The History of the Maritime Wars of the Turks. Chapters I. to IV.Kâtip Çelebi
History
The History of the Maritime Wars of the Turks. Chapters I. to IV.
Kâtip Çelebi
Turkey -- History -- 1453-1683; Turkey -- History, Naval
The fame of these two men now began to be very conspicuous, and their
valour was celebrated along the shores of the Mediterranean. On one
occasion they went out with four ships, and proceeded to a castle
called Bajaia (Bujia), in the vicinity of Trabalos (Tripoli), of which
they had obtained possession. Here they were opposed by the Spanish
fleet, which gave them battle; but they bravely resisted them, and
by the favour of God were victorious. They took two of the ships,
and dispersed the rest, except one which Oruj Reis sunk. After the
engagement Oruj Reis went out, and whilst he was surveying the castle,
the enemy made an attempt to recover their vessels. Whilst Oruj Reis
was employed in repelling them, a shot from the castle wounded his left
arm. His brother took him on board, and had his arm dressed; but, as
the wound seemed incurable, they were obliged to amputate it. In the
mean time they took a barge and several small vessels, which they sent
to Tunis. Khair-ad-din himself sailed to the island of Majorca, which
he attacked, reduced several of the fortresses, and enriched himself
with the plunder of the villages. Whilst he continued his cruise, the
capudan of Corsica came out with eight galleys, and made preparations
for an engagement. Khair-ad-din turned upon the capudan’s galley and
attacked it; but the contest was long, and many men fell on both sides.
At last the infidels were beaten, and began to retreat. The two vessels
which they had taken Khair-ad-din obliged them to give up. He then
returned to Tunis, where he left Oruj Reis on account of his wound.
THE ENGAGEMENTS OF KHAIR-AD-DIN.
During the winter the warrior again went to sea, and became exceedingly
rich, having taken in one month three thousand eight hundred prisoners
and twenty ships. The captives he retained for himself, but all the
booty he divided among his men. In the spring he again took the command
of seven private vessels, and went to sea. On this occasion he attacked
a town on the infidel coast, and having taken about one thousand eight
hundred prisoners, he sold them for two thousand florins, and returned.
Whilst his vessels were dispersed in search of plunder, one night after
he had lighted his lantern, he was followed by four barges, which he
did not observe till the next morning, when he turned upon them and
took all the four. These were laden with cloth; and when he carried
them to Tunis, he took out of them eight thousand pastas and bales
of cloth. Previously to this, on the same night, he had given chase
to another barge, which however contrived to escape from him, but it
was taken by the other ships, and being a French vessel, and fully
laden, he entrusted it to his nephew, Mohi-ad-din Reis, and sent it
with presents to the Porte; in return for which, the Porte sent him
two galleys and a robe of honour. After this no ship could venture to
withstand Khair-ad-din.
THE EXPEDITION TO BEJAIA AND THE CAPTURE OF SHARSHAL.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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