ALGIERS – THE CAPTIVES’ EXPERIENCE 24

This week we continue the series of posts on life in Algiers drawn from Relation de la captivité et liberté du sieur Emanuel d’Aranda, (The Relation of the Captivity and Liberation of Emanuel d’Aranda).

This week’s excerpt deals with the sorts of things slaves in Algiers had to resort to in order to survive.

When I lived in Alli Pegelin’s bath [i.e., slave compound], there were five hundred and fifty Christian slaves housed there, all of whom had to somehow get their daily bread by their own industry, for Alli Pegelin provided no sustenance for any of them. It was indeed a thing worthy admiration how all these slaves managed by their own industry to survive.

The most common method was theft.

There was in the bath an Italian slave, whose name was Fontimama. He became so accomplished in the art of stealing that he would often of a morning invite some of his companions to dine with him at noon, intending to pay for the meal with what he should get between that time and the hour appointed to set their jawbones grinding.

One day about ten in the morning, he invited a companion of mine named Saldens to dine with him, on the condition that Saldens would take a turn with him about the city. Fontimama brought Saldens with him to some Jewish money changers, of which there are many in Algiers, setting up in the streets with a little table, where they change patacoons and half-patacoons into aspers [an Algerine coin of small denomination], making some small profit by that exchange.

Fontimama asked for aspers for a half-patacoon, showing a piece which was good. After he had taken the aspers, he gave the money changer a counterfeit piece. The money changer, who knew money well enough, wanted his aspers back. Fontimama returned the aspers, but he kept back a few surreptitiously.

From there, he and Saldens went to another money changer, and so to another, and another after, till at last he had done his work so well that about noon Fontimama returned to the bath with a couple of pullets [hens] and money enough to procure them skins full of Wine.

Another time being in our patron’s galley on the coast of Barbary, Fontimama and some other slaves were sent ashore to take in fresh water for the Galley. The Alarbes, inhabitants of the country, came to these slaves, asking them whether they had any iron to sell (for it is very dear in that place), and the slaves sometimes sold them nails and such pieces of old iron. Fontimama’s companions, having sold all they had, told the buyers they might be able to buy iron from the slaves of the galley.

Two Alarbes, hearing there was iron to be had pretty cheap, went to the shore to buy some and addressed themselves to Fontimama, who told them he had some to sell, and thereupon sold them the anchor of the galley for five Patacoons. He received the money, and said to them, “Friends, it is impossible for you two to carry so heavy a burthen. Go and call some of your neighbors, and I will help you also.” The innocent Alarbes went to get the assistance of their neighbors. In the meantime Fontimama returned to the galley.

The two Alarbe merchants came back, accompanied by twenty other Alarbes, to carry away the anchor. They boarded the galley and began to undo the anchor’s cable.

Alli Pegelin, who had lain down to rest himself on the poop deck, saw these Alarbes at the prow of his galley quarrelling with the Turkish soldiers, who would not suffer them to carry away the anchor. One told Pegelin the story of how Fontimama had sold the anchor. Alli Pegelin gave order in the first place that that crew of Alarbes should be sent packing out of the galley, which was immediately put in execution with good bulls’-pizzles—the Alarbes being sent away with good store of bangs instead of the anchor.

Pegelin then asked Fontimama why he had sold the anchor of the galley, since it was not his to dispose of. Fontimama replied that he thought the galley would go better being discharged of that weight. All the galley could not forbear laughing at that answer, and Fontimama got to keep his five patacoons.

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There was also in Alli Pegelin’s bath a Brabander, named Francis de Vos, but he was usually called the Student. He did not belong to Pegelin, but by order of his patron, and with Pegelin’s permission, he lived in the bath, having an iron chain weighing a hundred weight at his legs, that he might not stir thence. This was done to hasten the payment of his ransom.

This man was a kind of secretary to the slaves of the Low Countries, Dunkirk, and Hamburg, being constantly employed in writing letters for them, without any other reward save that he would accept of a food or drink. And so he was, by reason of his letters, always accompanied by Flemings and Dutchmen, who came to him and provided him with drink for his pains when he had done.

The Taverner in the bath, at whose lodge Francis de Vos wrote, provided him with meat, for the Taverner made a considerable profit by selling wine to those who employed him.

There was also a French Cavalier, who had been six years in slavery, yet had not received a penny out of his country. He was always well clad, for a slave, and he ate and drank of the best. Many times he invited his companions to dine with him. He had great acquaintances among the French renegados, who lent him money at interest, he being obliged to repay it by a certain time. To pay some, he borrowed money from others upon the same terms.

Now all the renegados being soldiers, and always abroad in the wars by sea and land, it happened that some of his creditors died every year, and they having no relations, wives, or children, the debt was cancelled upon their deaths. And though there was some obligation in writing, it signified nothing, since for the cavalier, being a slave, the obligation did not apply.

We will continue next week with more examples from d’Aranda’s Relation of the sorts of things slaves in Algiers had to resort to in order to survive.