About this time four vessels entered the port of Algiers. One was a
French man-of-war with a British merchantman as a prize. The other was
an Algerine felucca with a Sicilian brig which she had captured along
with her crew of twenty men.
There were a number of men, women, and children on board the Frenchman's
prize, all of whom, when informed of the port into which they had been
taken, were thrown into a state of the utmost consternation, giving
themselves up for lost--doomed to slavery for the remainder of their
lives,--for the piratical character of the Algerines was well-known and
much dreaded in those days by all the maritime nations. Newspapers and
general knowledge, however, were not so prevalent then as now, and for a
thousand Englishmen of the uneducated classes who knew that the
Algerines were cruel pirates, probably not more than two or three were
aware of the fact that England paid tribute to Algiers, and was
represented at her Court by a consul. The crew of the prize, therefore,
were raised from the lowest depths of despair to the highest heights of
extravagant joy on hearing that they were free, and their gratitude knew
no bounds when the consul sent Ted Flaggan and Rais Ali to conduct them
from the Marina to his own town residence, where beds and board,
attendance and consolation, were hospitably provided for them. We might
add with truth that they were also provided with amusement, inasmuch as
Ted Flaggan allowed the effervescence of his sympathetic spirit and
wayward fancy to flow over in long discourses on Algerine piracy and
practice in general, in comparison with which the "Arabian Nights" is
tameness itself.
With the poor Sicilian captives, however, the case was very different,
for the felucca which brought them in brought also a report that the
Sicilian government had behaved very brutally to some Algerines whom
they had captured. The immediate result was that all the Sicilian
captives then in Algeria were ordered to be heavily ironed and put to
the severest work at the quarries and on the fortifications, while some
of the most refractory among them were beaten to death, and others were
thrown upon the large hooks outside the town-wall, or crucified.
To the latter death Francisco Rimini and his sons were condemned, and it
is certain that the sentence would have been carried into immediate
effect--for legal processes among the pirates were short, and judicial
action was sharp--had not an event occurred which arrested for a brief
period the hand of piratical justice.
This event was the arrival of a Sicilian priest, who was commissioned to
treat for the exchange of prisoners and the ransom of a certain number
of Sicilian slaves. The ransom of these slaves varied much according to
their position, but a very common price demanded and paid was from 200
pounds to 400 pounds sterling. Of course noblemen, bankers, wealthy
merchants, etcetera, were rated much higher than others, but not too
high to render their ransom impossible, for the Algerines were adepts at
this species of traffic, having been engaged in it more or less for
several centuries! As the settlement of these ransoms, and the
ascertaining as to who were the fortunate ones whose friends had
succeeded in raising the necessary funds, required time, the execution
of the Riminis and other Sicilians was, as we have said, delayed.
When Paulina and her sister heard of the arrival of the priest, they
flew into each other's arms, never doubting that the husband of the
former must have at last raised the required sum for their ransom, but
on being reminded that the priest was commissioned to redeem only
captives of Sicily, they sat down and relieved themselves by giving way
to floods of tears. Paulina, however, soon comforted herself by kissing
her baby, and Angela consoled herself with the reflection that, at all
events, Mariano and his father and brother would be ransomed, which, she
naturally argued, would enable the first to move heaven and earth in
order to effect the ransom of herself, and sister also. She did not
know, poor girl, of the dreadful fate to which her lover was already
doomed, for the consul, although aware of it, could not prevent it, and
had not the heart to tell her.
Previous to this event the British consul had endeavoured to use his
influence to bring about peace between the Algerines and Sicilians, but
the former, having no desire for peace, made the terms such as could not
be agreed to, namely, that the Sicilians should pay them 450 pounds
before any negotiations for peace should be entered on. The rejection
of this proposal did not, of course, facilitate the arrangements that
were now being made, and when Omar demanded that, in cases of exchange
of prisoners, _two_ Algerines should be returned for each Sicilian slave
set free, it was seen that the prospect of a speedy termination of
hostilities was not bright.
