kill as a pilot, bought him and his carpenter at a
very low rate--paying for Rawlins seven pounds ten reckoned in English
money. Then he sent them to work with other slaves: but the Turks,
seeing that through Rawlins' lame hand he could not do so much as the
rest, complained to their master, who told him that unless he could
obtain a ransom of fifteen pounds, he should be banished inland, where
he would never see Christendom again.

But while John Rawlins was terrified with this stern threat of Villa
Rise, there was lying in the harbour another English ship that had been
surprised by the pirates--the 'Exchange,' of Bristol. This ship was
bought by an English Turk, who made captain of it another English Turk,
and because they were both renegades, they concluded to have English
and Dutch slaves to go in her. So it came about that, inquiring if any
English slave were to be sold who could serve them as pilot, they heard
of John Rawlins, and forthwith bought him of his master, Villa Rise.

By January 7 the ship left Argier, with, on board her, sixty-three Turks
and Moors, nine English slaves, and a French slave, four Dutchmen, who
were free, and four gunners, one English, and one Dutch renegade.

Now, the English slaves were employed for the most part under hatches,
and had to labour hard, all of which John Rawlins took to heart,
thinking it a terrible lot to be subject to such pain and danger only to
enrich other men, and themselves to return as slaves. Therefore he broke
out at last with such words as these:

'Oh, horrible slavery, to be thus subject to dogs! Oh, Heaven strengthen
my heart and hand, and something shall be done to deliver us from these
cruel Mahometan dogs!'

The other slaves, pitying what they thought his madness, bade him speak
softly, lest they should all fare the worse for his rashness.

'Worse,' said Rawlins, 'what can be worse? I will either regain my
liberty at one time or another, or perish in the attempt; but if you
would agree to join with me in the undertaking, I doubt not but we
should find some way of winning glory with our freedom.'

'Prithee be quiet,' they returned, 'and do not think of impossibilities,
though, if indeed you could open some way of escape, so that we should
not be condemned as madmen for trying as it were to pull the sun out of
the heavens, then we would risk our lives; and you may be sure of
silence.'

After this the slavery continued, and the Turks set their captive