“What two?”
“No one know. One man examine us all in the morning, but take only two.”
After suffering a long lesson teaching the virtue of patience, they learnt from Krooman that one of those who had been conversing with their masters was a grazier, owning large droves of cattle; and that he had lately been to Swearah.
He had told the merchants that they would not be able to get a large price for their slaves in that place, and that the chances were much against their making more than the actual expenses incurred in so long a journey. He assured the Arab merchants that no Christian consul or foreign merchant in Mogador would pay a dollar more for redeeming six slaves than what they could be made to pay for two or three; that they were not always willing or prepared to pay anything; and that whenever they did redeem a slave, they did not consider his value, but only the time and expense that had been incurred in bringing him to the place.
Under the influence of these representations, the Arab merchants had agreed to sell two of these white slaves to the grazier, thinking they would get as much for the remaining four as they would by taking all six to the end of the journey.
The owner of the herds was to make his choice in the morning.
“I thought there was a breaker ahead last night,” exclaimed Jim, after the Krooman had concluded his report. “We must not be separated except by liberty or death. Our masters must take us all to Mogador. There is trouble before us yet; but we must be firm, and overcome it. Firmness has saved us once, and may do so again.”
After all had promised to be guided in the coming emergency by Jim, they laid themselves along the ground and sought rest in sleep.
Next morning, while they were eating their breakfast, they were visited by the grazier who was expected to make choice of two of their number.
“Which is the one who speaks Arabic?” he inquired from one of the merchants.