After some days spent in useless discussion, the worthy priest was
obliged to return home without accomplishing his mission.
One good result, however, followed. Those captives who had been
condemned to death, and for whom ransoms had been offered, were
reprieved; nevertheless, they were treated with cruel severity. Of
course the unfortunates for whom no ransom had been offered were treated
with the utmost rigour, and the sentences of such as had been condemned
to die were ordered to be carried out. In the case of poor Mariano the
sentence was altered, for that headstrong youth had in his despair made
such a fierce assault on his jailers that, despite his chains, he had
well-nigh strangled three of them before he was effectually secured. He
was therefore condemned to be buried alive in one of the huge square
blocks of concrete with which the walls of a part of the fortifications
were being strengthened. (See Note 1.)
While these things were pending, very different scenes were taking place
at the French consulate, for great preparations were going on for a
mask-ball which was about to take place there.
It may, perhaps, appear strange to some readers that any one could have
the heart to engage in gaieties in the midst of such horrible scenes of
injustice, cruelty, and death, but it must be remembered that human
beings have a wonderful capacity for becoming used and indifferent to
circumstances the most peculiar--as all history assures us--and it must
also be borne in remembrance that the unfortunate Sicilian captives,
whose sorrows and sufferings we have tried to depict, were a mere
fraction of the community in the midst of which they suffered. It is
probable that the great body of the people in Algiers at that time knew
little, and cared less, about the Riminis and their brethren.
Since the reconciliation of the English and French Consuls, at the time
when the representative of Denmark was rescued, the Frenchman had
displayed great cordiality to the Briton--not only accepting the
invitations which before he had refused, but drinking with apparent
enthusiasm to the health of the English king, on the occasion of a
dinner given in celebration of that monarch's birthday at the British
consulate.
The mask-ball was a very great affair indeed when it came off--which it
did at the country residence of the French consul. The mansion, which
was Mauresque in style, was splendidly decorated with flags of various
nations, and the skiffa, with its sparkling fountain and graceful
palmettas, was a perfect blaze of variegated lamps. These hung amid the
foliage of the creepers that twined round the curved marble pillars, and
their red garish light contrasted powerfully with the clear purity of
the star-lit sky, which formed the natural roof of the skiffa.
The grounds around the consulate were also decorated and lighted up with
the taste for which the French are peculiarly noted.
Of course all the consuls were invited, with their respective families,
and were present, with the exception of Mrs Langley, who happened to be
indisposed, and Agnes, who stayed at home to nurse her mother. As an
affair of the kind involved a good deal of laxity of what may be styled
domestic discipline, many of the superior servants were also permitted
to stroll about the grounds in fancy costumes. The consuls themselves
appeared in their proper uniforms, but some of the members of their
households displayed themselves in forms and aspects which we find it
difficult to describe, while others of the guests habited themselves in
the skins, and gave themselves the airs, of wild beasts of the forest.
There were wild-boars from the Jurjura Hills, overgrown monkeys from the
gorge of "la Chiffa," lions from Mount Atlas, and panthers from the
Zahara, besides other nondescript creatures from nowhere. But these
were a mere sprinkling in the gay scene of richly dressed ladies and
gentlemen, among whom, strange to say, were not a few Christian slaves!
These last were Italian and Portuguese officers who had been captured by
the Algerines at various times. Had they been taken by civilised
peoples, they would have been deemed prisoners of war, and treated as
such, but the pirates styled them slaves, and would certainly have
treated them as beasts of burden--as they treated hundreds of their
countrymen--but for the fact that they had friends at home who paid an
annual sum to purchase for them exemption from such drudgery. Having
nothing to do, and no means of escaping, these unfortunate men did what
they could to mitigate the woes of their brethren--though they were not
allowed to do much--and entered more or less into the society and
amusements of the city. Hence, though liable at any moment to be put in
chains, or sent to the quarries, or even slain by their savage captors,
they were to be found waltzing at the fancy ball of the French consul!
