Chapter 7
It was late afternoon by the time Damiskos was able to get down to the shore again. The students had quickly recovered from their shock at learning that he had bought Varazda. Gelon and Phaia still looked slightly disgusted, and Helenos was inscrutable, but the others seemed to have decided that if Damiskos, who was obviously very manly, had done this, then it must in some way be a very manly thing. They had discussed the question at length.
By this time, Damiskos was reasonably sure that Gelon had already been down to the shore—he had lost track of him at some point in the afternoon, to his annoyance—and whatever had been hidden in the undergrowth would be gone. But he had told Varazda, when they had managed to snatch a moment alone together, that he would go down and look, so
