The Story of the Barbary CorsairsLane-Poole, Stanley
History
The Story of the Barbary Corsairs
Lane-Poole, Stanley
Africa, North -- History -- 1517-1882; Pirates
About eleven o'clock a dead calm set in. The Turks shortened sail and
took to their oars: in perfect order and with matchless speed and
precision they formed in line of battle, while drums and fifes
announced their high spirits. The Christian fleet was slower in
falling into line; some of the galleys and most of the galleasses were
behindhand. Don John let drop some pious oaths, and sent swift
vessels to hurry them up. At last they began to get into order.
Barbarigo, the "left guide," hugged the coast with the left wing; Don
John with the centre _corps de bataille_ kept touch with him; but
where was the "right guide"? Giovanni Doria, infected with the
tactical vanity of his family, resolved to show these landsmen how a
sailor can manoeuvre. Conceiving that Ochiali, on the Ottoman left,
was trying to outflank the Christian fleet, he bore out to sea in
order to turn him. In vain Don John sent to recall him; he had gone
out of reach, and the battle had to be fought without the right wing.
Doria's precious manoeuvring went near to losing the day.
The Ottoman fleet was marshalled in the same order as the Christian,
except that there were no galleasses. The line of battle, nearly a
mile long, was divided into centre, and right and left wing, and
behind the centre was the reserve. Mohammed Shaluk (called by
Europeans Scirocco) commanded the right wing, opposed to Barbarigo's
left; 'Ali Pasha opposed Don John in the centre; Ochiali was over
against the post where Doria should have been. Between the two lines
stood forth the heavy galleasses, like great breakwaters, turning
aside and dividing the flowing rush of the Ottoman galleys. The fire
of these huge floating castles nearly caused a panic among the Turks,
but they soon pulled past them, and a general melley ensued. In the
Christian left, after a deadly struggle, in which both Barbarigo and
Scirocco lost their lives, the Turks were repulsed, and, deprived of
their chief, took to the shore, but not before the Christians had lost
many galleys and a host of brave men. Soon after the left had been
engaged, the centre came into action. 'Ali Pasha made straight for Don
John's _Reale_, and his beak rammed it as far in as the fourth bank of
oars. Close by were Pertev Pasha and the _capitanas_ of Colonna and
Veniero. The ships became entangled, and formed one large platform of
war. Twice the Spaniards of the _Reale_ boarded the _Fanal_ of 'Ali
Pasha as far as the mainmast, and twice they were driven back with
terrible loss. 'Ali himself was preparing to leap upon Don John's
galley when Colonna rammed him on the poop, penetrating as far as the
third oar, and delivered a withering fire from his arquebuses. The
Christians had all the advantage of armour and firearms, and fired
behind bulwarks; the Turks were unprotected by cuirass or helmet or
bulwark, and most of them had bows instead of guns. Colonna's volleys
decided the fate of the _Fanal_, and 'Ali Pasha departed this life. An
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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