Soon after break of day they were surrounded by thirty
or forty Moors, who were engaged in fishing on that coast,
by whom Captain Horton and the ship’s, company were
made prisoners. The vessel bilged : the cargo was almost
entirely lost; and what remained of the wreck was burnt
by the Moors, for the copper bolts and sheathing ; ■ but as
they had no tools wherewith to take off the copper, they
saved little more than the bolts. The place, which was
called El Gazie, (2) was a low sandy beach, having no trees
in sight, nor any verdure. There Was no appearance of
mountain or hill; nor (excepting only the rock on which
the -ship was wrecked) any thing but sand as far as the
eye could reach:
The Moors were straight haired, but quite black; their
dress consisted of little more than a rug or a skin round
their waist, their upper parts and from their knees downwards,
being wholly naked. The men had neither shoes nor
hats, but wore their hair very long: the women had a little
dirty rag round their heads by way of turban. They
were living in tents made of stuff like a coarse blanket, of
goat’s hair, and sheep’s wool interwoven; but some of
them were without tents, until they were enabled to make
them of the sails of the ship; out of which they also made
themselves clothes. The men were circumcised. They
appeared to be provided with no cooking utensil whatever.
Their mode of dressing fish was by drying it in the sun,
cutting it into thin pieces, and letting it broil on the hot sand ;
but they were better off after the wreck, as they secured
several pots, saucepans, &c. So extremely indigent were
these people, that when unable to catch fish, they were in
danger of starving; and in the course of fourteen days, or
thereabouts, -that they remained at El Gazie, they were
three or four days without fish, owing to the want of proper
tackle. Among the articles in a chest that floated ashore,
was fishing tackle, which the crew of the Charles offered to
shew the Moors how to use, and to assist them in fishing;
but they refused to be instructed, or to receive any assistance.
At length, having accumulated enough to load a
camel, they raised their tents and departed, taking with
them their prisoners.
Besides the Moors there was a young man in appearance
a Frenchman, but dressed like a Moor. As captain Horton
spoke French, he conversed with this man, who told him
that about a. year before he had made his escape from
Santa Cruz, in the Canary Islands; in a small vessel, with
some other Frenchmen; and that having approached the
shore to procure goats, they had found it impossible to get
the vessel off again, on account of the surf, and were taken
C