Among those who cut a very conspicuous--we may venture to say a
beastly--figure that night was our friend Ted Flaggan. The eccentric
tar, desiring to enjoy the ball under the shelter of a mask which would
preserve his incognito, had, with the aid of Rais Ali, provided himself
with the complete skin of a wild-boar, including the head with its
enormous tusks, and, having fitted it to his person, and practised a
variety of appropriate antics, to the delight of Agnes, who was the only
person besides Rais admitted to his secret, he felt himself to be quite
up in his part--almost fitted to hold converse with the veritable
denizens of the forest.
Flaggan had arranged that he was to put on the boar-dress in the town
residence of Rais Ali. Being unwilling to attract the attention of the
populace by passing through the streets, in broad daylight, he
determined to postpone his advent to an advanced part of the evening.
It was a clear, calm night when he left the country residence of the
British consul, with a crescent moon to light him on his way. He had
just issued from the garden gate, when an old man, clad in a
half-monkish robe, advanced, towards him with strides that would have
done credit to a dragoon.
"I've me doubts that yer not so ancient as ye look, owld feller," he
said, eyeing the man keenly as he drew near, and moving the head of the
thick stick, which, as usual, rested in his pocket, as if to hold it in
readiness for instant action.
"Be the Breetish consul at home?" said the old man in broken English and
in breathless haste.
"Not at present," answered the seaman quickly, for he now saw that the
man was really old, and that anxiety had given him strength to exert
himself beyond his ordinary powers, "but I'm goin' to meet him--bein',
if I may so spake, his edgedukong. Av you've anything in the world to
say to his Excellency I'm your man to carry the message."
"You are Breetish sailor, I zee," returned the old man, sitting down and
heaving a deep sigh, as if unable to recover breath. "You will
onderstan' when I say your Lord Exmouth do come quickly for bombard de
city!"
"Onderstand you--is it?" exclaimed Ted, with sudden excitement. "Faix
do I, but I don't belave ye."
"Man!" said the other, with an earnest look, "doos you tink I come here
like dis for tell do Breetish consul a lie!"
"Shure yer right, an' I'm a goose," exclaimed the tar, becoming still
more excited; "but are 'ee sure yer not mistaken, owld man?"
"Quite sure. Listen. Go, tell consul dat one boat come shore at Pointe
Pescade, find me dere, capture me--carry me off. It was fishin' boat in
Breetish pay. Dey find out who I be. Give leave to go shore again, and
warn Breetish consul to look out, for Turk ver' savage when him hear of
dis. Lord Exmouth, wid large fleet come straight to Algiers, for
delivrin' all slaves, an' blow up de city."
"Hurrah!" shouted Flaggan, in a subdued voice, while he unpocketed the
cudgel and twirled it over his head. "Good luck to 'ee, owld man. I'm
off to tell the consul. Go in here an' they'll give 'ee some grub. Say
I sent 'ee.--But, hallo!" he added, when on the point of starting,
"what's yer name?"
"The Padre Giovanni," replied the old man.
"Och! it's mesilf has heard of 'ee," cried the seaman, as he turned and
dashed down the road leading to the city. So energetic was he in his
motions, and so quick was his pace, on reaching Bab-el-Oued gate, that
the guard--a young soldier, lately arrived from Turkey--became
suspicious, and ventured to intercept him.
Flaggan was in no humour to be stopped, or even spoken with. He made an
attempt to force past, which caused the soldier to present his piece at
him. Hereupon Ted drew forth his cudgel, hit the Turk a Donnybrookian
whack over the skull that laid him flat on the ground, and took to his
heels.
The rest of the guard, who saw this little incident and recognised the
now well-known seaman, instantly gave chase; but Ted was too active for
them. He doubled down a narrow street on his left, and in five minutes
was beyond their reach. He knew now that nothing but prompt action
could save him from immediate arrest and probable castigation. He
therefore went straight to Rais Ali's house, and was admitted by an old
negress.
