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July, being then on the parallel of 36 degrees north latitude, and somewhere south-west of Cape St. Vincent, he produced his secret instructions, and said, "I read here that it is the will of the admiral that we go to Salce." The captain answered him, with an air of indifference, "If we must go, we must ;" but added in English, "It is now time, then, for us to be doing." He took a box of dominoes, and sat down with me to play; Allan Ruberice smoked and watched the game. During the game my husband detailed to me, in broken sentences, the plan he had prepared in anticipation of our present emergency. Towards evening, he intended to ply the prize-master again with spirits, in the hope that he would once more intoxicate himself. Having done this, he and the mate were to thrust him under the cabin deck, and I was to stand guard over him there, with a loaded pistol pointed at his head, and, if he attempted to release himself, or to give any alarm, I was to silence him for ever by drawing the trigger beneath my finger. The captain was then to seize the instant of the sunset prostration of the Moors on deck, to hand up a supply of cutlasses and fire-arins through the window of the state room, and, as he ascended the cabin stairs, he was to give the signal by firing a pistol; the apprentices and mates were then to join in the melée; the men from the forecastle were to rush upon deck with handspikes, the steersman was to give the ship a shake up in the wind and lend a hand, and thus the Moors were to be driven down the open hatchways and battened in. The ship was immediately to be put about for Gibraltar. Our men were all prepared and anxious for the onset, my husband having contrived to communicate with them in spite of the close watching to which he had been subjected.

Allan Ruberice left us this afternoon, as usual, to take his repose, for he never slept at night. During his absence, my husband instructed me in the art of loading the pistol, in case I should find any further occasion to use it after despatching the prize-master. He was now thoroughly roused, and sanguine of success, although the odds were fearfully against us with only nine nearly unarmed men, three youths, and a woman on one side, and twenty-two well-armed barbarians on the other. I did not think the attempt altogether desperate, for my husband had served fourteen years in the navy, in active times, and was an experienced as well as a high-spirited man, and he had charged me never to be disheartened until I saw him cast down.

About an hour before the sunset that we expected was to prove so eventful to us, three of the strongest of our men, two Englishmen and one Dutchman, lounged sullenly up to the captain, and told him they had thought again of the affair, and would not fight; they had had fighting enough in their time, and did not want any more of it; it was of no consequence to them where they went; for aught they knew, they would be as well off at Salee as elsewhere. But if they were wounded and disabled, what were they to do with themselves? This was, in truth, a heavy blow to all our hopes. Our little force could ill spare what had been reckoned on as its most effective portion. From this time the poor captain's countenance fell. He did not altogether abandon his purpose; but what had before appeared to him to be an act of well-considered courage, now took the form of fool-hardy temerity.

Circumstances, however, deprived him of all power of making the desperate attempt with these diminished numbers. The Moors on deck had noticed the dogged, sulky look of the men, who had failed us in the hour of need, and the angry bearing of their indignant comrades; and this was enough. Abdallah roused himself as a lion from his lair: he shook himself and tightened his girdle, discharged his pistols and re-loaded them, loosened his dagger in its sheath, tightened his sandals, stretched his brawny arms, and sat himself down far aft upon the taffrel-rail, so that no one could get behind him. There he remained all that night, with his eye incessantly upon the compass, prepared for any emergency that might arise.

Allan Ruberice was now no whit behind his companion in caution. Neither food nor gin had any longer power to tempt him down below. From this time, ten Moors, with drawn sabres in their right hands, and loaded pistols in their left, incessantly paced the deck, so that some were always going in one direction while the rest went the opposite way. A stationary sentinel was placed at each side of the companion doors; and the Prophet had henceforth to rest satisfied with having his devotions offered to him from standing votaries.

