sails. Not a thought of
danger entered our heads. A bad look-out must have been kept, for,
without warning, suddenly a large ship ran us alongside before we could
fly to our arms or fire a gun, and a whole host of Moors came swarming
down on our decks. Resistance was useless, though had we been prepared
we might have fought the enemy as you did and beaten her off. We were
prisoners to the corsairs, and doomed, as we supposed, to a life-long
slavery. If the lot of us men was hard, that of our female passengers
was harder still. We had two poor young ladies with a waiting woman and
their father, who had been taken on board against their will and
compelled to accompany us out to these distant seas. Every respect had
been shown to them by the captain and officers, of whom I was one, and
we had promised to send them home by the first ship we should fall in
with returning to England.

"As no blood had been shed we were better treated by the Moors than we
had expected, the passengers even were allowed to remain in their cabins
without molestation, and I was thankful to find that the young ladies
did not make their appearance. Still I trembled to think to what
indignities they might be exposed when carried on shore, and perhaps
separated from each other and their father. Most of our crew were
quickly removed to the corsair, their places being supplied by the
Moors, but I and a few others were left on board to assist in working
the ship. A calm coming on prevented us from reaching Tunis for a
couple of days. During the time, I turned in my mind the possibility of
assisting the young ladies, and at length a plan occurred to me, by
adopting which their position might be rendered less perilous than would
otherwise be the case.

"We had had two young boys in the ship, son and nephew of the captain.
The one had died from sickness, the other had fallen overboard and been
drowned. Their clothes had been left in a chest, and when no one was
looking, I possessed myself of the articles and carried them to their
cabin. My object was quickly explained, and they at once expressed
their willingness to follow my advice.

"Their father saw its wisdom, and leaving them to don the garments I had
brought, I hastened away that I might not be perceived. Then telling
the other officer left with me what I had done, we at once agreed as to
the way we should behave to the seeming lads. We were, should we have
an opportunity, to inform