Echoes of Old LancashireAxon, William E. A. (William Edward Armytage)
History
Echoes of Old Lancashire
Axon, William E. A. (William Edward Armytage)
Lancashire (England) -- History
Acquaintance; and after some Discourse, we told him if he would not
betray us, we would tell him what we had done; but we would not
have the Spaniards to know it, lest they should take them from us;
The which he promis’d, but broke it; and would fain have had Two or
Three of them, to have brought them for England; but we saw his
end; And when he saw he could not prevail, he said they were worth
Two or Three Hundred Pieces of Eight a Piece; Whereat, both the
Master and I told him, if they would give many Thousands they
should not have One, for we hoped to send them home again. So he
look’d upon us as Fools, because we would not Sell them; the which
I would not have done for the whole Island. But contrary to our
Expectations, he told the Spaniards, who threatned to take them
from us: But so soon as we heard thereof, we called out all the
Turks, and told them they must help us, or the Spaniards would take
them from us. So they resolvedly helped us, and we made all haste
to run from the Spaniards, the which pleased the Turks very well.
So we put our selves to the Hazard of the Turks, and being taken
again, to save them.
So we continued about six or seven days, not being willing to put
into any Port of Spain, for fear of losing the Turks. We let them
have all their liberty for four days, till they made an attempt to
rise, the which I foresaw, and prevented without any harm. I was
very Courteous to them, at the which some of our men grumbled,
saying, I had more care of the Turks than them; My Answer was, They
are Strangers, I must treat them well. At last, I told the Master
it might do well to go to the Turks Coast, for there it was more
likely to miss their Men of War than where we were; and also it
might fall out so, that we might have an Opportunity to put the
Turks on Shoar: To which the Master agreed. And in two days we were
near the Turks Shoar, at a place called Cape Hone, about Fifty
Miles from Algier, as the Turks told us. So when we came about six
Miles from the Shore it fell calm, and I had very much working in
my mind, about getting them ashore.
At last I went to the Master, and told him, I had a great desire to
put the Turks on Shore, but how I knew not; for to give them the
Boat, they might go and get Men and Arms, and so take us again; and
to put half on Shoar, they would raise the Country and surprize us
when we came with the rest. But if he would let me go, and if three
more would go with me, I would venture to put them on Shoar; to
which he consented.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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