“I had hoped,” he said, “that the corsair would have taken me to Syria, for there I could have communicated with Suleiman, who would, I am sure, have given me such shelter and aid as he was able, in the event of my making my escape from slavery and finding myself unable to leave by sea.”

The next day Gervaise went with Ben Ibyn to his stores.  The eight men arrived shortly afterwards, and the merchant, in the presence of Gervaise, questioned them as to whether they knew anything of a misfortune that was said to have befallen some ships that had sailed for the coast of Italy.  The men, surprised at the question, glanced at Gervaise, who said, “Tell Ben Ibyn the truth; it will do neither you nor me any harm, and will be mentioned by him to no one else.”

Accordingly the story was told.  Ben Ibyn listened gravely.

“It was the will of Allah,” he said, when it was concluded.  “I have wronged you, Gervaise, but your tale seemed too marvellous to be true.

“Do not speak of this to others;” he went on to the eight men.  “Now as to yourselves.  For the four of you who desire to return to Syria I have taken passage in a trader that sails tomorrow and will touch at Joppa and Acre.  Here is money to provide yourselves with garments and to carry you to your homes.  For you,” he said to two who were natives of the town, “I can myself find employment here, and if your conduct is good, you will have no reason to regret taking service with me.  The two of you who desire to go to Smyrna I will give passage there in a ship which will sail next week; in the meantime, here is money for your present wants.”

Two days later the merchant’s family moved to his house two miles outside the town, and here Gervaise remained for six months.  His life was not an unpleasant one; he was treated with great kindness by the merchant and his wife, his duties were but slight, and he had no more labour to perform in the garden than he cared to do.  Nevertheless, he felt that he would rather have fallen into the hands of a less kind master, for it seemed to him that it would be an act almost of treachery to escape from those who treated him as a friend; moreover, at the country house he was not in a position to frame any plans for escape, had he decided upon attempting it, nor could he have found out when Hassan made one of his occasional visits to the port.

One evening the merchant returned from the town accompanied by one of the sultan’s officers and four soldiers.  Ben Ibyn was evidently much depressed and disturbed; he told Muley as he entered, to fetch Gervaise.  When the latter, in obedience to the order, came in from the garden, the officer said in Italian, “It having come to the ears of the sultan my master that the merchant Ben Ibyn has ventured, contrary to the law, to purchase a Christian slave brought secretly into the town, he has declared the slave to be forfeited and I am commanded to take him at once to the slaves’ quarter.”