by the most holy prophet Mahomet, that, as I have been your best friend, so, from this day forth, will I be your most deadly enemy, and will seek out causes to hinder you from ever coming out of this tower. Dogs! traitors! perjurers! faithless Pagans! will you thus repay my kindnesses, who have been to you as your own father?”
We acknowledged before all the Turks that it was indeed so, and that he was not our aga, but our father, and had been the principal cause of our liberation, and had done us such kindnesses that we should never be able to repay and recompense them to the day of our death. Moreover, as it was impossible for us to make arrangements for the money with the merchants, we offered to subscribe with our own blood that we would send him, by way of Venice, in half-a-year at latest, 500 ducats, and also handsome knives, and striking-clocks; and this we promised to fulfil upon our soul and faith. But he would not allow himself to be appeased by anything, but reviled and cursed us till the foam ran out of his mouth; he also ordered us to be immediately put into irons, and, uttering strange threats against us, commanded us to go into the tower.
When we came to our companions, and told them that we could not negotiate the loan of the money anywhere, there was great weeping and lamentation. And now that we had angered the aga, who had been our very good friend, and had no one any more to manage our affairs, all hope departed that anything should come of our liberation, and we returned, with a downcast heart, to our trade of knitting gloves and stockings, and longed every hour to die, and be once for all freed from these miseries. And verily, even as we had been greatly en-
