ropped in your midst from the main peak, and probably a heavy stone
or bomb from the opposite end of the long lateen yard, where it serves
the double purpose of missile and counterpoise. Now is the time to
keep your distance, unless you would have a hole in your ship's
bottom. The Corsairs, indeed, are very wily in attack and defence,
acquainted with many sorts of projectiles,--even submarine torpedoes,
which a diver will attach to the enemy's keel,--and they know how to
serve their stern chasers with amazing accuracy and rapidity.[67]

[Illustration: ANCHOR.]

With their newly-built galleons, the raids of the Corsairs became more
extensive: they were no longer bounded by the Straits of Gibraltar, or
a little outside; they pushed their successes north and south. In 1617
they passed the Straits with eight well-armed vessels and bore down
upon Madeira, where they landed eight hundred Turks. The scenes that
followed were of the usual character; the whole island was laid waste,
the churches pillaged, the people abused and enslaved. Twelve hundred
men, women, and children were brought back to Algiers, with much
firing of guns, and other signals of joy, in which the whole city
joined.

In 1627 Mur[=a]d--a German renegade--took three Algerine ships as far
north as Denmark and Iceland, whence he carried off four hundred, some
say eight hundred, captives; and, not to be outdone, his namesake
Mur[=a]d Reis, a Fleming, in 1631, ravaged the English coasts, and
passing over to Ireland, descended upon Baltimore, sacked the town,
and bore away two hundred and thirty-seven prisoners, men, women, and
children, even from the cradle. "It was a piteous sight to see them
exposed for sale at Algiers," cries good Father Dan; "for then they
parted the wife from the husband, and the father from the child; then,
say I, they sell the husband here, and the wife there, tearing from
her arms the daughter whom she cannot hope to see ever again."[68]
Many bystanders burst into tears as they saw the grief and despair of
these poor Irish.

As before, but with better confidence, they pursue their favourite
course in the Levant, and cruise across the Egyptian trade route,
where are to be caught ships laden with the products of Cairo and
San'a and Bombay; and lay-to at the back of Cyprus to snare the Syrian
and Persian goods that sail from Scander[=u]n; and so home, with a
pleasant raid along the Italian coasts, touching perhaps at an island
or two to