Arraying himself in the skin of the wild boar, he attempted to cover
himself with an Arab burnous, but, do what he could, he found it
impossible to draw the hood over him in such a way as to conceal the
head of the boar, and after his recent escapade with the guard, he felt
that it was not safe to venture forth again uncovered. He therefore
resolved to keep the boar's head exposed, and to venture boldly forth,
despite the attention it was sure to attract.
To his great relief Rais himself came in just as he was about to start,
and after relating his adventure, that worthy suggested that he should
join half a dozen of the French consul's own servants, who were about to
set out for the scene of festivities.
Agreeing to this plan, he passed through the streets without attracting
much more attention than did his somewhat wildly-habited companions, and
soon reached the French consul's residence, which was not more than half
a mile beyond the southern gate of the city.
The blaze of light and buzz of musical noise that reigned here
immediately swallowed them up, so that Ted felt himself, for the time at
least, to be safe. His grotesque figure did indeed attract some
attention at first, for he was an exceeding tall and sturdy boar, but
there were so many other notabilities from the forest and desert around
him that he quickly sank into comparative insignificance.
Some of the other creatures referred to gave him a little uneasiness by
their curiosity and desire to claim acquaintance, if not kindred, with
him, but by humouring some, frightening others, running away from
several, and tumbling a few into the bushes, he managed to push through
the crowd of domestics unrecognised, and made his way into the outer
lobby of the mansion.
Here, seated under the shadow of a Moorish arch way, drinking lemonade,
in default, as he said, of better tipple, Ted resolved to bide his time,
but his time seemed rather long of coming. He therefore boldly entered
the magnificent skiffa in search of Colonel Langley.
His appearance was greeted with a shout of delight by several children
who were present, and the French consul, willing to amuse them, went up,
and, shaking hands with the boar, begged of him to join in the dance.
Poor Ted would have given anything to have known what was said to him,
but, being utterly ignorant of French, shook his head and bowed with an
air of profound respect, which piece of politeness caused his short and
rather ill-fitting tail to stick straight up in the air for a moment,
and drew roars of laughter from the company.
"Dansez, dansez-vous," said the Frenchman, with more emphasis.
"Och! it's that ye want, is it?" said Ted, much relieved; "sure I'll do
it with all the pleasure in life.--Clear the deck, boys!"
And without more ado the lively tar began to whistle a sailor's
hornpipe, and to dance the same with an amount of vigorous dexterity
that had in former years made him the favourite of the forecastle.
The surprise soon merged into admiration, for our hero danced
exceedingly well, and all eyes were attracted to him. Among others the
British consul came forward to look on with much interest and curiosity,
for his ear was perhaps the only one present to which the tune whistled
was familiar.
Dancing close up to him, Ted Flaggan suddenly slipped, and, staggering
as if about to fall, flung his arm over the consul's shoulder.
"Take care!" said the latter, catching him.
"Och!" gasped Ted, sinking down and almost dragging the other after him,
"spake to me av ye love me."
Amazed by this tender appeal, and suddenly suspecting the personality of
the boar, the consul bent down while the rest of the onlookers crowded
round,--and said in a low voice--
"Why, Flag--"
"Whist! whist! blood an thunder! it'll rain scimitars an' grape-shot av
ye say a word! Mate me in the gardin' dear, _under the palm_."
This was said in the midst of a writhing and growling which would have
done credit to a lunatic boar, if such there were!
"Not hurt, I hope?" said the French consul, coming forward.
"Not at all," replied Colonel Langley, rising with a smile, "the fellow
is one of my domestics, and has almost over-acted his part. He will be
all right in a minute if some one will be kind enough to fetch him a
glass of water--"
"An' brandy, ochone!" exclaimed the boar, with another tremendous growl,
that again sent the children into shouts of delight.
The brandy and water was brought, and Ted making a polite bow to the
company, passed down the room with a slight tremor of the hornpipe in
his legs, and a faint trill of the tune on his lips, both of which
melted gradually into a boarish grunt and roll as he reached the lobby
and passed out into the garden.
