Personal Narrative of Events, From 1799 to 1815Lovell, William Stanhope
History
Personal Narrative of Events, From 1799 to 1815
Lovell, William Stanhope
Great Britain. Royal Navy -- Sea life
He had been making enquiries, he said, and had found our account of
the transaction to be quite correct; that he knew the Turkish boy was
a great rascal, and though he had been rightly served, it would be
difficult to pacify the Moors, especially since the offender was not an
Englishman. “True,” I replied; “but he is a subject of our ally, and
under my protection, and nothing but extreme necessity shall compel me
to give him up.” “Keep him out of sight,” replied his Highness, “and
never again let eyes be cast on him in this place, or I will not be
answerable for his life. Come here to-morrow.”
We returned to the consul’s, and the captain of the port dispersed
the mob, assuring them the Bey would take care that justice was done.
With the morning’s dawn again came our clamorous foes; but having in
the meantime had communication, through our friend the captain of the
port, with the boy’s parents, we had learned there was no fear of the
young Turk dying, who, though he had received a severe cut and some
bruises, was doing well. A hint, too, was given us that a few dollars
would assist to heal the wound and soften the rigour of justice. We
went early next morning to the palace, when the Bey informed us of what
we already knew, that the boy would not die from the injuries he had
sustained. Then entering into conversation, “Consider,” said he, “if a
like event had happened to you in a town in England? You knew it was
wrong to ride fast near a populous town.” We pleaded our apprehensions
of being locked out all night. “You ought to have come home sooner
then; but to return to my first question. If in your own country such
an accident had happened, what would be the consequence?” I replied
that we should have had to pay the doctor’s bill, and in the case of
a poor person to give something extra to the parents for the loss of
time in nursing him. “Very well, then, you shall do the same here; but,
take my advice, never ride fast through a large town again, and smuggle
your Portuguese off to the ships for fear of accident;” which I did
the earliest opportunity. The Bey then said, “Who furnished you with
horses?” The vice-consul informed him. “What! my slave? they were mine,
and the fellow had let them to you without my leave; he has been the
cause of the whole. Here,”--clapping his hands, that an officer might
come,--“go directly and give my groom five hundred bastinadoes for
letting out my horses without asking my permission.” Making our bows
we retired, when just outside the door we met Achmet the groom in the
hands of two fierce looking Moorish officers of justice, taking him to
the market-place to undergo his punishment. He fell on his knees, and
implored us to ask his master to pardon him. We stopped the officers
of vengeance, and after a little solicitation, the Bey listened to our
request, and the man was pardoned, who, when he met us, wanted to kiss
our feet for saving him from being bastinadoed. I believe the fellow
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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