“How splendid!” said Robert. “Do go on. What’s cloth once dipped?”
“You _must_ be barbarians from the outer darkness,” said the Captain scornfully. “All wealthy nations know that our finest stuffs are twice dyed—dibaptha. They’re only for the robes of kings and priests and princes.”
“What do the rich merchants wear,” asked Jane, with interest, “in the pleasure-houses?”
“They wear the dibaptha. _Our_ merchants _are_ princes,” scowled the skipper.
“Oh, don’t be cross, we do so like hearing about things. We want to know _all_ about the dyeing,” said Anthea cordially.
“Oh, you do, do you?” growled the man. “So that’s what you’re here for? Well, you won’t get the secrets of the dye trade out of _me_.”
He went away, and everyone felt snubbed and uncomfortable. And all the time the long, narrow eyes of the Egyptian were watching, watching. They felt as though he was watching them through the darkness, when they lay down to sleep on a pile of cloaks.
Next morning the baskets were drawn up full of what looked like whelk shells.
The children were rather in the way, but they made themselves as small as they could. While the skipper was at the other end of the boat they did ask one question of a sailor, whose face was a little less unkind than the others.
“Yes,” he answered, “this is the dye-fish. It’s a sort of murex—and there’s another kind that they catch at Sidon and then, of course, there’s the kind that’s used for the dibaptha. But that’s quite different. It’s—”
“Hold your tongue!” shouted the skipper. And the man held it.
The laden boat was rowed slowly round the end of the island, and was made fast in one of the two great harbours that lay inside a long breakwater. The harbour was full of all sorts of ships, so that Cyril and Robert enjoyed themselves much more than their sisters. The breakwater and the quays were heaped with bales and baskets, and crowded with slaves and sailors. Farther along some men were practising diving.
“That’s jolly good,” said Robert, as a naked brown body cleft the water.
“I should think so,” said the skipper. “The pearl-divers of Persia are not more skilful. Why, we’ve got a fresh-water spring that comes out at the bottom of the sea. Our divers dive down and bring up the fresh water in skin bottles! Can your barbarian divers do as much?”