The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 3: Who was a sailor, a soldier, a merchant, a spy, a slave; among the moors...Sala, George Augustus
General
The Strange Adventures of Captain Dangerous, Vol. 3: Who was a sailor, a soldier, a merchant, a spy, a slave; among the moors...
Sala, George Augustus
Adventure and adventurers -- Fiction
humorously put it, by hanging every Man-Jack of the Crew at the
Yard-arm, and the Algerine Captain at the Mizen. The Dey then asked me
if I had any Friends who I thought would pay my Ransom, the which he
placed at the Moderate Computation of Four Thousand Gold Achmedies
(about Fifteen Hundred Pounds sterling). I answered, that I thought I
could raise about half that Sum, if I were allowed to communicate with
one Monsieur Foscue, a Banker at Marseilles, upon whom I had--or rather
my Captors had--a Letter of Credit, which they had taken from me. But by
Ill-luck this Letter of Credit could not be found. The Captain and Crew
of the Rover that took the Speronare were all well bastinadoed about it,
but no Letter was forthcoming; and I am more inclined to think that it
was thrown, in sheer Ignorance, overboard, than that it was Embezzled.
However, as 'twas not to be discovered, the Dey began to look upon me
as an Impostor; but I earnestly represented to the Interpreter that, if
I had time to write to Monsieur Foscue, all would be right. This I had
his Highness's gracious permission to do, and meanwhile was to remain a
Slave; but was not sent back to the Galleys. Being a Strong Fellow, and
professing to know something about Gardening--Lord help me! I had never
touched a Spade ten times in my Life--I was sent to work in his
Highness's Gardens at the Castle of Sitteet-ako-Leet. As for my Letter,
I penned it in as good French as I could muster, begging Monsieur Foscue
to communicate at once with his Eminence, telling him how I had been
captured, and that my Letter of Credit had been taken from me, and of
the Sorry Plight I was now in. I was given to understand that from Six
to Nine Months must pass by before I could expect an Answer; for that
Safe Conducts to Christian Packets between Algiers and Marseilles were
only granted thrice a year, and the last was but just departed.
Whereupon I resigned myself to my Captivity, hoping for Better Days.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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