aspers of bread in a day, which is but two pence English: and our lodging
was to lye on the bare boards, with a very simple cape to couer vs, wee
were also forceably and most violently shauen, head and beard, and within
three dayes after, I and six more of my fellowes, together with fourescore
Italians and Spaniards were sent foorth in a Galeot to take a Greekish
Carmosell, which came into Africa to steale Negroes, and went out of
Tripolis vnto that place, which was two hundred and fourtie leagues thence,
but wee were chained three and three to an oare, and wee rowed naked aboue
the girdle, and the Boteswaine of the Galley walked abaft the maste, and
his Mate afore the maste, and eche of them a bulls pissell dried in their
handes, and when their diuelish choller rose, they would strike the
Christians for no cause: and they allowed vs but halfe a pound of bread a
man in a day without any other kinde of sustenance, water excepted. And
when we came to the place whereas wee saw the Carmosell, we were not
suffered to haue neither needle, bodkin, knife, or any other weapon about
vs, nor at any other time in the night, vpon paine of one hundred
bastonadoes: wee were then also cruelly manackled in such sort, that we
could not put our handes the length of one foote asunder the one from the
other, and euery night they searched our chaines three times, to see if
they were fast riueted: Wee continued fight with the Carmosell three
houres, and then wee tooke it, and lost but two of our men in that fight,
but there were slaine of the Greekes fiue, and foureteene were cruelly
hurt, and they that were sound, were presently made slaues and chained to
the oares: and within fifteene dayes after we returned againe into
Tripolis, and then wee were put to all maner of slauerie. [Sidenote: The
Turkes builded a church.] I was put to hewe stones, and other to cary
stones, and some to draw the Cart with earth, and some to make morter, and
some to draw stones, (for at that time the Turkes builded a church:) And
thus we were put to all kinde of slauerie that was to be done. And in the
time of our being there, the Moores that are the husbandmen of the countrey