They carried him to a
city called Axiopolis, and here they found that he was only a
poor soldier. He was, therefore, sold in the slave market as a
common slave, and was sent to a Turkish officer called a tymor,
who lived near the Sea of Azov.
The tymor was a very hard master. He stripped off Smith's clothes
and ordered him to put on coarse sheepskins. He next shaved his
head and put an iron ring round his neck, after which he ordered
him to go to work with the rest of his slaves. Smith's life was
now very miserable. He therefore made up his mind to escape as
soon as possible.
His work sometimes took him to a lonely barn on the tymor's
estate, where his business was to thresh out grain with a flail.
One day while he was at this labor the tymor came to the barn. He
was in a very bad humor, and when he saw Smith he began to offer
him every insult. This made the young soldier very angry. He
looked around him. No one was in sight, and he had in his hands
his heavy flail. At last the tymor struck him with his riding
whip, at which John Smith returned a deadly blow with his flail.
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