After London | Page 8

deeply touched by his great faith. They soon became confidential,
and little by little they unfolded to one another the story of their lives.
One prisoner, well versed in law, who knew Antonio's father, showed
the boy much sympathy. Another prisoner, a sailor, grieved over the
old parents whose mainstay he had been for many years. "Oh," sighed
he, "now hunger and want will overtake them." Another, a fisherman,
somewhat older than the rest, was the saddest of them all. He sat apart
at one end of the ship, holding his head in his hand and weeping
silently. He was the father of five children. He grieved sorely when he
thought what his absence would mean to them. Antonio tried to
comfort the old man with the assurance that some rescuer would be
sent to save them.
All the prisoners listened to Antonio. His appearance, his friendliness,
his cheerfulness, his faith, his trust brightened them all and gave them
renewed hope. Then the fisherman stood up and said: "This boy has
been sent to cheer us. Let us trust as he does, and some day, perhaps,
our chains may be removed." Then he began to sing and all the

prisoners joined in the song.
CHAPTER II
THE SLAVE
The pirates now weighed anchor, and slowly the ship began to move.
Antonio watched the mountains, the hills, the temples and the palaces
gradually become smaller and smaller and finally fade from view. Then
a great pain at leaving his beloved fatherland, his sunny Italy, clutched
his heart. Soon he was able to see nothing but the heavens and the vast
expanse of water.
For several days the vessel sailed hither and thither, in search of more
prey. Suddenly the pirates spied in the distance a warship, which was in
pursuit of them. The prisoners rejoiced in silence and felt buoyed by
the hope of an early rescue. The pirates lashed the prisoners to greater
activity, and made them help with the oars. Under cover of the night,
the pirates made their escape.
As the morning sun broke over the sea, Antonio gazed upon the waters,
and saw nothing of the warship. His heart sank, and he could scarcely
repress his tears. But suddenly he raised his voice, and said to his
fellow-prisoners, "Though our trusting prayers have not been answered,
they will not pass unheeded, and our deliverance will surely come."
In less than an hour they saw in the distance the city of Algiers,
glistening in the sunlight. Little by little they were able to distinguish
the houses, and the Temple of the Turks, with the sign of the Crescent
upon it.
The ship anchored, the prisoners were landed, and after a short rest
were led through the narrow, dirty streets to the market place. Here
they were exhibited for sale like cattle. The purchasers passed among
the prisoners, and examined them as they would horses. In order to
display their strength, the prisoners were obliged to lift heavy stones,
placed there for that purpose. Many sales were made. The lawyer, the
sailor and several others went for a good price. As Antonio could not

lift the heavier stones, the buyers considered him too weak for a slave
and scornfully passed him by.
A little removed from the crowd, there stood a merchant with a very
wrinkled face, who seemed to be taking but little interest in the sale.
After all the captives had been sold, except Antonio, the merchant
stepped nearer, put on his spectacles, and surveyed Antonio from head
to foot. He examined his hands, and hesitated when he found them soft
and white. "But," said the merchant, speaking in Italian, "there must be
something that you have learned." Antonio thought a moment, and not
wishing to hide anything, said confidently that he could do clerical
work and could write in the Italian and French languages. "Hm, hm,"
said the merchant, "that is something, but what else can you do?"
Antonio said, "I understand Latin and Greek."
"Oh, my, such wares we cannot use here. Is there nothing else that you
know?"
"Yes," answered Antonio, "I can sing and play the guitar."
"I wish I had an instrument at hand," said the merchant; "but suppose
you sing a song for me."
Antonio did as the old man wished, and his voice was sweet and clear.
The merchant offered three gold pieces for Antonio, but as the dealers
kept on raising the price, the merchant shrugged his shoulders, turned
and went on.
The pirates called him back and offered him the boy for ten gold pieces.
The merchant paid the price, and the boy belonged to him.
It grieved Antonio to think that he had been bought like a horse or a
dog; but his trust and faith were so steadfast