"Ay; but a big price," continued the cunning old trafficker in human flesh, after a short reflection, "a whopping big price. The togs we've stripped from them were no common clothing. Good broadcloth in their jackets, and bullion bands on their caps. They must be the sons of great sheiks. At Wedinoin the old Jew will redeem them. So, too, the merchants at Susa; or maybe I had best take them on to Mogador, where the consul of their country will come down handsomely for such as they. Yes; that's the trick!" At this parting scene the thoughts of Fatima's husband were equally occupied with trading speculations, in which he was assisted by the amiable Fatima herself. Translated also into English, they would have read as follows:-- "The Sultan would give threescore of his best blacks for those three tripe-coloured brats." "I know it, Fatty dear; he's told me so himself." "Then, why not get them, and bring 'em along?" "Ah, that's easy to say. How can I? You know they belong to the old Arab by right, at least he claims them, though not very fairly, for if we hadn't come up in good time they would have taken him instead of his taking them; no matter for that, they're his now by the laws of the Saara." "Bother the laws of the Saara!" exclaimed Fatima, with a disdainful toss of her head, and a scornful turning up of her two protruding teeth; "all stuff and nonsense! There's no law in the Saara; and if there was, you know we're never coming into it again. The price you'd get for those three hobbledehoys would keep us comfortable for the balance of our lives; and we need never track the Devil's desert again. Take 'em by force from old yellow-face, if you can't get 'em otherwise; but you may `chouse' him out of them at a game of helga, you know you can beat him at that. If he won't play again, try your hand at bargaining against your blacks, offer him two to one." Thus counselled by the partner of his bosom, the black sheik, instead of bidding the _saleik aloum_ to his Arab _confrere_, raised his voice aloud, and demanded from the latter a parley upon business of importance. CHAPTER FORTY ONE. THE TRIO STAKED. The parley that followed was of course unintelligible to our adventurers, the Boy Slaves. But although they did not understand the words that were exchanged between the two sheiks, they were not without having a conjecture as to their import. The gestures made by the two men, and their looks cast frequently towards themselves, led them to believe that the conversation related to their transference from one to the other.