Hastening to a stately date-palm, of which there happened to be only one
specimen in the garden of the French residence, the heated seaman pushed
off his head, wiped his brow, drank the brandy and water, and threw away
the tumbler, after which he sat down on a root, mechanically pulled out
his pipe, and was in the act of filling it when Colonel Langley came
hurriedly forwards.
"Why, Flaggan," he asked, "what's wrong? for something must be, to
induce your strange conduct."
"Lord Exmouth, sir," replied Ted, rising up with an air of dignified
importance which the elevated snout of the boar tended sadly to impair,
"is in the offing with fifty sail o' the line, more or less, comin' to
blow this precious city into the middle of next week."
"Come, Flaggan, let us have it without jesting," said the consul
gravely.
Thereupon Ted related in as serious a tone as it was possible for him to
assume all that had been told by the Padre Giovanni.
"Our position will indeed be critical if this be true," muttered the
consul, with a look of anxiety. "Omar is a man who fears nothing, and
has unbounded faith in his men and fortifications. Moreover, he is
utterly regardless of consequences, and has no mercy when once roused.
My poor defenceless wife and children!--if--"
"You may depend upon _me_, sir," said Ted, seeing that he hesitated;
"I'll stick to 'em, I will, through--"
"I have no doubt of that, my man," interrupted the consul, with a sad
smile, "but your aid in this case will be useless. The fact is that the
preservation of your life will be a more difficult matter for me to
accomplish than my own. If Lord Exmouth really arrives and proceeds to
extremities, I and my family will be in the greatest peril from these
irate corsairs, but you, my poor fellow, are doomed whatever happens,
seeing that you have laid violent hands on the Turkish guard of the
gates."
"Sure, an' small blame to me," said Ted.
"I do not blame you, but the Turks will, and they will do more,--they
will strangle you for a certainty the moment they get hold of you, and
no power that I possess can save you, so that your only chance lies in
making your escape from the city, either by land or sea."
"An' that won't be aisy, sur," said the seaman, with a perplexed look.
"Indeed it will not. You may be sure that the Turks are even now
searching for you, and as they know that I am here, and that you belong
to my household--"
"By your lave," said Ted suddenly, "it sames to me that it's time for
Ted Flaggan to look after his owld bones. I'm grateful to 'ee, sur.--
Good-night."
He pulled his boar-head down without awaiting a reply, and went hastily
off in the direction of a small outhouse where Rais Ali was enjoying
himself amid a circle of the French consul's domestics.
Dashing forward, he seized his friend by the arm and dragged him out by
main force, to the amusement of the domestics, who thought it was a
practical jest.
"Arrah! don't stare like that, but come along wid ye," said Ted, hasting
to a neighbouring thicket, into the very heart of which he penetrated
before halting.
"What be go wrong?" exclaimed Rais.
"They're after me, lad. Don't waste time spaikin'. You've got your
burnous here, haven't ye?"
"Yis!"
"Go, fetch it, an' sharp's the word."
Flaggan's tone and actions were such as to instil a spirit of prompt
unquestioning obedience into his friend, who instantly went off; and in
a few seconds, (which seemed years to Ted), returned with his burnous.
While the seaman quickly but quietly divested himself of the boar-skin,
and put on the burnous with the hood well drawn over his face, he
related to his friend the incident at the gate, without, however,
mentioning the true cause of his behaviour.
"An' wat for you go be do now?" asked Rais Ali anxiously.
"To make me escape, sure," said Ted, holding the head of his cudgel
close up to his friend's nose; "across the mountains or over the say, by
hook or crook, or through the air, escape I will somehow, even though I
should have to jump out at me mouth an' lave me body behind me, for
depind upon it that all the Turks an' Moors an' boors an' naigers in the
Pirates' Nest ain't able to take Ted Flaggan alive!"
"Unposs'ble!" exclaimed Rais decidedly.
