, I mean. Then you will bind and gag
him, but, you hear, without killing him, for I can only inflict what he
deserves upon the living man. I am not bargaining for a dead one."

Just at that instant the bird of prey, with a shrill, greedy cry, as if
it were invited to a delicious banquet, flew far away into the distance
and did not return. It flew toward the left; the girl noticed it, and
her heavy black eyebrows, which already met, contracted still more. The
direction taken by the bird, which soon vanished in the darkness of the
night, indicated approaching misfortune; but she was here only to sow
destruction, and the more terrible growth it attained the better!

With an acuteness which aroused the admiration of the young corsair, who
was trained to similar plots, she explained hers.

That they must wait until after the departure of the Alexandrian with
her numerous train, and for the first dark night, was a matter of
course.

One signal was to notify Hanno to hold himself in readiness, another to
inform him that every one in the white house had gone to rest, and
that Hermon was there too. The pirates were to enter the black-bearded
Greek's studio. While some were shattering his statues to carry away
in sacks the gold and ivory which they contained, others were to force
their way into Myrtilus's workroom, which was on the opposite side of
the house. There they would find the second statue; but this they must
spare, because, on account of the great fame of its creator, it was more
valuable than the other. The fair-haired artist was ill, and it would be
no difficult matter to take him alive, even if he should put himself on
the defensive. Hermon, on the contrary, was a strong fellow, and to bind
him without injuring him severely would require both strength and skill.
Yet it must be done, for only in case Hanno succeeded in delivering both
sculptors to her alive would she consider herself--she could not repeat
it often enough--bound to fulfil what she had promised him.

With the exception of the two artists, only Myrtilus's servant, the old
doorkeeper, and Bias, Hermon's slave, remained during the night in the
house which was to be attacked, and Hanno would undertake the assault
with twenty-five sturdy fellows whom he commanded on the Hydra if his
brother Labaja consented to share in the assault, this force could be
considerably increased.

To take the old corsair into their confidence now would not be
advisable, for