During this sad night we were left to ourselves in the cabin. The captain was afraid, as we neared Salee, our captors might become more imperative in their demand for spirits, and that this might lead to some ungovernable outrage; he, therefore, with the assistance of the steward, emptied a cask of brandy, another of rum, and several gallons of gin,

through the stern windows into the sea. This was a work of several hours, for it had to be done in darkness and silence, and by small portions at a time, while I stood sentinel at the state-room window to prevent surprise. I also wrote upon paper a notice of our capture, which was placed in a dry bottle and sealed in. The bottle was taken into the hold and put into a cask, while the Moors were changing their watch, and this was carried up to the forecastle deck and left standing there. It was unnoticed, as it had a harmless, empty look, and was subsequently dropped quietly over the bows into the water, under favour of the darkness.

From the 15th of July, Allan Ruberice and Abdallah kept watch alternately: the former paced the deck from sunset to sunrise, the latter from sunrise to sunset. Our own men were compelled to work the ship, but the Moors watched them narrowly, and had enough of seamanship to detect the slightest deviation from the prescribed course.

As we approached Salee, an expiring effort was made, by attempting to bribe Allan Ruberice to take the ship to Tangier. The captain with great difficulty succeeded in getting him into the cabin once more, and offered him one hundred Spanish dollars, a gold and silver watch, four silver table spoons, twenty sovereigns, and a quadrant, if he would connive at the alteration of our course, and induce his men to let us resume our possession of the ship. He evidently felt the temptation of the bribe, and was much agitated. He intimated, however, that Abdallah was too much for him; and said that, as he had but one head, he could not afford to lose that.

How strange and unstable are the currents of human thought! I now began to feel it a relief that we were to have no fighting, and imagined that Providence had kindly interfered to keep from our hands the responsibility of bloodshed. Hour by hour we neared our destination. Soon we saw a continuous line of uneven rocks ahead of us, with the sea breaking over their rugged summits. This we were told was Salee, but we could discover no trace that indicated the presence of a town. The anchor was shortly afterwards dropped in about forty fathoms water, at a distance of three miles from land, and the "Perseverance" swung round in her chains, thus near to the inhospitable-looking coast of that Africa which had been associated from childhood in my thoughts with torrid suns and desert sands.

We contemplated for a short time, in silence and sadness, the uninviting prospect before us,

and then turned seriously to the consideration of what our own destiny might possibly have in store for us. We had no doubt whatever that we must look forward to an early removal from our ship; most probably, we might be separated from each other as soon as we were taken to the land. With this fearful thought present to our minds, we went below, and busied ourselves in making such preparations for whatever was to come as prudence seemed to dictate. I hastily stowed away, in a small carpet-bag, a change of raiment for each of us, and we then concealed the large sum of ready money, which we chanced to have with us on board, in long canvas cases, rolling them as girdles round our waists, beneath our outer clothes We left two sovereigns in gold, and nineteen dollars in silver, within my husband's desk, in the hope that our inquisitive friends might estimate our probable personal wealth by their own, and take this sum as our principal capital. We had barely time to complete these hurried arrangements before we heard the splash of oars, and the confused sound of approaching voices. We went on deck, and found that a large number of boats had come off from several Moorish vessels lying in the anchoring ground. When these boats had approached sufficiently near, the crews by which they were manned vociferously insisted upon boarding our ship; but our old acquaintance, Allan, did not seem at all desirous for the visitation, and persisted in refusing to permit it. In the end, he exerted his authority so strenuously, assuring the boisterous crew that no one could possibly be allowed to touch our decks until the captain of the port had inspected the prize, and interrogated the prisoners, that all the boats were again pulled towards the respective vessels to which they belonged, amidst the shouts and yellings of their discomfited and discontented occupants.

About noon, the captain of the port arrived on board, accompanied by a rather imposing retinue of Moors and negroes. The entire party seemed to view themselves as expected guests, for they proceeded forthwith to the cabin, and established themselves at the dinnertable, that had just been prepared for our midday meal, without the slightest exhibition of ceremony. They saved the steward all the trouble of furnishing them with knives and forks, by plunging their jewelled fingers at once into the dishes, and upon several occasions I observed that one snatched from his neighbour some morsel that had especially captivated his fancy. During the progress of the dinner, a violent altercation was going on upon deck.

