Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1881-09-03
A SINGLE DAYS REIGN.
A Story OF AlGiers.

About the year 1750 there was bar
Der named Dyer in Queen street, Bris-
tol, who drew customers from all sides
between st. Peters and st. Philips.
As was the fashion III those days, the
barber was "spirited away" by press
gang, and was shipped off to the Medi-
terranean cruisers. Like everybody in
those days the barber was something of
a sailor, and soon became at home on
the ship.
Dyer had an education of some i'm
portance for that era, and soon, from
being contidant of the men, he became
an adviser. Warmly looked up to as
"the sea-lawyer," indispensable at a
period of oppression, he abused the
trust by melting all hands to a mutiny
So serious was it that Commodore Keep
pei found himself suddenly confronted
on his own deck by the $50 men of his
crew..
Sword in hand, he demanded their
return to their posts.
"Or / will put you to death with my
own hand Do you, sirs, want to take
the command from me ?" he inquired,
with surprise at their bearing, natural
in the son (even the second SOM of an
earl.
eyes, SIR" answered one of the ring
leaders, without hesitation.
1t was the barber.
But his followers were far from pos
sessing so much audacity under their
superior's indignant eye.
"Stand by me, =" said the latter to his
officers. And now, you others pass to
starboard that are loyal p'
All but Dyer and four or five more
left their places and fell in under the
flag. The unsubdued were overpowered
and put in irons.
Before the trial, which did not stint
the lashes from his comrades, Dyer ran
away in the long-boat Though we'll
aware that tho French and Spanish, as
enemies of George H., detested the
Englishman, he turned his back on all
Christendom, and navigated the boat to
Tetuan.
"No one requires so much clean shaw
ing as your Arab" reasoned he "and
my skill in frizzling will just suit the
turbaned Turk who scorns the world,
and struts about with his whiskers
curled. l shall go back to Bristol, may
be, with a sack of sequins |"
In Algiers the barber went straight to
the chief priest, and was so rapidly con-
verted into Mussulman that he doubt
ed the moral somersault was effected.
Thus fortified he hastened to the capitol,
where he set up barber's shop in the
street of Bab-Azoum, and began scrap
ing acquaintance" literally, in the Bath
where he let himself out as an assistant
also. He rapidly became famous.
Muley Mahomet Effendi, Dey of
Algiers in the West representative o
the Grand Seignior, had swayed the
sceptre some years without too much
trouble. He was a ripe old man, who
knew pretty well how to govern such
a people and manage the ianissaries.
But the year 1851 was very good and
very bad for the Viceroy. All the tribes
paid their tributes with the most exas-
perating Willingness and there was
positively no excuse for sending out the
janissaries among them, upon those
raids which afforded them exercise, di-
minished their numbers and weighted
them with booty. The soidiery were
doomed to lounge in the shadow of the
glard-house, and smoke away the hours
and Smyrna tobacco. This enforced
idleness would soon be found intolerable.
though it suited the barber, as keeping
his patrons in town. The troopers ac-
cused the Dey of having forgotten them.
The executions of offenders presented
no abiding solsce and the least inac-
tive would not have gone round the COR
ner to see his best friend beheaded. The
! spOils. too. of a score of Jews cionId NOT