[figure description] Page 013.[end figure description]

We &longs;aluted the ca&longs;tle with
&longs;even guns, which was returned with
three, and then entered within the

[figure description] Page 014.[end figure description]

immense pier, which forms the port. The
pri&longs;oners, thirty in number, were conveyed
to the ca&longs;tle, where we were received
with great parade by the Dey's
troops or cologlies, and guarded to a
heavy &longs;trong tower of the ca&longs;tle. The
Portugue&longs;e pri&longs;oners, to which nation
the Algerines have the mo&longs;t violent antipathy,
were immediately, with every
mark of contempt, &longs;purned into a dark
dungeon beneath the foundations of the
tower, though there were &longs;everal merchants
of eminence, and one young nobleman,
in the number. The Spaniards,
whom the Dey's &longs;ubjects equally dete&longs;t,
and fear more, were confined with me in
a grated room, on the &longs;econd &longs;tory. We
received, the &longs;ame evening, rations similar
to what, we under&longs;tood, were i&longs;&longs;ued
to the garri&longs;on. The next day, we were
all led to a clean&longs;ing hou&longs;e, where we
were cleared from vermin, our hair cut
&longs;hort, and our beards clo&longs;e &longs;haved; thence

[figure description] Page 015.[end figure description]

taken to a bath, and, after being well
bathed, we were clothed in coar&longs;e linen
drawers, a &longs;trait wai&longs;tcoat of the &longs;ame
without &longs;leeves, and a kind of tunic or
loo&longs;e coat over the whole, which, with a
pair of leather &longs;lippers, and a blue cotton
cap, equipped us, as we were informed,
to appear in the pre&longs;ence of the Dey,
who was to &longs;elect the tenth pri&longs;oner from
us in per&longs;on. The next morning, the
dragomen or interpreters, were very busy
in impre&longs;&longs;ing upon us the mo&longs;t profound
re&longs;pect for the Dey's per&longs;on and
power, and teaching us the obei&longs;ance necessary
to be made in our approaches to this
augu&longs;t potentate. Soon after, we were
paraded; and Captain Hamed pre&longs;ented
each of us with a paper, written in a ba&longs;e
kind of Arabic, de&longs;cribing, as I was informed,
our per&longs;ons, names, country, and
conditions in life; &longs;o far as our captors
could collect from our &longs;everal examinations.
Upon the back of each paper was

[figure description] Page 016.[end figure description]

a mark or number. The &longs;ame mark was
painted upon a flat oval piece of wood,
&longs;omewhat like a painter's palette, and suspended
by a &longs;mall bra&longs;s chain to our
necks, hanging upon our brea&longs;ts. The
guards then formed a hollow &longs;quare.
We were blind folded until we pa&longs;&longs;ed
the fortifications, and then &longs;uffered to
view the city, and the immen&longs;e rabble,
which &longs;urrounded us, until we came to
the palace of the Dey. Here, after much
military parade, the gates were thrown
open, and we entered a &longs;pacious court
yard, at the upper end of which the Dey
was &longs;eated, upon an eminence, covered
with the riche&longs;t carpeting fringed with
gold. A circular canopy of Per&longs;ian &longs;ilk
was rai&longs;ed over his head, from which
were &longs;u&longs;pended curtains of the riche&longs;t
embroidery, drawn into fe&longs;toons by &longs;ilk
cords and ta&longs;&longs;els, enriched with pearls.
Over the eminence, upon the right and
left, were canopies, which almo&longs;t vied in

[figure description] Page 017.[end figure description]

riches with the former, under which &longs;tood
the Mufri, his numerous Hadgi's, and
his principal officers, civil and military;
and on each &longs;ide about &longs;even hundred
foot guards were drawn up in the form
of a half moon.

