er with a
roar, raising his whip, while the slow rotation of the wheel carried
Jason away. He shouted back over his shoulder.

"Listen to me--I know a lot and can help you." Only a turned back for
an answer and the whip was already whistling down. It was time for the
hard sell. "You had better hear me--because I know that _what comes
out first is best_. Yeow!" This last was involuntary as the whip
landed.

Jason's words were without meaning to the slaves as well as the
overseer who was raising his whip for another blow, but their impact
on Edipon was as dramatic as if he had stepped on a hot coal. He
shuddered to a halt and wheeled about, and even at this distance Jason
could see that a sickly gray tone had replaced his normal browned
color of his skin.

"_Stop the wheel!_" he shouted.

* * * * *

This unexpected command drew the startled attention of everyone. The
gape-mouthed overseer lowered his whip while the slaves stumbled and
halted and the wheel groaned to a stop. In the sudden silence Edipon's
steps echoed loudly as he ran to Jason, halting a hand's breadth away,
his lips drawn back from his teeth with tension as if he were prepared
to bite.

"What was that you said?" He hurled the words at Jason while his
fingers half-plucked a knife from his belt.

Jason smiled, looking and acting calmer than he felt. His barb had
gone home, but unless he proceeded carefully so would Edipon's
knife--into his stomach. This was obviously a very sensitive topic.

"You heard what I said--and I don't think you want me to repeat it in
front of all these strangers. I know what happens here because I come
from a place far away where we do this kind of thing all the time. I
can help you. I can show you how to get more of the best, and how to
make your _caroj_ work better. Just try me. Only unchain me from this
bar first and let's get to some place private where we can have a nice
chat."

Edipon's thoughts were obvious. He chewed his lip and looked hotly at
Jason, fingering the edge of his knife. Jason only returned a smile of
pure innocence and tapped his fingers happily on the bar, just marking
time while he waited to be released. Yet in spite of the cold there
was a rivulet of sweat trickling down his spine. He was gambling
everything on Edipon's intelligence, that the man's curiosity would
overcome the immediate desire to silence the slave who knew so much
about things so secret, hoping t