Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean: The grand period of the Moslem corsairsCurrey, E. Hamilton (Edward Hamilton)
History
Sea-Wolves of the Mediterranean: The grand period of the Moslem corsairs
Currey, E. Hamilton (Edward Hamilton)
Africa, North -- History; Pirates
Doria put to sea with twenty-two royal galleys before Dragut was aware
of the fact. The Genoese admiral heard that his prey was at Jerbah;
he repaired thither without losing a moment, found that he had been
correctly informed, and anchored at the mouth of the harbour, at a
place known as La Bocca de Cantara. Dragut was completely hemmed
in, Doria was in such strength that he could not, reckless as he
was, attempt to force the passage. But as the hour came the spirit
of the corsair rose to answer the challenge: it was one thing to get
Dragut-Reis into a trap, it was quite another to keep him there.
Accordingly, he assembled all his troops, dragged cannon to the mouth
of the harbour, and opened so brisk a foe on the Christian ships as to
compel them to haul out of range. These tactics left Doria unaffected;
there was but one way out of the harbour, and he felt quite convinced
that when Dragut had had enough of starvation he would either surrender
or else fight a hopeless action. The admiral surveyed his anchored
fleet with a contented mind; his enemy had been delivered into his
hand, he had nothing to do now but wait for that final triumph of
appearing before his master the Emperor with the famous corsair as his
prisoner. He saw a great fort rising before his very eyes at the mouth
of the harbour, and merely smiled serenely; he sent off to Sicily and
Naples for reinforcements in order that when the psychological moment
should arise he might crush the corsair stronghold so thoroughly that
it should never rise again. In the despatches which he sent he said
“the fox is trapped”—“which news rejoiced all parts of Christendom, and
most powerful succours came daily flocking to the seaports from every
quarter; so eager were the sufferers to revenge themselves on this so
much dreaded corsair.”
The history of what now happened is given by Don Luys de Marmol
Caravajal in his “Descripcion general de Affrica,” which was printed
in Granada, “en casa de Rene Rabat impresor de libros año de 1573,” or
only some twenty years or so after these occurrences; it is set forth
in his chapter entitled “Como Andrea Doria fue en buscar de these
occurrences; it is set forth in his chapter Dragut Arraez.” We have
also the authority of that eminent historian, M. L’Abbé de Vertot.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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