our captain, who was on board the corsair, of
what we had done, and to treat them as if they were his son and nephew."

The feelings with which I listened to the officer's narrative can better
be supposed than expressed. "Tell me, Mr Aylett, who were those young
ladies of whom you speak?" I asked, in an agitated voice.

"Their father was, I understand, a Roundhead, Kerridge by name, but
otherwise a well-disposed, amiable gentleman whom I was glad to serve."

"Kerridge!" I exclaimed, not regarding his remark. "Tell me, sir, the
name of the vessel on board which you were."

"The _Hector_," he replied.

All doubt vanished from my mind as to whom those unfortunate persons
were.

"Go on, sir, I pray you," I said. "Tell me what happened next."

"The following morning, while we were some way off Tunis, the old
gentleman accompanied by the two young ladies appeared on deck, but it
would have required a keen eye to have discovered that they were not
what they seemed. I forthwith went up to one of them and sang out, `Lay
hold of this rope and do as I do; now haul away.' The other joined us,
and by the way the Moors looked at them, I felt satisfied that their
disguise was not discovered.

"I then spoke to the old woman who attended on them, advising her to
conceal their female attire.

"`I have taken good care of that, sir,' she answered. `I've thrown some
through a port and packed the rest in my chest; it won't be my fault if
they are found out.'

"Our captors treated us with more civility than I had expected. I and
the men left were doing our best to navigate the ship, and the Moors
knew that we could not escape. No sooner, however, had we dropped
anchor and furled sails in the harbour of Tunis, off the strong castle
of Porto Ferino, than several boats came alongside, and we, as well as
the poor passengers being mustered on deck, had our arms lashed behind
us, by which treatment we knew that we were looked upon as slaves. We
were then carried on shore to the slave market, where we found the rest
of the crew of the _Hector_. I thought little of my own sufferings
while reflecting on the sad fate to which Mr Kerridge and his young
companions were doomed. In a short time purchasers appeared, and the
sale of the captives commenced. From the prices offered it was evident
that the common men were looked upon as of greater value than the
officers, from its being supposed that they were capable of performing
mor