“How are you feeling?  Are you in pain?  We have come here to give you your freedom.”

Charlie was on his guard, and remained silent, with his eyes closed.

“It is of no use,” Ben Soloman said in his own language.  “The fellow is still insensible.  The clumsy fool who hit him would fare badly, if I knew who he was.  I said that he was to be knocked down, silenced, and brought here; and here he is, of no more use than if he were dead.”

“He will doubtless come round, in time,” another said in an apologetic tone.  “We will bring him round, if you will have patience, Ben Soloman.”

“Well, well,” the other replied, “a few days will make no difference; but mind that he is well guarded, directly he begins to gain strength.  I will get him out of the town, as soon as I can.  Allan Ramsay has laid a complaint, before the mayor, that his countryman has been attacked by a band of ruffians, and has been either killed or carried off by them.  It is a pity that servant of his was not killed.”

“We thought he was dead.  Two or three of us looked at him, and I could have sworn that life was out of him.”

“Well, then, you would have sworn what was not true, for he managed to crawl to Ramsay’s, where he lies, I am told, dangerously ill, and an official has been to him, to obtain his account of the fray.  It was a bungled business, from beginning to end.”

“We could not have calculated on the fellows making such a resistance,” the other grumbled.  “This one seemed but a lad, and yet he killed three of our party, and the other killed one.  A nice business that; and you will have to pay their friends well, Ben Soloman, for I can tell you there is grumbling at the price, which they say was not enough for the work, which you told them would be easy.”

“It ought to have been,” the Jew said sullenly.  “Fifteen or twenty men to overpower a lad.  What could have been more easy?  However, I will do something for the friends of the men who were fools enough to get themselves killed, but if I hear any grumbling from the others, it will be worse for them; there is not one I could not lay by the heels in jail.

“Well, as to this young fellow, I shall not come again.  I do not want to be noticed coming here.  Keep a shrewd lookout after him.”

“There is no fear about that,” the man said.  “It will be long ere he is strong enough to walk.”

“When he gets better, we will have him taken away to a safe place outside the town.  Once there, I can make him say what I like.”

“And if he does not get well?”

“In that case, we will take away his body and bury it outside.  I will see to that myself.”

“I understand,” the other sneered.  “You don’t want anyone to know where it is buried, so as to be able to bring it up against you.”

“You attend to your own business,” the Jew said angrily.  “Why should I care about what they say?  At any rate, there are some matters between you and me, and there is no fear of your speaking.”