"I manes to try, anyhow," returned Ted; "so give us your flipper, owld
boy; I've a sort o' sneakin' regard for 'ee, tho' ye haven't much to
boast of in the way o' pluck."
"Unposs'ble!" again ejaculated Rais Ali, with greater decision than
before.
"Well, good-bye to 'ee--I'm off."
"Stay. _I_ will save you."
"How?" asked Ted, pausing with some impatience.
"Stay. Hold. Stop," cried, the Moor, seizing the arm of his friend.
"You be mad. Unposs'ble I say?--no, yes, poss'ble anuf for you 'scape
without your body. But me save bof. Me knows hole in de rocks; come
take you dere,"--here the Moor became emphatic, and lowered his voice to
a whisper,--"no boddy do knows it. All dead w'at know'd it vonce. Me
was a--what you call?--pirate vonce. Hah! nebber mind, come 'long.
Queek, no time for d'liberazhun."
"Git along then, old feller," said Flaggan, thrusting his companion
through the thicket very unceremoniously. "Don't palaver so much, but
take the helm; an' wotiver ye do, clap on all sail--ivery stitch you can
carry--for the case is desprit."
Rais Ali did "clap on all sail," steered his friend through the
brightly-lighted grounds and laughing throng of revellers, through
numerous lanes between hedges of aloes and prickly pear, over the Sahel
hills, and away to the northward, until they reached the neighbourhood
of Pointe Pescade, which lay about three and a half miles on the other
side of the town.
"It's a purty big raigion hereaway," said Flaggan, during a brief halt
to recover breath; "why shouldn't I steer for the Great Zahairy, an'
live wi' the Bedooin Arabs? I s'pose it's becase they'll always be
doin' somethin' or other that they've got the name."
"'Cause they'd robb an' kill you," replied Rais.
"Umph!" ejaculated Ted, as they descended to the bold rocky coast, where
the celebrated pirate of old was wont to mount guard over the
Mediterranean.
"Betterer for you trust to de sea," said Rais.
"True for ye, boy--seein' that I'm a say-farin' man," returned Ted.
Proceeding cautiously down a wild and almost invisible pathway among the
cliffs, Rais Ali reached the base at a part where the sea ran under the
overhanging rocks. Stepping into a pool which looked black and deep,
but which was only a few inches at the edge, he waded slowly into the
interior of a cavern, the extremity of which was quite dry. It was dark
as Erebus, but flint and steel soon produced a light.
"There vas vonce a torch here," said Rais, looking about hastily, while
the vault above was lighted for a few seconds by the bunch of dry grass
which he had brought with him, "but it long since me be--ah, here it is;
dis am de torch."
He lighted it, and showed his friend the form and size of the cave,
reiterated that it was known to no one but himself--at least so he
thought--advised him to remain close all day and keep a good look-out
seaward at night, promised to return with food the following evening,
and finally left him to his meditations.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Note 1. A very remarkable and authentic instance of this style of
punishment is recorded in the annals of Algiers.
A Moor named Geronimo was, about the beginning of the seventeenth
century, converted to Christianity by a captive. The reigning Pasha
ordered him to recant, and gave him _twenty-four_ hours to make up his
mind. On his refusal, the Pasha caused Geronimo to be buried alive in
the mud which was being poured into moulds and dried into blocks, for
the purpose of building fort Bab-el-Oued. In this block the poor martyr
was built into the wall of the fort, which was thereafter named the
"Fort of the Twenty-four Hours." The incident was soon nearly
forgotten. Two and a half centuries afterwards, (in December 1853), the
French, while carrying out their improvements in the town, destroyed the
ancient "Fort of the Twenty-four Hours," but were warned, by one who was
well read in the history of the place, to be careful on razing a certain
part of the walls to examine them well. They did so, and found the body
of Geronimo--or, rather, the _mould_ formed by his body, which latter,
of course, had crumbled to dust. A plaster cast was taken from this
mould, and this cast--which gives an almost perfect representation of
the martyr lying on his face, with his hands tied behind his back--is
now in the museum of the library of Algiers.