"Half adrakhma?" Menedemos yelped. "For a feather?" A drakhma a daycould feed and house a man and his family -  not in any style, but it would puta roof over their heads and keep them from starving. "That'srobbery!"

Himilkon smiled."I'll deduct it from the price of the bird . . . if you're acustomer."

Like any Hellene goingout where he might spend some money, Menedemos had a couple of oboloi tuckedbetween his cheek and his teeth. He spat the little silver coins into the palmof his hand and dried them on his tunic. Then he nudged his cousin, whoproduced another one. Menedemos handed Himilkon the coins. The Phoenicianpopped them into his own mouth. Menedemos asked, "Well, what do you wantfor him -  and for the peahens, too?"

Some of the men who'dchased the peacock went back to what they had been doing now that it was backin its cage. Others hung around to watch the haggling, which might also proveentertaining.

Himilkon plucked at hisfancy curled beard, considering. He put so much into it, he might have been anactor in a comedy using his body to get across what his mask couldn't. At last,elaborately artless, he said, "Oh, I don't know. A mina a bird soundsabout right."

"A pound of silver?A hundred drakhmai?" As Himilkon had worked to sound casual, Menedemosworked to sound horrified. Actually, he'd been braced for worse. Peafowl wereobviously for the luxury trade. Nobody would raise them in the courtyard likeducks. Like any merchant galley, the Aphrodite specialized in carryingluxuries. She didn't have the capacity to make a profit hauling wheat or cheapwine, the way a tubby sailing ship could.

Menedemos shot Sostratosa glance. A little slower than he should have, his cousin chimed in, "It'san outrage, Himilkon -  pure hubris. Half that much would be an outrage, andyou know it."

Himilkon shook his headback and forth again, then tossed it as a Hellene would to show disagreement."No such thing, O best ones. I know you both. I know your fathers. If youbuy my birds, you'll take them somewhere far away, and you'll sell them forplenty more than you pay. Tell me I'm wrong." He set his hands on his hipsand looked defiantly at the younger men.