Читать книгу Pirate Princes and Yankee Jacks онлайн

29 страница из 30

The rector looked dismayed at this attempt to justify kidnapping by the Scriptures. "It's time," he said, "for this western world to teach those ruffians that blackmail is blackmail and that murder is murder!"

He fumbled with the envelope that had contained Alexander's letter. A slip of paper slid out. He read to us this memorandum, written by my brother:

Amount of Ransom demanded by the Dey of Algiers for the Release of American captives

"Crew of ship Dauphin: Algerine Sequins Richard O'Brien, captain, ransom demanded 2,000 Andrew Montgomery, mate 1,500 Jacob Tessanoir, French passenger 2,000 Wm. Paterson, seaman 1,500 Philip Sloan 725 Peleg Lorin 725 John Robertson 725 James Hall 725 "Crew of ship Marie: Algerine Sequins Isaac Stephen, captain, ransom demanded 2,000 Alexander Forsyth, mate 1,500 George Smith, seaman 900 John Gregory 725 James Hermet 725

"How much is 1,500 Algerine sequins?" I asked Murad.

"A sequin," he explained, "amounts to eight shillings sterling, so that 12,000 shillings will be required for Alexander, and 126,000 shillings for the entire lot. There must be added to this sum 10 or 20 per cent of the total as bribes to the Dey's officers, and as commission to brokers. There are Jewish merchants over there whose chief business it is to procure the release of captives—for a consideration!