"I feel as if I were pulling the whole skin off my
face."
The painful task was at last finished.
"I shall be glad to have a look at you in the morning, Dick," his
father said, "so as to see what you are really like; of which I have
not the least idea, at present. You must feel a deal more comfortable,
now that you have got rid of the rope."
"I am, indeed. I am sure Surajah must be quite as much pleased at
leaving his padding behind."
They stopped half a mile from the town, which was a place of
considerable size. Dick took, from the saddlebag of the horse Ibrahim
was leading, the bottle of liquid with which he was in the habit of
renewing his staining every few days, and darkened his father's face
and hands. Then they took off their costumes as merchants, and put on
their peasants' attire. Dick directed Ibrahim to make a detour, so as
to avoid the town and come down on the road half a mile beyond it, and
there wait until they rejoined them--for his father was to accompany
Ibrahim.
It was growing light as Dick and Surajah entered the town, and in half
an hour the streets became alive with people. After some search, they
found a man who had several horses to sell, and, after the proper
amount of bargaining, they purchased three fairly good animals.
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