THE STORY OF WILLIAM SHALER 7 



pistols in his belt. In this guise he was received, and by his fear- 

 lessness he acquired a good deal of influence over the tyrant. 

 Another example of his steady quality is given in the account 

 of Abercrombie's bombardment of Algiers, where the landing 

 parties, when the guns of the Algerines had been silenced 

 and the water-front of the town was in ruins, found him at 

 dinner in his arbor, he having compelled his servants to serve 

 him through the action. 



At the end of his service as consul-general, William Shaler, 

 disgusted with the state of affairs in the principality, went to 

 France and had much to do in persuading the French to invade 

 and occupy the country, acting as the adviser of that govern- 

 ment in its plans for the expedition, particularly in the opera- 

 tions which led to the capture of Algiers. For this service he 

 received and refused the offer of a sum of money said to have 

 been the equivalent of a hundred thousand dollars. Of his long 

 residence in Algeria he left, as records, his sketches of Algiers 

 and an account of the government, both worthy essays, 

 which show him to have had a certain observing power. He 

 left behind him a memory of good service which is recorded 

 by a tablet in the Episcopal Church at Algiers, placed there by 

 those who never saw him but knew by tradition of his quality. 



After his experience with the Algerines, William Shaler 

 turned again to business with the sea, and, as seemed to be 

 recurrent with him, made and lost much money, but saved out 

 of the wreck enough to provide well for his sister and other 

 dependents of the younger generation. His life ended as consul 

 at Havana in 1832, where he died of cholera. When the end 

 was near, he sent away his secretary and other attendants, 

 telling them they needed their rest and that they could attend 

 to his body in the morning. When they came back they found 

 his body lying straight in shape for the grave. He was of the 

 quality that dares to die alone in the dark. 



The second son of this household seems to have been a dare- 

 devil ne'er-do-well, who wound up an adventurous career as a 



