Jews, worthless, vile, and faithless, and to make the terror and horror greater, he beat the living bodies with the dead arms severed from them." It seems that one of the two Alcaldes had been an Algerine captive for a long period, and in a low voice he said to his companion, "This captive has seemed to speak the truth so far, and so appears to be really what he says he is; but I will examine him in a few particulars, and we will see how he can answer me, for I would have you know that I was in this very galley, and I do not recollect any man as first oar, except one Alonzo Moclin, a native of Vélez Málaga," and turning to the captive, he said to him, "Pray tell me, friend, whose galleys were those that chased yours? and did you obtain the freedom you desired by their means?" "The galleys," answered he, "were Don Sancho de Leiva's; we did not obtain our liberty, for they did not come up with us. We gained it afterwards, for we fell in with a ship, bound to Algiers from Sargel, laden with wheat. We came in her to Oran, and from thence to Málaga, from whence my companion and I set out for Italy, in the intention of serving his majesty (whom may God preserve!) as soldiers." "Tell me, friends," said the Alcalde, "you two captives, were you taken to Algiers at first, or to any other part of Barbary?" "We were not made prisoners together," replied the other captive, "for I was taken near Alicant in a vessel laden with wool, going to Genoa,--my companion in the Percheles[N] of Málaga, where he was a fisherman. We became acquainted in a dungeon at Tetuan; we have been friends and shared the same fortune for a long while, and for ten or twelve _quartos_,[O] which is all you have offered us, we have given full information to my lord Alcalde." "Not much, my young gentleman," replied the Alcalde, "you have not gone through the whole ordeal of the question yet. Listen to me, and say, how many doors are there in Algiers? how many fountains, and how many wells of sweet water?" "A foolish question," answered the first captive. "As many doors as houses;--I do not know how many fountains, and so many wells, that I have not seen half; and the troubles I underwent there have gone nigh to take away almost the memory of myself; and if my lord Alcalde wishes to be uncharitable, we will gather up our pence, and strike our tent and say adieu, for there's as good bread to be got elsewhere as here."[P]