immediately afterwards the action of the Grand Turk once more set them upon
their feet and enabled them to pursue an unchecked career of devastation.
Aided by the reinforcements sent by Selim, their depredations assumed ever
larger proportions, and, had they continued to receive this assistance, the
course of history itself might have been changed. Ground to powder beneath
the iron heel of their ruthless conquerors, the Moriscoes of Southern Spain
were ever waiting the chance to rise and shake off the yoke by which they
were so sore oppressed; from far and near reports were coming to hand of
the continued successes of the corsairs, and all Andalusia seethed with
passionate hope that the day of deliverance was at hand.

But, alas for the vanity of human wishes! in the opening months of the year
1516 Selim recalled his ships and the chance was gone, never again to
arise.

It may have been that "the sorrowful sighing of the captives" never reached
the ears of the successor of Othman in his palace on the shores of the
Golden Horn; in any case, the Sultan was preparing for the conquest of
Egypt, and in consequence recalled the ships which he had lent to assist
the corsairs. The Moriscoes were thus left without hope, but so far as the
corsairs were concerned they were enabled to strike another bargain with
the Sultan of Tunis. This monarch had now got over his fit of the sulks,
and discovered that customs dues from the peaceful trading mariners,
although desirable enough, were not by any means so lucrative a form of
revenue as was the one-fifth share of the booty of the pirates. Uruj and
Kheyr-ed-Din for their part, although they had captured Jigelli, were
totally unable to hold it: the capture had indeed been principally due to
the assistance which they had received from the Berber tribesmen, but these
nomads had disappeared into the deserts from whence they came, once the
looting of the town and fortress had been completed.

The corsair had to be armed at all points, in the moral as well as the
material sense, as he was the enemy of all men, and all were vowed to his
destruction. Every cruise which he took raised up against him fresh hatred
and a more bitter animus, and we must remember that it was not only men
individually, but Principalities and Powers that were arrayed in line of
battle for his destruction. At the present juncture Spain was specially
hostile, for not only had her possession of Bougie been twice attacke