“Well!” said Pug. “Now who ever heard of a gentleman in my way of business who treated his stock better than what I do? Well? Why, I treat ‘em like my own childen.”
“That’s likely enough to be true,” said the other grimly.
The dreadful moment had now come. Caspian was untied and his new master said, “This way, lad,” and Lucy burst into tears and Edmund looked very blank. But Caspian looked over his shoulder and said, “Cheer up. I‘m sure it will come all right in the end. So long.”
“Now, missie,” said Pug. “Don’t you start taking on and spoiling your looks for the market tomorrow. You be a good girl and then you won‘t have nothing to cry about, see?”
Then they were rowed out to the slave.ship and taken below into a long, rather dark place, none too clean, where they found many other unfortunate prisoners; for Pugas of course a pirate and had just returned from cruising mong the islands and capturing what he could. The hildren didn’t meet anyone whom they knew; the prisoners ere mostly Galmians and Terebinthians. And there they at in the straw and wondered what was happening to aspian and tried to stop Eustace talking as if everyone xcept himself was to blame.