"But my mother did not refer to human laws," returned Foster. "She quoted what the Bible says about God's laws." "Oh! das a _bery_ diff'rent t'ing, massa, an' I s'pose your mudder was right. Anyway it was lub what obercame Ben-Ahmed. You see, I put it to 'im bery tender like. `Massa,' says I, `here I's bin wid you night an' day for six year, an' you's nebber say to me yet, "Peter de Great, go out for de day an' enjoy you'self." Now, massa, I wants to take dat small raskil Geo'ge Fuster to de town, an' show him a few t'ings as'll make him do his work better, an' dat'll make you lub 'im more, an' so we'll all be more comfrable.' Das what I say; an' when I was sayin' it, I see de wrinkles a-comin' round massa's eyes, so I feel sure; for w'en dem wrinkles come to de eyes, it is all right. An' massa, he say, `Go'--nuffin more; only `Go;' but ob course das nuff for me, so I hoed; an' now--we're bof goin'." At this point in the conversation they came to a place where the road forked. Here they met a number of Arabs, hasting towards the town in a somewhat excited frame of mind. Following these very slowly on a mule rode another Arab, whose dignified gravity seemed to be proof against all excitement. He might have been the Dey of Algiers himself, to judge from his bearing and the calm serenity with which he smoked a cigar. Yet neither his occupation nor position warranted his dignified air, for he was merely a seller of oranges, and sat on a huge market-saddle, somewhat in the lady-fashion--side-wise, with the baskets of golden fruit on either side of him. Going humbly towards this Arab, the negro asked him in Lingua Franca if there was anything unusual going on in the town? The Arab replied by a calm stare and a puff of smoke as he rode by. "I 'ope his pride won't bust 'im," muttered Peter, as he fell behind and rejoined his companion. "Do you think anything has happened, then?" "Dere's no sayin'. Wonderful geese dey is in dis city. Dey seem to t'ink robbery on the sea is just, an' robbery ob de poor an' helpless is just; but robbery ob de rich in Algiers--oh! dat awrful wicked! not to be tololerated on no account wa'somever. Konsikence is--de poor an' de helpless git some ob de strong an' de clebber to go on dere side, an' den dey bust up, strangle de Dey, rob de Jews, an' set up another guv'ment." "Rob the Jews, Peter! Why do they do that?" "Dun know, massa--" "Please don't call me massa any more, Peter, for I'm _not_ massa in any sense--being only your friend and fellow-slave." "Well, I won't, Geo'ge. I's a-goin' to say I s'pose dey plunder de Jews 'cause dey's got lots o' money an' got no friends. Eberybody rob de Jews w'en dere's a big rumpus. But I don't t'ink dere's a row jus' now--only a scare."