The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 571 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11.

The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11 eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 571 pages of information about The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11.
to take a Greekish Carmosell, which came into Africa to steale Negroes, and went out of Tripolis vnto that place, which was two hundred and fourtie leagues thence, but wee were chained three and three to an oare, and wee rowed naked aboue the girdle, and the Boteswaine of the Galley walked abaft the maste, and his Mate afore the maste, and eche of them a bulls pissell dried in their handes, and when their diuelish choller rose, they would strike the Christians for no cause:  and they allowed vs but halfe a pound of bread a man in a day without any other kinde of sustenance, water excepted.  And when we came to the place whereas wee saw the Carmosell, we were not suffered to haue neither needle, bodkin, knife, or any other weapon about vs, nor at any other time in the night, vpon paine of one hundred bastonadoes:  wee were then also cruelly manackled in such sort, that we could not put our handes the length of one foote asunder the one from the other, and euery night they searched our chaines three times, to see if they were fast riueted:  Wee continued fight with the Carmosell three houres, and then wee tooke it, and lost but two of our men in that fight, but there were slaine of the Greekes fiue, and foureteene were cruelly hurt, and they that were sound, were presently made slaues and chained to the oares:  and within fifteene dayes after we returned againe into Tripolis, and then wee were put to all maner of slauerie. [Sidenote:  The Turkes builded a church.] I was put to hewe stones, and other to cary stones, and some to draw the Cart with earth, and some to make morter, and some to draw stones, (for at that time the Turkes builded a church:) And thus we were put to all kinde of slauerie that was to be done.  And in the time of our being there, the Moores that are the husbandmen of the countrey rebelled against the king, because he would haue constrained them to pay greater tribute then heretofore they had done, so that the Souldiours of Tripolis marched foorth of the towne to haue ioyned battell against the Moores for their rebellion, and the King sent with them foure pieces of Ordinance, which were drawen by the captiues twenty miles into the Country after them, and at the sight thereof the Moores fled and then the Captaines returned backe againe.  Then I and certaine Christians more were sent twelue miles into the countrey with a Cart to lode timber, and we returned againe the same day.

[Sidenote:  The Christians sent 3. times a weeke 30 miles to fetch wood.] Nowe the king had 18. captiues, which three times a weeke went to fetch wood thirtie miles from the towne:  and on a time he appointed me for one of the 18. and wee departed at eight of the clocke in the night, and vpon the way as wee rode vpon the camels, I demaunded of one of our company, who did direct vs the way? he sayd, that there was a Moore in our company which was our guide:  and I demavnded of them how Tripolis and the wood bare one of the other? and hee said, East Northeast and

Copyrights
Project Gutenberg
The Principal Navigations, Voyages, Traffiques and Discoveries of the English Nation — Volume 11 from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.