THE ADVENTURES OF WILLIAM OKELEY: A CAPTIVE’S TALE – PART 4

(This post is a continuation of The Adventures of William Okeley: A Captive’s Tale – Parts 1, 2, & 3. If you haven’t done so already, it’s best to read those posts before continuing on here.)

The cruelties that the Algerines exercise upon their poor slaves are arbitrary and unlimited. If a patron should kill his slave, for ought I could perceive, he suffers no more for it than if he had killed his horse. There was a Dutch youth, a slave to a Turk, who, upon some provocation, drew his knife at his patron. For this offence, he was sentenced to be dragged out at one of the gates and there to have his arms and legs broken in pieces with a great sledge hammer, which sentence was accordingly executed. I could not see his face because of the crowd, yet I heard the blows, and the miserable cries of the poor dying young man.

Two others I saw executed in a most terrible and dreadful manner. The one was thrown off from a high wall. As he fell, he was caught on the way down by one of the great sharp iron hooks which were fastened to the wall. It caught him just under the ribs, and there he hung, roaring in unspeakable pain till he died. The other was fastened to a ladder, his wrists and ankles being nailed through with iron spikes, and in case his sinews should fail, and the nails not hold, his wrists and ankles were bound fast with small cords to the ladder. Two days I saw him alive under this torture. How much longer he lived under it I cannot tell.

John Randal and I, at the mercy of the Vice-Roy of Algiers, feared the worst: that we should receive not only the agonies of the battoon but more terrible punishments as well.

After much debate, however, the Vice-Roy omitted any present punishment and instead commanded us to be laid in chains in his prison till our patrons should demand our liberty and fetch us out.

The next day we were both delivered, though with differing fates. John Randal’s patron being a very termagant, used that absolute and unlimited sovereignty which they pretend to have over their slaves and commanded him to receive three hundred blows upon the soles of his feet with the battoon, in the manner before described.

As for myself… When I was brought home, the spy that seized us came and demanded money of my patron for his good service, which put my patron in such a desperate passion that he called me a dog and threatened my with all manner of dire punishments.

My patron, however, had been sinking in his estate. The last ship he had invested money in and put to sea came back empty of plunder, which broke his back, and he was forced to sell all his slaves to pay his debts. And so he had perforce to keep me in good condition.

In the parceling out of my patron’s slaves, it fell out that I and another were sold for a certain sum of money jointly to two persons, one a cap-maker, the other a grave old gentleman who amongst his own people had the repute of a good natured and moderate person, (as good nature and moderation go in Algiers). The day of payment came, and the cap-maker and the old gentleman seized on us. At first, they held us in common. But in a while they resolved to divide us so that each of them might know his proper goods and chattels, and each of us might know who to call master and whose whistle we were bound to obey.

We were both summoned to appear at a certain place at midday, and much ado there was about our dividing. At last they agreed to cast lots for us. I was exceeding fearful I should fall to the cap-maker, for he had the character of a brutish ill-humored creature. But I was fortunate, and the decision of the lot was such that I became the property of the old gentleman.

If I were to remain silent here about this old gentleman, then would I be the most ungrateful wretch living, for I received not only pity and compassion from him, but love and friendship. Had I been his son, I could not have met with more respect nor been treated with more tenderness. If anything could be mingled with bondage to make it sweet, if anything could reconcile slavery to nature, I did not, I could not, want it.

And indeed the freedom that I now found in servitude, the liberty I enjoyed in my bonds was so great that it took off much of the edge of my desire to escape.

My patron had a fair farm in the country, about twelve miles from the city. He took me there along with him and had me to their markets, showing me the manner of them. Upon our return to Algiers, he loaded me with all manner of good provisions so that I might make merry with my fellow slaves. From his great kindnesses to me, I had reason to conclude that he intended to send me to manage the farm for him.

I soon realized, however, that if I once quitted my shop in the city, I would lose all means and all hopes of escaping my slavery. I might indeed have been there a petty lord, and lorded it over the rest of my fellow servants. But fetters of gold do not lose their nature: they are fetters still. I therefore resolved to make an attempt at escape once and for all.

My first care was to take in partners and accomplices in the design. I judged seven persons would be enough to manage. Therefore, I communicated my plan to the following men: John Anthony, a carpenter, who had been a slave for fifteen years; William Adams, who since his captivity had learnt the trade of a bricklayer and had been a slave eleven years; John Jephs, who was a seaman and had endured slavery about five years; John, also a carpenter, a skillful man of his trade, who had been a slave five years. There were also two others, whose employment was to wash small clothes at the seaside. With myself, we were thus seven.

When we were all together, I acquainted these men with my intent. I had contrived the model of a boat, which could be taken apart into parcels, and afterwards put back together again. This boat might prove a very ark to deliver us out of the hands of our enemies.

To find out how events unfolded from here, go to The Adventures of William Okeley: A Captive’s Tale – Part 5.