The Sultan restrained his anger at the reproach hurled at him, and addressed Conrad: “Be more reasonable than your insolent brother. You are young yet, but you know it is a sin against God to shorten life. The Emperor will be forced to free you. Write to him yourself.” “I well know it is a crime to take one’s own life, but it is also a crime to preserve that life by a shameful deed. It would be the grossest offence to induce the Emperor to abandon his high purposes by my appeals for liberty. I refuse your request, as my brother has done.” Wild rage flamed in the Sultan’s eye, and his face was distorted with unrestrained anger. “Well,” he roared, “be it so! You shall now feel my power. I have foolishly been considerate of your youth, but shall be so no longer. You must die,—that is a matter of course. But death will be too mild a punishment for you. You have dared to defy me, me whom millions obey! You shall now suffer all that your brethren, the Christian dogs, have suffered. I will inflict hunger, thirst, punishments of every kind. I will devise tortures more painful than any one before has ever imagined. While you are enduring them your cries of agony will sound like heavenly music in my ears. When you supplicate for mercy there shall be no respite. The time will have passed then for securing what I offer now.” With trembling voice—but not from fear—Conrad replied: “We have hitherto considered you an honorable enemy. We do not complain because you securely imprison us, but to treat us as you have threatened to do lowers you to the level of the savage beast.” The Sultan somewhat regained his composure, and left the room speechless from amazement at their boldness. The brothers again embraced, unmoved by his horrible threat, and determined with God’s help to remain steadfast and not to deviate a finger’s breadth from the path of right and duty. Their conversation was now disturbed by a swarthy visaged person looking in at the door and grimacing. He was a gigantic Turk, who signified by gesture rather than by speech that they were to follow him. They were a little alarmed at first, but a glance at each other and a mutual grasp of the hand reassured them, and they courageously followed him. Their apprehensions, however, were not realized. They were simply changing the place of their confinement. A low, dark room with small iron-grated windows and bare walls, and destitute of the customary furniture it was, where they were now to spend their time. The slave left some wretched food, and so slight an allowance of it that it barely sufficed to relieve the pangs of hunger. They realized by his conduct that he was their new keeper. The change in their situation made little impression upon them. The slave had hardly left the room before they fell upon their knees, thanked God that so far He had kept them from yielding, and fervently prayed that He would continue to aid them and save them from any severer trials.