Daring Deeds of Famous Pirates: True stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneersChatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
History
Daring Deeds of Famous Pirates: True stories of the stirring adventures, bravery and resource of pirates, filibusters & buccaneers
Chatterton, E. Keble (Edward Keble)
Pirates
These eight men, armed with the keys, now came to the prison, whose doors
they opened. The captives were ready and waiting. Foxe called on them to
do their share, and the whole band—between two and three hundred—poured
forth. To each section did Foxe bestow some duty. The eight prison
warders were put to death, but some of the prisoners Foxe had wisely sent
down to the water, where they got ready for sea the best galley, called
the _Captain of Alexandria_. Whilst some were getting her launched,
others were rushing about bringing her masts and sails and oars and the
rest of her inventory from the winter quarters. The whole place was
seething with suppressed excitement. Meanwhile there was a warm contest
going on at the prison before all the warders were slain. The latter had
fled to the top of the prison, and Foxe with his companions went after
them with ladders. Blood and slaughter were all round them. Three times
was Foxe shot, but by a miracle the shot only passed through his clothing
on each occasion. But, as if by way of punishment for their greed,
Unticaro and his two companions who had taken the ducats were killed
outright, being “not able to weild themselves, being so pestered with the
weight and uneasie carrying of the wicked and prophane treasure.”
In this conflict one of the Turks was run through with a sword and,
not yet dead, fell from the top of the prison wall to the ground. Such
a noise did he then begin to make that the alarm was raised, and the
authorities were amazed to find the Christian prisoners were “paying
their ransoms” by dealing death to their late masters. Alexandria was
now roused, and both a certain castle as well as a strong fortress were
bestirring themselves to action. It seemed as if the prisoners, after
all their years of suffering, after having brought about so gallant an
escape, were now to fail just as victory was well in sight. It was
a saddening thought. But there was one road of escape and one only.
Whilst some of the prisoners were still running down to the sea carrying
munitions, some additional oars, victuals and whatever else were required
for the galleys, others were getting ready for pushing off. The last of
the Christians leapt aboard, the final touch was given to the gear, and
up went the yards and the sails were unloosed. There was a good breeze
and this, the swiftest and best of all Alexandria’s ships, was speeding
on at a good pace. But ashore the Turks have already got to their guns,
and the roar of cannon is heard from both the castle and fortress. The
sea is splashing everywhere with Turkish ball and the smoke is swept by
the breeze off the shore. Five and forty times did these guns fire and
never once did a shot so much as graze the galley, although she could see
the splashes all around her.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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