and said something quickly, whereupon his struggles cea

Ayoub-el-Samin across the quadrangle,

Ali. "He should b

rise. "Nay, now. 'Tis a comely fellow and a young

hundred philips for that skinful of bones! Ma'

d with increasing dignity. Some of that laughter seemed to touc

aked to the waist, and displaying better proportions than might have been expected. In a passion at that indignity Lionel writhed in the grip of his guards, until one of the corsairs struck him a light blow with a whip in earnest o

sider me those lean shan

oar will mend,"

ors!" burst from Lio

said Ali. "His temper is none too good, you se

corsairs thrusting Lionel after him. Here one rose to hand

ng Frank," cried the dalal. "Will no True-Believer pay ten for

perience told them that no good was ever to be done with such fellows. Moreover, though shapely, his muscles were too slight, his flesh looked too soft and tender. Of what use a

or five philips-Allah

l and bore him off into the background to

n black doublet and hose like a Castilian gentleman, with a ruffle at his neck, a plumed bonnet on his grey lo

s conducted by Biskaine sat an Andalusian girl of pe

and softest brown. She was dressed in the becoming garb of the Castilian peasant, the folded kerchief of red and yellow above her bodice

scations, and banishment suffered by the men of his race at the hands of the men of hers. He may have bethought him of invaded ghettos, of Jewish maidens ravished, and Jewish children bu

y Philips, O dalal," he announced. The datal made a si

, O Ibrahim," said he. "Yusuf here will pay sixty at le

owever, sho

would destroy her loveliness within

pat fiercely into the face of another of her corsair guards. Rosamund's weary eyes quickened to horror as she watched her-a horror prompted as much by the fate awaiting that poor child as by the undignif

y for the joy of taming

, the Turk countered with a bid of eighty, and Ibrahim

given to a perverter of the Scriptures, to an inheritor of the fire, to one of a race that would not be

, however, entirely unabashed by a tirade against him, the like of which he heard a sc

ips," he announced. "'Tis

gue could urge him further the Turk sat

joy of her

, O Ibrahim, for on

s and advanced to receive the girl. The corsairs thrust her forward again

y, however, fierce as a tiger-cat she writhed her arms upwards and clawed at his face. With a scream of pain he relaxed his hol

breast and sank in a laughing, coughing, heap at his feet. A final convulsive heave and she lay there quite still

uredly God would give her the means to take it when her own turn came. She felt herself suddenly uplifted and enheartened. Death was a sharp, swift severing, an easy door of esc

tupor. He stepped deliberately across the body, his f

ted. "I am defrauded.

ice of every slave that die

e," raved the Jew. "My hands had no

ately delivered. "She was thine already. I had so pron

empurpling, seemed

"Am I to lose a

s written," replie

his eyes were blood-injected. "B

tten it could not have come to pass. It is th

d began

e Jew insisted, whereupon the m

rdon thee, thou art disturbing the peace

threateningly upon the luckless Ibrahim. "Away, thou

tenances and clenched fists shaken in his very fac

said, and turned

the body. And so Ibrahim was forced to suffer the further mockery of summoning his

me to the Basha," he threatened. "Asad-ed-Din i

he portly Ayoub, who was plucking at his sleeve. He bent his head to catch the muttered word

by the dalal's side at the head of the well, whilst he dilated upon her physical merits in that lingua franca which he used since it was current coin among all the assorte

Nubeans. He rose to scrutinize her closely, and must have been satisfied, for the price he offer

ilips for the m

her face," said the dalal as he moved on. "Chigil yields u

ty," said the Levant

hsafed her. See the noble carriage of her head, the lustre of he

xcitement stirred faintly through their usually impassive ra

ms for inspection, and she submitted with lowered eyes, and no sign of rese

an ivory. Look at those lips like pomegranate blossoms. The p

ld so speedily have been doubled. "By the Koran, I ha

l from the Sus with this narcissus-eyed

ten, then," was H

hat the time had come to buy her f

aid curtly, to make a

tantly piped a shri

b. A murmur ran through the ranks of the buyers, the people cra

at never again should the dust of the s?k of Algiers defile his

a Frankish girl! May Allah increase your wealth, for verily you'll need it." And in his supreme di

ni was recovering from his surprise at the competitor that had suddenly

Allah the Merciful to lead her into the True Faith she may yet become the light of my ha

oncluded than Tsamanni with laconic

ising his hands to heaven, an

," shrilled Ayoub's voi

replied Tsamann

y these unprecedented prices that the dalal wa

Ayoub at once raised th

ped Tsamanni, showing

red," repl

d upon him again, w

he cried, and excited laughter by th

ed Ayoub with forced calm, "tho

again to the dalal. "A thousa

al again. "Silence, and praise

e hundred," said Ayo

the Basha. Yet if he left the s?k for that purpose Ayoub would meanwhile secure the girl. He found himself between sword and wall. On the one hand did he permit himself to be outbidden h

of the Prophet, this bladder of wind and grease makes sport of us. He has no i

re is my sponsor," he made answer, grinning in the very best of humours, savouring to the full his enemy's rage and di

er Tsamanni

-Din, the exalted of Allah," He advanced upon Ayoub with hands upheld. "What shal

great lips pursed. "How should I know, since Allah has not made me all-knowing? Thou shouldst have

, Ayoub-not for the

ni; for thou art ja

e other until the dalal called them

and one hundred philips. Wilt

. I have no author

and one hundred phil

eted. From the dense and eager thron

o hundred philips fo

enthusiasm and derision, and even Tsamanni brightened to see another champion enter the lists who perhaps would avenge him upon Ayoub. The crowd parted quickly to

she been wondering what dastardly purpose Oliver might intend to serve, but now that she heard his voice that wonder ceased and understanding took its place. He had hung there somewhere in the crowd waiting until all competitors but one should have been outbidden, and now he stepped forth to buy her for his own-his slave! She closed her eyes a momen

thundering "Ma'sh'Allah!" and "Sakr-el-Bahr!" and the dalal clamouring ste

nds eager buyers! What say

ed Tsamanni

ndred," said Ayoub with a

lal," came from Sakr-e

limit imposed by his mistress, but the very limit of the resources at her im

without so much as deigning to bestow a l

hundred,

ure reached. Then controlling his emotions he bowed his head in reverence and made confession of hi

f him Tsamanni was fast gathering consolation for his own discomfiture, vicari

e by the favour of Shaitan he hat

r's great hand had taken the wazeer by the nape of his fat nec

his head thrust, and still down, until his fat body gave way and he lay supine and writhing in the dust of the s?k. "Shall I strangle thee, thou father of filth, or

"Mercy, O mighty Sakr-el-Bah

offal. Pronounce thys

ealth is the reward sent thee by Allah for

said Sakr-el-Bahr, "and cleanse it

llowed the unfortunate fellow to rise at last, half-choked with dirt, livid of face,

re my sea-hawks lay th

s of the multitude and the taunts of Tsamanni, whi

s slave is thine, O Sakr-el-Bahr, thou glory

rsair shortly, and he advan

ime since that day before the encounter with the Dutch a

of a deathly pallor. In his treatment of Ayoub she had just witnessed the lengths of brutality of which he was capable,

ight-lipped cruel smile that on

e said in

-Bahr reached forward, caught her by the wrists, and almost toss

bade them. "Bear he