# Said as a freeman  
Although Said remained in Menshikov's household after he was freed, his maltreatment by other servants compelled him to accept the position of valet with Prince Nicholas Vassilievitch Troubetzkoy (1828-1900). While he worked for Troubetzkoy, he travelled to many cities in Russia, Austria, Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland and Great Britain. Although Said's narrative provides descriptions of some of the cities he visited in Europe and also offers information about diverse issues, including details regarding his master's household and prison conditions in Rome, he offers relatively little detail regarding his relationship with women and on women in general, and it is not always possible to verify what Said experienced and what he read about or heard.  
Troubetzkoy was a pious Christian and required the conversion of Said to the Russian Orthodox Church. Following his baptism in 1855, he was given the name Nicholas and was given more privileges in Troubetzkoy's household. Said was particularly adept at learning languages, as demonstrated during his upbringing in Borno and his time in the Ottoman Empire. Under Troubetzkoy, he learned French and also claimed that he had learned the Armenian language while in Russia. Overall, as a slave and a freeman, Said acquired at least eleven languages, including English, the last language he learned and the one in which he composed his autobiography and his account in the Atlantic Monthly. He also gained considerable knowledge about Europe and North America and adapted quickly to alien cultures. These qualities suggest that he was indeed a cosmopolitan person.  
In the period following his enslavement, Said often wished to return to his homeland. Although he eventually convinced Troubetzkoy to allow him to visit Borno for a year, in 1859, his wish to return to his homeland was never realized. Indeed, Said was diverted from returning by Isaac Jacobus Rochussen (1829-1907), who hired him to accompany him and his newly wedded wife to North America and the Caribbean.