Some of the port captain's boatmen, who had been left there, were attempting to carry off the British flag, that they might disgrace it, by hanging it over the ship's head; and my husband and the mate were resolutely defending it from the threatened indignity. The captain of the port went up on hearing the increasing noise of the scuffle, and gracefully interposed his authority, by presenting the object of contention to my husband. There was evidently something in this dignitary's reception that had tended to please and conciliate him. My husband, emboldened by this proceeding, and finding that he spoke a little Italian, asked him if he could inform him how it chanced that an Englishman had been forcibly captured, and brought against his will to the port of Salee, where there was no consul to protect him, when his nation was at peace with all the powers of the world. The port captain answered, that he was of opinion the admiral had disbelieved that we were British subjects, and had taken possession of our ship because we could not show a Mediterranean pass. He then requested us to let him see some of our books and money. My husband gave him an almanac and a large prayer-book, bearing the stamp of the ensign-armorial of the Sovereign of Great Britain. He inspected them closely, and then gravely assured us that he was perfectly satisfied that we were what we asserted ourselves to be, and added, "There is a British consul here; I will go to him, and tell him you are English subjects, and at sunset I will send off a boat, that you may come on shore, and meet him in the presence of the Governor of Salee."

Surprised by the agreeable turn affairs were thus unexpectedly taking, we addressed ourselves to wait, with what patience we could, the arrival of the governor's boat. The assurance that we should find a resident consul on shore had greatly relieved our fears, and already the hope was rising within that something like a fair inquiry might be obtained. But almost immediately this hope was crushed; for our men, with that singular facility for gleaning information, which is acquired by constant intercourse with foreigners, and frequent sojourn in foreign lands, had contrived to make out from the Moorish boatmen that a large brig anchored near to us was an Austrian vessel, which had been captured a few days previously, and was now manned only by Moors, her own crew being prisoners at Salee. Thus suddenly was the brightening horizon of our future obscured again. Anticipations of evil, in which gloomy prisons and clanking chains formed the prominent fea

tures, once more took possession of my own reflections.

At sunset, the governor's boat arrived, manned by about thirty Moors and negroes. One of the Moors had been frequently at Gibraltar, and knew a little of the English tongue; he also seemed to have acquired there a small notion of what the courtesies of civilized life required, for he came up to me smilingly at once, and said, "Oh! mam, you no fraid; at Salee, all gentlemans;-you go, me think, on camel, to Tangier ;-and ship go Gibraltar;-me no know;-but you no be fraid; you go you consul." Then, turning to the captain, he asked, "You ready, sir?" The captain replied by demanding to know what his orders were concerning us. He answered, "You take lady wife, and four you men; Salee governor and you consul there on shore; take bed for sleep,--but no more." "Who is the consul, and can he speak English ?" asked the captain. "No speak English, sir," was the answer. "Consul no Englishman; consul Jew and Algerinc." Our consul, the object towards whom our hopes had been directed since we had heard of his existence. an Algerine Jew, and unable to speak English! Here was indeed a reversal of the morning's promise. If even this problematical personage were possessed of the consular dignity, there could be no doubt we should find him exercising his office as a creature of the Moors, and abetting the pretences of our captors, whatever those pretences might at last turn out to be. I had heard too much of the plans of Mahometan rulers, for an instant to entertain a thought that a Jew consul was at all likely to prefer the interests of unprotected strangers to the safety of his head.

We selected a mattress, in accordance with the direction we had received, and with some difficulty we at last procured permission to take with it the poor little carpet-bag, that I had stored so scantily with the necessaries of our toilet. We then placed ourselves in the boat, and very soon were on our way to the shore. As we passed through the three miles of distance that intervened, I watched narrowly for the first appearance of the town; but all in vain; not a trace of any human habitation could I perceive. An uninterrupted line of bare, rocky coast stretched itself out before us, and it was not until we were close in upon this that I was able to notice a trifling break in its outline, with a small, sandy point projecting therefrom. This point proved to be one side of the entrance to the River Rabat. The boat rounded a little promontory, and

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came into comparatively smooth water, and almost immediately afterwards it touched the land.