The pre&longs;ent Dey, Vizier Ha&longs;&longs;en Bashaw,
is about forty years of age, five feet
ten inches in height, inclining to corpulency,
with a countenance rather comely
than commanding; an eye which betrays
&longs;agacity, rather than in&longs;pires awe:
the latter is &longs;ufficiently in&longs;pired by the
&longs;ierce appearance of his guards, the splendour
of his attendants, the grandeur of
his court, and the magnificence of his attire.
He was arrayed in a &longs;umptuous
Turki&longs;h habit. His feet were &longs;hod with
bu&longs;kins, bound upon his legs with diamond
buttons in loops of pearl; round his
wai&longs;t was a broad &longs;a&longs;h, glittering with jewels,
to which was &longs;u&longs;pened a broad scimitar,
the hilt of which dazzled the eye

[figure description] Page 018.[end figure description]

with brilliants of the fir&longs;t water, and the
&longs;heath of which was of the fine&longs;t velvet,
&longs;tudded with gems and the pure&longs;t gold.
In his &longs;carf was &longs;tuck a poignard and
pair of pi&longs;tols of exqui&longs;ite workman&longs;hip.
The&longs;e pi&longs;tols and poignard were &longs;aid to
have been a pre&longs;ent from the late unfortunate
Louis the &longs;ixteenth. The former
was of pure gold, and the value of the
work was &longs;aid to exceed that of the precious
mettle two hundred times. Upon
the Dey's head was a turban with the
point erect, which is peculiar to the royal
family. A large diamond cre&longs;cent
&longs;hone con&longs;picuous in the front, on the
back of which a &longs;ocket received the quills
of two large o&longs;trich feathers, which waved
in graceful maje&longs;ty over his head.
The pri&longs;oners were directed by turns to
approach the foot of the eminence.
When within thirty paces, we were made
to throw our&longs;elves upon the earth and
creep towards the Dey, licking the du&longs;t as

[figure description] Page 019.[end figure description]

a token of reverence and &longs;ubmi&longs;&longs;ion. As
each captive approached, he was commanded
to ri&longs;e, pull of his &longs;lippers, and
&longs;tand with his face bowed to the ground,
and his arms cro&longs;&longs;ed over his brea&longs;t.
The chieux or &longs;ecretary then took the
paper he carried and read the &longs;ame. To
&longs;ome the Dey put que&longs;tions by his drogoman,
others were di&longs;mi&longs;&longs;ed by a &longs;light
nod of his head. After &longs;ome consultation
among the chief men, an officer
came to where the pri&longs;oners were paraded,
and called for three by the number,
which was marked on their brea&longs;ts.
The Dey's prerogative gives him the
right to &longs;elect the tenth of all pri&longs;oners;
and, as the &longs;ervice or ran&longs;om of them
con&longs;titutes one part of his revenue, his
policy is to choo&longs;e tho&longs;e, who&longs;e friends
or wealth would be mo&longs;t likely to enrich
his coffers. At this time, he selected
two wealthy Portugue&longs;e merchants,
and a young nobleman of the &longs;ame

[figure description] Page 020.[end figure description]

nation, called Don Juan Combri. Immediately
after this &longs;election, we were carried
to a &longs;trong hou&longs;e, or rather pri&longs;on,
in the city, and there guarded by an officer
and &longs;ome of the crew of the Rover,
that had taken us. The remainder
of us being con&longs;idered as private property,
another &longs;election was made by the
captain and owners of the Rover; and
all &longs;uch, as could probably pay their
ran&longs;om in a &longs;hort time, were removed
into a place of &longs;afety and &longs;uffered only a
clo&longs;e con&longs;inement. The remnant of my
companions being only eleven, con&longs;i&longs;ted
of the Negro &longs;lave, five Portugue&longs;e, two
Spani&longs;h &longs;ailors, an Italian fiddler, a Dutchman
from the Cape of Good Hope, and
his Hottentot &longs;ervant. As we could proffer
no probability of ran&longs;om we were reserved
for another fate.

p407-244

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