long pilgrimages involve various events, and as this variety is composed of different things, so also must the causes be different. our history shows this well; the thread of it is broken by the incidents that occur, making us doubt whether to relate them, because all that happens is not good to be narrated, and may be passed over without notice, and without lessening the interest of the story. there are some actions although great, yet upon which we ought to be silent; others so small they are not worthy of being described; for the excellence of this history is, that everything therein written has the relish or seasoning of the truth that goes along with it, which a fabulous history has not. it is necessary in it to suit the events with correct taste, and with so much probability, that in spite of the fiction which would clash with the understanding, the whole may be harmonious.

profiting then by this truth, i will tell you how the lovely little band of pilgrims, pursuing their journey, arrived at a place, neither very large nor very small, the name of which i forget; and in the midst of the open place of the town, through which they must necessarily pass, they saw a crowd of persons, all attentively listening to, and looking at, two young men, in the garb of recently freed captives, who were describing the story of a painting that lay on the ground before them. it appeared that they had taken off two heavy chains that were near them,—proofs and witnesses of their misfortunes;—and one of them, who appeared about four-and-twenty years old, spoke in a clear voice, and very eloquent tongue, ever and anon cracking a sort of whip that he held in his hand, in such a way as to make a sound in the air like what a coachman makes when he chastises or threatens his horses, by cracking his driving whip over their heads.

among those who were listening to the long story, were the two alcaldes of the town, both old men, but one rather younger than the other. the freed captive was thus saying:—"here, gentlemen, you may see the picture of the town of algiers, that bugbear and terror of all the shores of the mediterranean sea; the harbour of all pirates; the shelter and refuge of thieves and robbers, who, from this little port you here see pictured, go forth with their vessels to disturb the world, for they are bold enough even to pass the ne plus ultra of the pillars of hercules, and attack and pillage the scattered islands that lie up and down in the immense ocean, fancying themselves secure, at least from the turkish ships. this vessel, which is here painted so small because the size of the painting obliges it to be reduced, is a galley of two and twenty oars;—the master and captain of her is the turk you see there, standing up in the gangway with an arm in his hand that he has just cut off from the body of the christian you see there also, and which he is using as a whip or a rope's end for the other christians who are bound fast to the benches. he is fearing lest those four galleys that you perceive here giving chase, should reach him. this first captive of the foremost row of benches, whose countenance is disfigured by the blood that has dripped over it from the severed arm, is myself, who served as stern-rower in this galley. the other who is next to me, is my companion, less bloody, because less wounded. listen, gentlemen, and pay attention, and you may possibly hear the threats and abusive words uttered by this dog, dragut, for that is the name of the captain of the galley. a pirate as famous as he is cruel, and as cruel as phalaris, or busiris, the sicilian tyrants, i seem to hear now sounding in my ears, the fierce moorish oaths which he was then uttering with the air of a demon; moorish oaths and words, all expressing contempt and abuse against the christians, calling them jews, worthless, vile, and faithless, and to make the terror and horror greater, he beat the living bodies with the dead arms severed from them."

it seems that one of the two alcaldes had been an algerine captive for a long period, and in a low voice he said to his companion, "this captive has seemed to speak the truth so far, and so appears to be really what he says he is; but i will examine him in a few particulars, and we will see how he can answer me, for i would have you know that i was in this very galley, and i do not recollect any man as first oar, except one alonzo moclin, a native of vélez málaga," and turning to the captive, he said to him, "pray tell me, friend, whose galleys were those that chased yours? and did you obtain the freedom you desired by their means?" "the galleys," answered he, "were don sancho de leiva's; we did not obtain our liberty, for they did not come up with us. we gained it afterwards, for we fell in with a ship, bound to algiers from sargel, laden with wheat. we came in her to oran, and from thence to málaga, from whence my companion and i set out for italy, in the intention of serving his majesty (whom may god preserve!) as soldiers." "tell me, friends," said the alcalde, "you two captives, were you taken to algiers at first, or to any other part of barbary?"

"we were not made prisoners together," replied the other captive, "for i was taken near alicant in a vessel laden with wool, going to genoa,—my companion in the percheles[n] of málaga, where he was a fisherman. we became acquainted in a dungeon at tetuan; we have been friends and shared the same fortune for a long while, and for ten or twelve quartos,[o] which is all you have offered us, we have given full information to my lord alcalde."

"not much, my young gentleman," replied the alcalde, "you have not gone through the whole ordeal of the question yet. listen to me, and say, how many doors are there in algiers? how many fountains, and how many wells of sweet water?"

"a foolish question," answered the first captive. "as many doors as houses;—i do not know how many fountains, and so many wells, that i have not seen half; and the troubles i underwent there have gone nigh to take away almost the memory of myself; and if my lord alcalde wishes to be uncharitable, we will gather up our pence, and strike our tent and say adieu, for there's as good bread to be got elsewhere as here."[p]

then the alcalde called to a man among the bystanders looking in, who held the office of the town's crier sometimes, and sometimes that of executioner when needful, and said, "gil berrueco, go and fetch me here the first two asses you can catch; for by the life of our lord the king, i will make these two captive gentlemen ride through the streets, who have taken the liberty of usurping the alms of the charitable, which belong of right to the real poor, and telling lies and inventions, whilst they are all the time as whole and sound as an apple, and more able and fit to use their spades than to be flourishing whips senselessly in the air. i was a slave in algiers five years, and i know that they have said no one thing to show they ever were there."