As soon as we had effected our disembarkation, we were led up a precipitous ridge of rocks, stretching in front of us. Upon attaining the summit of the ascent, we looked before us, and there, towards the south, the town of Salee was spread out beneath our view. Impossible would it be for me to express even the shadow of an idea of the surprise which this singular scene occasioned in me. A cluster of square, isolated buildings was scattered around, without either chimneys or windows to break the uniformity of their lines. Low quadrangular doors opened in the front of cach block, and the walls were everywhere covered with whitewash, as a protection against the plague. In front of these sepulchral-looking structures, or mounted upon their level tops, there stood a crowd, each figure in it enveloped in folds of snow-white flannel, and with naked legs and feet protruding from beneath. This crowd was composed of the entire population of Salee, assembled to witness the arrival of the barbarians. All grades of the community were there, and all were clad alike. Priests and soldiers gentry and beggars-nobles and plebeians-women and men-and young and old --all wore the same white wrappings. It seemed to me as if I had suddenly come upon some vast cemetery of a race of the olden time, and the dwellers of the tombs had all arisen from their long repose at my approach, and come in their cerements to offer me their greeting. The first glimpse of Salce that I caught presented it to me as a town of enormous sepulchres, with a ghostly population of recently-arisen dead. I shall never forget the sense of awe that crept over me as this strange and unearthly spectacle burst upon my sight.

But I was soon recalled to myself, and my more worldly fears. The instant after we appeared above the ridge, shouts and yells burst forth from the terrific and now no longer ghostly multitude: and my feeling of apprehension was by no means diminished, when I saw advancing from the crowd a band of tall flannel men, with knotted cords in their hands. Were these cords to be our scourges or our bonds? My friend, the Gibraltar-taught Moor, now rendered me really kind and effective service, for he managed to get close to my side, and said, "You see you no want fraid;governor send soldiers;-take care lady ;take lady custom-house." Here he was separated from us, and our military escort surrounded us.

As we proceeded in our march, I was able to observe that there were numbers of women in the crowd. They were marked out from the men by the particulars of their costume; their faces were all covered over, excepting where small holes were left for the eyes to peep through; their arms also were enveloped in the folds of these head-mufflings. We were afterwards told that it was a very unusual thing for the Moorish females to leave their houses; but, upon this occasion, curiosity was too strong for custom, or even Moorish notions of propriety; for, although not less than three thousand of the interesting recluses were abroad, some few only of the oldest had ever beheld a Christian woman. I, then, in my own person, was the great centre of attraction to this heterogeneous crowd: for myself in particular, the honours of this flannel reception had been designed.

During our advance towards the customhouse, our escort had to ply their knotted thongs with vigour and activity; but even their utmost exertions did not entirely succeed in protecting our persons from outrage. Again and again we were spat upon, and struck with sticks. I received one blow upon the back of my head that nearly stunned me. My husband caught many similar proofs of the extent of Moorish humanity, in warding off strokes that his quick eye perceived to be aimed at me. As we walked through this crowd of malicious savages, I felt that at least I had come to a school where I might learn lessons of thankfulness. I could not but contrast the life of civilization, in which my favoured lot had beer. hitherto cast, with the barbarous scene around me, in which an unprovoked multitude were showing themselves so wretchedly dead to every generous feeling of human nature, that not a hand, save the hireling soldier's, was raised in the cause of two defenceless and unoffending captives.

