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