The characters of the two brothers were widely different. The elder was no
doubt a "first-class fighting man," a fine seaman, a born partisan leader;
but here his qualities came to an end. Rough, cruel, imperious, brutal, he
imposed himself upon those who became his followers; but in him were to be
found none of the statesmanlike qualities which distinguished his far
greater younger brother. His was the absolutely finite intellect of the
tactician as opposed to the strategist, who, seeing his objective, was
capable of dealing with circumstances as they immediately arose; but,
partly no doubt from defective education, but principally from the lack of
intellectual appreciation of the problems of the time in which he lived,
could never rise to the heights which were scaled by Khizr, better known by
the title conferred upon him later on by the Grand Turk as "Kheyr-ed-Din,"
or "The Protector of Religion."

The sons of Mahomed, that "gran marinero," naturally took to the sea, and
as a young man Uruj became possessed of a ship--how we do not know, and it
were better perhaps not to inquire. In this small craft he repaired to the
coast of Caramania to make war upon the Christians; or, in other words, to
begin an independent piratical career. Uruj in these days was young and
inexperienced, or he would not have chosen this locality for his first
venture, as this coast was in close proximity to the island of Rhodes, from
whence the great galleys of the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem set
forth to exterminate the enemies of their faith.

So it came about that Uruj, sailing out in his little ship from under the
shadow of a wooded point, came in full sight of _Our Lady of the
Conception_. There was nothing for it but immediate flight, and Uruj put
his helm up and scudded before the breeze; but the great galley
"goose-winged" her two mighty lateen sails, and turned in pursuit. The ship
which carried Uruj and his fortunes was both fast and handy, and for a time