If I Should Return Back To
Tripolis Without Any Wood Or Company I Should Be Most Miserably Used;
Therefore, Of
The two evils, rather I had to go forth to the losing of
my life than to turn back and
Trust to their mercy, fearing to be used
as before I had seen others. For, understanding by some of my company
before how Tripolis and the said wood did lie one off another, by the
North Star I went forth at adventure, and, as God would have it, I came
right to the place where they were, even about an hour before day.
There altogether we rested, and gave our camels provender, and as soon
as the day appeared we rode all into the wood; and I, seeing no wood
there but a stick here and a stick there, about the bigness of a man's
arm, growing in the sand, it caused me to marvel how so many camels
should be loaded in that place. The wood was juniper; we needed no axe
nor edged tool to cut it, but plucked it up by strength of hands, roots
and all, which a man might easily do, and so gathered together a little
at one place, and so at another, and laded our camels, and came home
about seven of the clock that night following: because I fell lame and
my camel was tired, I left my wood in the way.
There was in Tripolis at that time a Venetian whose name was Benedetto
Venetiano, and seventeen captives more of his countrymen, which ran
away from Tripolis in a boat and came inside of an island called Malta,
which lieth forty leagues from Tripolis right north; and, being within
a mile of the shore and very fair weather, one of their company said,
"In dispetto de Dio adesso venio a pilliar terra," which is as much to
say: "In the despite of God, I shall now fetch the shore;" and
presently there arose a mighty storm, with thunder and rain, and the
wind at the north, their boat being very small, so that they were
enforced to bear up room and to sheer right afore the wind over against
the coast of Barbary, from whence they came, and rowing up and down the
coast, their victuals being spent, the twenty-first day after their
departure, they were enforced through the want of food to come ashore,
thinking to have stolen some sheep. But the Moors of the country very
craftily (perceiving their intent) gathered together a threescore of
horsemen and hid themselves behind the sandy hill, and when the
Christians were come all ashore, and passed by half a mile into the
country, the Moors rode betwixt them and their boat, and some of them
pursued the Christians, and so they were all taken and brought to
Tripolis, from whence they had before escaped; and presently the king
commanded that the foresaid Benedetto, with one more of his company,
should lose their ears, and the rest to be most cruelly beaten, which
was presently done.
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