uender, and assoone as the day appeared, we rode all into the
wood: and I seeing no wood there, but a sticke here and a sticke there,
about the bignesse of a mans arme growing in the sand, it caused mee to
maruile how so many camels should be loden in that place. The wood was
Iuniper, we needed no axe nor edge toole to cut it, but pluckt it vp by
strength of hands rootes and all, which a man might easily do, and so
gathered it together, a little at one place and so at another, and laded
our camels, and came home about seuen of the clocke that night following:
because I fell lame, and my camel was tired, I left my wood in the way.

[Sidenote: Eighteene captiues run away from Tripolis.] There was in
Tripolis that time a Venetian, whose name was Benedetto Venetiano, and
seuenteene captiues more of his company, which ranne away from Tripolis in
a boate, and came in sight of an Island called Malta, which lieth fourtie
leagues from Tripolis right North, and being within a mile of the shoare,
and very faire weather, one of their company said, In dispetto de Dio
adesso venio a pilliar terra, which is as much to say: In the despite of
God I shall now fetch the shoare, [Sidenote: The iudgement of God vpon
blasphemers.] and presently there arose a mighty storme, with thunder and
raine and the wind at North, their boate being very small, so that they
were inforced to beare vp roome, and to sheare right afore the winde ouer
against the coast of Barbarie from whence they came, and rowing vp and
downe the coast, their victuals being spent, the 21. day after their
departure they were inforced through the want of food to come ashoare,
thinking to haue stolne some sheepe: but the Moores of the country very
craftily perceiuing their intent, gathered together a threescore horsemen,
and hid themselues behinde a sandie hill, and when the Christians were come
all a shoare, and past vp halfe a mile into the countrey, the Moores rode
betwixt them and their boate, and some of them pursued the Christians, and
so they were all taken and brought to Tripolis, from whence they had before
escaped: and presently the king commaunded that the foresaide Benedetto
with one more of his company should lose their eares, and the rest should
be most cruelly beaten, which was presenly done. [Sidenote: The Greene
Dragon.] This king had a sonne which was a ruler in an Island called Gerbi,
whereunto arriued an English shippe called the Greene Dragon, of the which
was