The Pleasantville press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1912-1929, 1923-09-26
THE CORSAIRS
A. D. 1884

In 1853 Constantinople WIS besieged
and stormed by the Turks, the Chris
tian emperor fell with sixty thousand
Of his men in battle, and the Caliph
Mahomet II raised the standard of
Islam owe the last rims of the RO-
man empire.
Four years later a sallorman, q
Christian from the Balkan States.
turned Moslem and was banished from
the city. He married o Christian wild
DIV in Mitylene and raised two sons
to his trade. At a very tender age,
Uruj, the elder eon, went into business
as a pirate, and on his maiden cruise
WA chased and captured by a galley
Of TIE Knights Of Saint John who
threw him into the hold &c be a slave
az the oars. That night a slave upon
the nearest oarbench disturbed the
cLew by groaning. and to keep him
1uiet was thrown overheard. Not lik-
ing his situation or prospects. Uruj.
clipped his shackles, crept out and
ashore.
On his next voyage, being still ex-
tremely young, he was captured and
swan ashore again. Then the sultan's
brother fitted him out as a corsair at
the COS Of five thousand ducats, to
be paid by the basha of Egypt. and
SO, thanks to this act of princely gen.
crosby, Uruj was able to open q gener-
al practice. His young brother Khizr.
plso a pirate, Joined him; the firm
was protected by the sultan Of Tunis
who got a commission of twenty per
rent on the loot; and being steady,
industrious and thrifty, by strict ap-
plicatlon to business, they made a rep
utation throughout the Middle Sea.
Indeed the Grand Turk bestowed up
on Khizr the title ~"Protector of Re
ligion," a distinction never granted be
fore Or since to any professional rob-
her.
Once after a bitter hard fight the
brothers captured a first-rate ship OF
war, The Galley of Naples, and six
lady passengers, besides three hundred
men were marched ashore into slavery.
"See." said the sultan of Tunis, how
Heaven recompenses the brave r'
Urul by the way, was laid up some
months for repairs. and In his next
engagement, a silly attack on a fort
ress. happened to lose an arm a part
Of his recompense.
BY this time the brothers were
weary of that 20 per cent COM
mission to the unctuous sultan of
Tunis, and by way of cheating him,
took to besieging fortresses, or sack.
ing towns, Christian or Moslem as the
case might be, until they had base
camps of their own, Uruj as king of
Tlemcen, and Khizr as king of AL
giers. Then Uruj fell in battle, and
Khizr Barbarossa began to do business
as a wholesale pirate with a branch
kingdom Of Tunis, and fleets TO destroy
all commerce, to wreck and burn set
Elements of the Christian powers until
he had command of the sea as a first
class nuisance.
The gentle Moors, most civilized Of
peoples, expelled from Spain (1493)
by the callous ill-faith of Ferdinand
and Isabella, and stranded upon North
Africa to starye, manned B~arbarossa's
fleets for a bloody vengeance upon
Christian Europe. Then Charles Y
brought the strength Of Spain, Ger
many and Italy to bear in an expedi-
ton against Barbarossa, but his feet
was wrecked by q storm, clear proof
that Allah had taken sides with the
strong pirate king. Barbarossa then
despatched his lieutenant Hassan TO
ravage the coast Of Valencia.
1t was upon this venture that Has
san met a transport merchantmen with
a hundred veteran Spanish infantry,
too strong to attack; SO when this
lieutenant returned to Algiers deep
laden with spoil and captiyes from his
raid, he found King Barbarossa far
from pleased. The prisoners were
b%utchered. and Hassan was logged In
public for having shirked an engage
ment. That is why Hassan Joined with
Venaleadi, q brother officer who was
also in disgrace, and together they
drove Barbarossa out of Algeria. Pres
emily the king came back with a whole
fleet of his fellow corsairs, brother
craftsmen, the Jew, and Hunt-the-
Devil, Salaerrez and Tabas, all moved
to grief and rage by the tears OF q
sorely i~ll-treated hero. With the aid
of sixty captive Spanish soldiers, who
won their freedom, they captured Al
giers, wiped out the mutineers, and re-
stored the most perfect harmony. In
deed, by way of proof that there really
was no trouble among the c%orsairs,
King B~arbarossa sent of Hunt-the-
Devil with seventeen ships to burn
Spain. Ever in blood and tears, their
homes in flames, their women ravished,
their very children enslaved, the Span
iards had to pay for breaking faith
with the Moors of Granada.
Barbarossa was not yet altogether
king of Algiers. For twenty years the
Penon. a fortress fronting that city.
had been held by Martin de Vargas
and his garrison. Worn ont with dis
Ease and famine these Spaniards now
fought Barbarossa to the last breath,
but their walls went down in RUM