Fortunately for us, the distance from the landing-place to the custom-house was very short, for our guard found the difficulty of their task increasing with every step. When we reached this building of pretending name, we found ourselves opposite to a spacious mud barn, defended in front by heavy, prison-like iron gates. The soldiers, as we arrived at this place, all at once made a furious onset upon the crowd with their knotted scourges, and, during the scuffle which ensued, we were safely lodged within the welcome shelter its portals afforded. Looking round upon the interior into which we now advanced, we saw, ranged along on its sides, a tribunal of ten or twelve churchyard

looking old fathers, in fleecy hosiery robes, sitting cross-legged upon piles of carpets, and finished off above by scarlet turbans. One of them was elevated upon piles of carpets, and was at once distinguished from them, as well by his august presence as by his splendid turban of green and white. This dignitary I soon discovered to be the Governor of Salee, and a very fine specimen of masculine Moorish beauty he seemed to be. The complexion of his face was rich olive-brown; his forehead high and massive; his eyes black, brilliant, and full of intelligence; his nose delicate and well formed; his mouth handsome, and furnished with brilliant teeth. His gigantic limbs and upright bearing, as he sat there majestically rolled in the folds of his full-long, flannel robes, assured me that if he rose he would stand at least a head and shoulders above his fellows of the council. The only trace of the ninety years, that I afterwards found had passed above his venerable head, was presented in his full moustache and ample beard of snowy whiteness. His person was scrupulously neat and clean, a qualification which I had already discovered to be a highly exceptional one among the Algerines. The dignified appearance and deportment of this patriarchal Moor at once impressed me with an involuntary feeling of respect, such as I had been far from feeling towards any other member of the race I had yet scen. I subsequently learned that he was in reality of princely descent, and had a reputation with the populace for exceeding sanctity, having won his green turban, the only one I observed in Salee, by a pilgrimage to the prophet's shrine, at Mecca.

Behind this conclave of fathers there stood two figures, who appeared in strong relief, in consequence of the contrast afforded by their dress. Their costume consisted of blue cloth cloaks and velvet caps. One of them was old, the other young. The fine agrecable face of the elder was strongly stamped by the distinctive mark of Israel's sons: I at once knew that he was the consul, to whom we were looking with so much anxiety. His companion was a handsome youth, having also the Jewish cast of countenance. The inclination of the body, and the respectful attitude of both these figures, at once assured me that my anticipation had been correct, and that the so-called British consul was not a very likely person to trouble the council of the Moors with any inconvenient interference. As my husband and myself were placed immediately in front of the president of this turbaned conclave, and as we had to wait the

arrival of the Moor who spoke English before any proceedings could commence, I had ample opportunity to observe what I have described. When this important and accomplished personage had at length succeeded in joining us again, the governor opened the business, by asking how much money there was concealed on board the prize. As the interpreter delivered this question, he added a caution to the captain to be careful in his replies, for, if he told any falsehoods, the governor would relieve him of his head without asking permission of the consul. My husband answered that "there were not twenty dollars on board." This was literally true, for we had only left them nineteen. The next question seemed a very puzzling one. The old fox wished to know "why we had been sent to Salee." My husband, however, was ready with his reply. He said he must refer that for solution to the questioner, as "he was himself very anxious to know why he had been molested on the high seas, and brought against his will into the dominions of the Emperor of Morocco, when his own king was on perfectly friendly relations with that potentate." The governor answered him, that the admiral of the emperor's fleet had written to him, "that we had no contra signal, or Mediterranean pass, and that we had refused to show him the papers of the ship." "That," said my husband, "is altogether false: I can prove by the testimony of my officers and men that I did show my papers when asked to do so; and, as to the Mediterranean pass, what had I to do with that, if I was not going to the Mediterranean ?" He then, to my horror, proceeded to censure vehemently the conduct of the Moorish commander, remarking that "he supposed it would not be long before he sailed up the London river, and captured the ships at anchor there, because they were without passes for the Mediterranean." This boldness and freedom of speech seemed, however, to amuse, rather than to irritate, the old man, who smiled from time to time, merely edging in, now and then, a word of cautious inquiry about the money we had left on board the brig.

So agitating and fatiguing had the occurrences of the day been, that I now began to find they were all too much for me. During the continuation of this dialogue concerning our capture, and our hidden wealth, the whitebearded governor and his corpse-like companions of the red top-knots began to dance and float about before my eyes. All at once my consciousness left me, and I fell to the ground. When I recovered my senses, I found that I had been placed on a sort of ottoman, close to

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