e their
eyes, and never dared to mend them; they had viewed many a rich prize
sail by, and never so much as ventured a mile out to sea to look her
over: for there were keen eyes and straight shots in the Penon which
commanded the bay, and King Ferdinand the Catholic held a firm hand
over the tribute which his banished subjects had to pay him for his
condescension in ruining them. Their occupation was gone; they had not
dragged a prize ashore for years; they must rebel or starve. At this
juncture Ferdinand opportunely died (1516), and the Algerine Moors
seized their chance. They stopped the tribute, and called in the aid
of Salim, the neighbouring Arab sheykh, whose clansmen would make the
city safe on the land side. "But what are they to do with the two
hundred petulant and vexatious Spaniards in the fort, who incessantly
pepper the town with their cannon, and make the houses too hot to hold
them; especially when they are hungry? Little would the gallant Arab
cavalry, with their fine Libyan mares and horses, rich coats-of-mail,
tough targets, well-tempered sabres, and long supple lances, avail
them against the Spanish volleys. And who so proper to redress this
grievance as the invincible Barbarossa, who was master of a naval
force, and wanted not artillery? Had he not been twice to reinstate
the unfortunate King of Buj[=e]ya, and lost a limb in his service?

"Without the least deliberation Prince Salim despatched a solemn
embassy to J[=i]jil, intreating Barbarossa, in whom he and his people
reposed their entire confidence, to hasten to their assistance. No
message whatever could have been more welcome to the ambitious
Barbarossa than one of this nature. His new-acquired realm brought him
in but a very scanty revenue; nor was he absolute.... He had been
wretchedly baffled at Buj[=e]ya, but hoped for better success at
Algiers, which, likewise, is a place of much greater consequence, and
much more convenient for his purpose, which, as has been said, was to
erect a great monarchy of his own in Barbary."[8]

[Illustration: ALGIERS IN THE SIXTEENTH CENTURY.

(_Sphere des deux Mondes, 1555._)]

With some six thousand men and sixteen galleots Ur[=u]j set forth by
sea and land to the rescue of Algiers. First he surprised Shersh[=e]l,
a strong position fifteen leagues to the west of Algiers, which had
been occupied by Moors from Granada, and was now commanded by a bold
Turkish Corsair, Kara Hasan, who, emulating his old comra