"body o' me!" cried the captive; "is it possible that my lord alcalde can expect that poor as we are in worldly gifts, we should be so rich in those of memory, and that for a folly not worth three farthings, he will put to shame two such insignificant students as ourselves, and deprive his majesty of two brave soldiers on their way to italy and flanders to rout and destroy, and wound and kill, all the enemies of our holy catholic faith that we may encounter. for if we must needs tell the truth, who is of heavenly birth, my lord alcalde must know that we are no captives, but students from salamanca, who, in the midst of our studies, felt a desire to see the world, and to know a little of the life of a soldier, as we were acquainted sufficiently with a peaceful life. to carry our scheme the better into effect, we happened to light upon a party of captives, who might be true, or false, like ourselves; i cannot say if they were or not. from them we bought the canvass and picture, and obtained information respecting algiers, and such things as seemed necessary to us to render our fraud credible. we sold our books and our furniture at a low price, and laden with this apparatus, have travelled thus far, and we think of going on, if your worship does not forbid it."

"what i am thinking of doing," said the alcalde, "is to give each of you a hundred lashes, and in lieu of the pike you talk of wielding in flanders, put an oar into your hands to work with at the galleys, with which you may perhaps be as serviceable to his majesty as you would be with the pike."

"i could wish," rejoined the young man, who had been the principal speaker, "that my lord alcalde was an athenian legislator, and that the severity of his office reached the ears of the other lords of the council, where, obtaining credit from them, they would hold him as a severe and rigid judge, and commit to him matters of importance, wherein he might show his severity and his justice. but my lord alcalde knows that 'summum jus summa injuria.'"

"see how you talk, friend," replied the second alcalde; "here there is no justice without reason; but all the alcaldes of this place, have ever been, are, and will be, pure and faithful, and it will be better for you to talk less."

at this instant the crier returned and said, "my lord alcalde, i can find no asses in the place, only the two magistrates, berrueco and crespo, who are taking their ride."

"i sent you for asses, not magistrates, blockhead! but go and bring them hither, whether they will or no; i wish to have them present at the pronunciation of this sentence, which shall be given notwithstanding, and is not to fail for want of asses, of which, thank god, we have plenty in this place."

"you will never have them in heaven, my lord alcalde," said the youth, "if you go on thus severely. please to consider that we have stolen nothing; we have hardly gained a miserable sustenance by our trick, which is laborious enough, like the business of a day labourer, or any workmen. our parents taught us no trade, thus we were obliged to have recourse to our wits. punish those who are guilty of bribery, of house-breaking, highwaymen, false witnesses, disaffected or disloyal men, the idle and the good-for-nothing, but let alone the poor fellows who go straight forward to serve his majesty, with their best right hand, and their sharpest ingenuity. there are no better soldiers than those who are transplanted from the seats of learning to the fields of war. none ever left his studies to be a soldier who was not a super-excellent one, for when strength and intellect meet and join, they make a marvellous composition, with which mars rejoices, peace is maintained, and the country aggrandized."

periander and most of the bystanders admired much what the young man said, and the fluency of his discourse. he proceeded thus:—"let us examine closely into this matter, my lord alcalde. look, and look again, and scrutinize the seams of our garments; if you can find six reals, not only you may give us a hundred, but six hundred lashes. let us see then if the acquisition of so small an amount of gain deserves to be punished with dishonour, and martyred with the galleys. and again i say that my lord alcalde should think better of this, and not overhastily do that which may perhaps give him reason to repent by and by. discreet judges punish, but do not take vengeance upon faults. the prudent and compassionate mingle equity with justice, and between rigour and clemency prove their excellent judgment."

"by heaven," said the second alcalde, "but the boy talks well, although he talks too much, and i not only will not consent that they be flogged, but i will have them carried to my own house, and help them on with their journey, on condition that they go straight forwards, for if they are to be wandering here and there, it will prove them rather vicious than necessitous."

the first alcalde, already tamer and becoming compassionate, more mildly said, "i will not have them go to your house, they shall go to mine, where i will give them a lesson upon the state of things at algiers, so that for the future nobody shall be able to catch them tripping in their pretended story."

the two lads thanked him. the bystanders praised this kind intention of the alcalde's, and our pilgrims were delighted with the result of the affair.

the first alcalde then came up to periander, and said, "and you, friend pilgrims, have you got any picture with you to tell us about? have you any history to relate, and make us believe it true, although falsehood herself may have composed it?"

periander made no answer, for he saw antonio pulling out the passports, licenses, and dispatches that they carried with them, and placing them in the alcalde's hands, he said, "your worship may see by these papers who we are, and where we are going, but we do not think it necessary to produce them, as we ask no alms, and have no need to ask any. thus, you perceive, you may let us pass on freely."

the alcalde took the papers, and because he did not know how to read, he gave them to his companion, who knew as little as he did, and so they passed on into the hands of their clerk, who, glancing over them rapidly, returned them to antonio, saying, "my lord alcalde, there is as much worth and goodness as there is beauty in these pilgrims: if they wish to remain here to-night, my house shall serve them for an inn, and i shall attend to their wishes to the utmost of my power."

periander thanked him; they stayed there that night, as it was late; and they were accommodated at the clerk's house with kindness, abundance, and cleanliness.