wound the effects of which remained with him for
life--the French ship was captured.

But the Turks had not come off unscathed, and so enraged were they at
their losses that their first action on boarding the French vessel
was to hack its unfortunate pilot into a thousand pieces. Having thus
relieved their feelings, they put their prisoners in chains. But
then, fearing lest the prisoners die of loss of blood and so cheat
them of the money for which they meant to sell them, they bound up
their wounds and went on their way of destruction and pillage. After
four or five days of piracy on the high seas, they started, laden
with plunder, for the coast of Barbary, noted throughout the world at
that time as a stronghold of sea robbers and thieves.

Chapter 2
SLAVERY

THE pirates were bound for the port of Tunis, the largest city of
Barbary. But the sight of the glittering white town with its
background of mountains, set in the gorgeous coloring of the African
landscape, brought no gleam of joy or comfort to the sad hearts of
the prisoners. Before them lay a life of slavery which might be worse
than death; there was small prospect that they would ever see their
native land again.

To one faint hope, however, they clung desperately, as a drowning man
clings to a straw. There was a French consul in Tunis whose business
it was to look after the trade interests of his country, and it was
just possible that he might use his influence to set them free.

The hope was short-lived. The pirates, expecting to make a good deal
of money out of their prisoners, were equally aware of this fact, and
their first act on landing was to post a notice that the captives
they had for sale were Spaniards. Nothing was left to Vincent and his
companions, who did not know a word of the language of the country,
but to endure their cruel fate.

The Turks, having stripped their prisoners and clothed them in a kind
of rough uniform, fastened chains round their necks and marched them
through the town to the marketplace, where they were exhibited for
sale much as cattle are at the present day. They were carefully
inspected by the dealers, who looked at their teeth, felt their
muscles, made them run and walk--with loads and without--to satisfy
themselves that they were in good condition, and finally selected
their victims. Vincent was bought by a fisherman who, finding that
his new slave got hopelessly ill whenever they put out to sea,
repented o