This week, we continue the series of excerpts of an English translation of Relation de la captivité du Sr. Moüette dans les royaumes de Fez et de Maroc, où il a demeuré pendant onze ans (The Story of the Captivity of Sieur Moüette in the Kingdoms of Fez and Marocco, Where He lived for Eleven Years), the book published in 1683 that relates the experiences of Germain Moüette, who at the age of nineteen had the misfortune to be captured by corsairs from Salé.
Last week, remember, Moüette described his arrival in Salé as a captive and began describing the town. We pick up the story from there.
The new castle of Salé, on the southwest side, was built by Moulay Archey, and is square, flanked with good towers, and has battlements like the walls. This new castle is connected to the old one by a high wall, flanked with two towers and built upon arches, under one of which the people pass to go walk on the Strand. When I was at Salé, there were twelve pieces of brass cannon of several sizes in this place.
On the left side, before a breach in the town wall at the edge of the sea, stands another bastion on a rock, but it is neglected of late, which renders the taking of Sale very easy, in part because of this large breach, which fifty or sixty men may enter abreast, but also because the gates of this town are never shut at night.
The proper time for such an enterprise [i.e., attacking Salé] is in April, when the pirates are all out at sea, for they take all the best soldiers with them, and there are none left to defend the place but old men, women, and children unfit to make any opposition. The descent might be made at Fidella, which lies twelve leagues south-west from Salé, and the way from there to the town is across open plains.
If Salé were taken and garrisoned by 500 cavalry, the place would be as considerable as Oran (held by the Spaniards in the Kingdom of Algier, where they banish young gentlemen who deserve punishment, to serve at their own cost for some years). From here, all of the Province of Temesana, which has no fortresses and is one of the best in the Kingdom of Fez, might be brought under control.
If it should be thought fit to advance farther into the country to make any conquests, it would be necessary to take the field in March, to drive the Arabs towards the mountains, and to secure the crops, which they begin to reap about May. Should an army attack after the harvest, it must needs starve, both men and horses, because they lay up no stores of hay, and all the grass is burnt up by the violent heat of the sun.
For the better securing of any conquest, it is best to leave no enemies behind that may be troublesome, for the Moors, who daily expect either the Christians or the Turks to invade their country, say they would prefer the Christians because they are more merciful and will spare their lives—so that they [the Moors] may, in process of time, get the better of them [the Christians] and eventually expel them, a dispensation they do not hope for from the Turks.
I return now to the particulars of my story.
As soon as we poor captives came to Salé, we were conducted to the house of the merchant who had fitted out the corsair ship. He kept us there until All Saints’ Day, when we were sold. The Captain of our ship was presented to the Governor of Salé, who kept him for the Sultan. Then criers took each of us by the hand, and walked us bare headed through the market, which is located under great arches, referred to as Cananettes, and is near the river, next to the Castle.
Those who buy slaves observe their countenance closely and also look at the palms of their hands to see whether they are laboring men or well born. When buyers meet with one who has a pale complexion and soft hands, they conclude that he is rich, and this makes them bid against each other for the poor creature, hoping, when they have bought him, to extract a considerable ransom. It is therefore afterwards difficult and expensive to get out of their hands.
The young Knight of Malta and the Lady his mother were sold for 1,500 crowns.
I was the least the last of all our company. After the crier had walked me about the market—shouting “Herech! Herech!”—I was bought for 360 crowns and delivered to my new masters, who were four in number. One of their servants took me to a public house, where strangers are put up, as in our inns, and which they call Fondaques. Three of my masters, who owned only one half of me, came there immediately to see me. The eldest of them was called Mahomet le Moraxchy, who was the Farmer of the Sultan’s Weights. The second, whose name was Mahomet Liebus, was a merchant of wool and oil—and a very good man, as I afterwards found by experience. The Third was Rabbi Yemin, a Jew.
They brought me some clothes, and then Moraxchy took me home for his wife to see me. She presently brought me a loaf of white bread, butter, honey, and some dates and raisins, saying, “Coul, coul,” that is, “Eat, eat.” Having not broken my fast before, I soon made an end of all she brought me, and seeing I had done so, she would have given me more, but taking off my cap, I gave her to understand that I had had enough.
Then Moraxchy carried me back to the first house, where Rabbi Yemin came to me again and said something to me in Spanish which I did not then entirely understand, but which I have learned since was to this effect: “Courage, sir, God is great and powerful. He will deliver you from the misfortune into which you are fallen through the perils and hazards of the sea.” Then he asked me whether I had a father and mother, and if I had the wherewithal to ransom myself. Having been instructed by Christian slaves aboard the corsair ship how I should behave towards my masters when they examined me, I told him that he was much mistaken in calling me ‘sir,’ for I was the poorest fellow of all our company and not able to give him the value of a crown.
He did not seem to believe me, and he said that he pitied my youth, and therefore, if I would agree with him, he would prevail with my other masters to give me my liberty at a very easy rate. I replied that even if a penny would purchase my liberty, I would still not be able to give it.
“Well,” said he, “if you truly have nothing, as you insist, you may at least write a letter to your relations asking them to gather alms to get you out of our hands. If you will not, we shall load you with chains, beat you like a dog, and starve you in a dungeon.
Having heard these dismal words, I asked for pen, ink and paper, which a renegade, who was our interpreter, immediately brought me. I composed a letter in the most moving words I could think of, addressing it to a brother, whom I made a cobbler, desiring him to beg as much as forty or fifty crowns and to give any funds he collected into the hands of the Fathers that specialize in the redemption of captives, that they might remember me when they came into the country.
Rabbi Yemin caused the renegade to read the letter to him. Thinking I had written the truth, the renegade told Rabbi Yemin that they had certainly been deceived in giving so great a price for me.
For the next installments of Germain Moüette’s Relation, see the next post here in this blog.
Corsairs and Captives
Narratives from the Age of the Barbary Pirates
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The Travels of Reverend Ólafur Egilsson
The story of the Barbary corsair raid on Iceland in 1627
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