“I am very glad of that,” Francis said.  “I wish that poor Giuseppi was also here to go with me.  I shall miss him terribly.  He was a most faithful and devoted follower.”

“I have already sent orders, to my agent in Tunis, to spare no pains in discovering to whom the crew of the Naxos were sold.  It is unfortunate that so many other captives were sold at the same time, as it will make it so much more difficult to trace our men.  Those purchasing are not likely to know more than their first names, and may not even take the trouble to find out those, but may give them the first appellation that comes to hand.  Therefore he has to find out who are now the masters of the whole of the captives sold at the same time, and then to pursue his investigations until he discovers the identity of the men he is looking for.  Once he has found this, I will promise you there will be no delay.  I have ordered him to make the best bargain in each case he can, but that at any rate he is to buy every one of them, whatever it may cost.

“I have sent him the personal descriptions of each man of the boat’s crew, as given to me by their friends and relatives here, as this will be an assistance in his search.  If, for instance, he hears of a Christian slave named Giuseppi living with a master some hundreds of miles in the interior, the fact that this man is middle aged will show at once that he was not the Giuseppi, age 20, of whom he is in search.  I have particularly impressed upon him, in my letter, that we were especially anxious for the rescue of the captain, and the young man Giuseppi, so I hope that by the time you return from the voyage, I may have received some news of them.”

Matteo was greatly pleased when he heard that he was going to sail under Francis.

“I would rather that we had both been volunteers,” Francis said.  “It seems absurd my being appointed second officer, while you as yet have no official position.”

“I am not in the least bit in the world jealous, Francisco.  With the exception of taking part in the fight at Antium, I have had no experience whatever, while you have been going through all sorts of adventures for the last two years, and always have come out of them marvellously well.”

An hour after Matteo left him, a retainer of the family brought Francis a letter from Signor Giustiniani, inviting him to come to his house that evening, as many of Matteo’s comrades on board the Pluto would be present.  On Francis going to the palace he found assembled, not only the young men who would be Matteo’s comrades as volunteers, but also the captain and other officers of the ship; and to them Signor Giustiniani personally presented Francis, while Rufino and Matteo did all they could to ensure the heartiest welcome for him, by telling everyone how greatly they were indebted to him, and how gallantly he had behaved on several occasions.