Therefore if you owe your freedom to
us, to some extent we owe ours to you; and if we have been your
protectors so far, we hope that when we arrive in Spain you will
be our protectors there, for to us Spain is as much an enemy's
country as Barbary."
"That you can assuredly rely upon," the trader replied. "All that
I have is at your disposal."
For an hour they stood talking. Dolores said but little. She had
felt no shyness with the stalwart sailor, but to this youth who had
done her such signal service she felt unable so frankly to express
her feelings of thankfulness.
By morning the coast of Africa was but a faint line on the horizon,
and the ship was headed west. Except when any alteration of the
sails was required, the two Moors who acted as the crew were made
to retire into the forecastle, and were there fastened in, Geoffrey
and Boldero sleeping by turns.
After breakfast the little party gathered round the helm, and at
the request of Juan Mendez, Geoffrey and Stephen both related how
it befell that they had become slaves to the Moors.
"Your adventures are both singular," the trader said when they had
finished. "Yours, Don Geoffrey, are extraordinary. It is marvellous
that you should have been picked up in that terrible fight, and
should have shared in all the perils of that awful voyage back
to Spain without its being ever suspected that you were English.
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