to take in wine, oil, and spices. He adds
that Tunis had then but fourteen polaccas; Sal[=e] thirty very swift
caravels, drawing little water on account of the harbour bar; and
Tripoli but seven or eight, owing to the vigilance of the Knights of
Malta. Altogether, the whole Barbary fleet numbered one hundred and
twenty sailing ships, besides about twenty-five galleys and
brigantines.

[Illustration: TORMENTS OF THE SLAVES.

(_Dan, Hist. de Barbarie, 1637._)]

[Illustration: TORMENTS OF THE SLAVES.

(_Dan, Hist. de Barbarie, 1637._)]

Father Dan draws a miserable picture of the captives' life ashore.
Nothing of course could equal the torment of the galley-slaves, but
the wretchedness of the shore-slaves was bad enough. When they were
landed they were driven to the Besist[=a]n or slave-market, where they
were put up to auction like the cattle which were also sold there;
walked up and down by the auctioneer to show off their paces; and
beaten if they were lazy or weary or seemed to "sham." The purchasers
were often speculators who intended to sell again,--"bought for the
rise," in fact; and "Christians are cheap to day" was a business
quotation, just as though they had been stocks and shares. The
prettiest women were generally shipped to Constantinople for the
Sultan's choice; the rest were heavily chained and cast into vile
dungeons in private houses till their work was allotted them, or into
the large prisons or bagnios, of which there were then six in Algiers,
each containing a number of cells in which fifteen or sixteen slaves
were confined. Every rank and quality of both sexes might be seen
in these wretched dens, gentle and simple, priest and laic, merchant
and artisan, lady and peasant-girl, some hopeful of ransom, others
despairing ever to be free again. The old and feeble were set to sell
water; laden with chains, they led a donkey about the streets and
doled out water from the skin upon his back; and an evil day it was
when the poor captive did not bring home to his master the stipulated
sum. Others took the bread to the bake-house and fetched it back in
haste, for the Moors love hot loaves. Some cleaned the house, (since
Mohammedans detest dirt,) whitened the walls, washed the clothes, and
minded the children; others took the fruit to market, tended the
cattle, or laboured in the fields, sometimes sharing the yoke of the
plough with a beast of burden. Worst of all was the sore labour of
quarrying stone fo