INHUMANITY TO SHIPWRECKED MARINERS. 



143 



board the Grosvenor. What became of the cap 

 tain an.l his party is still unknown. Some are 

 supposed to have perished from hunger, some 

 through grief and fatigue, and others to have 

 oecn killed by the inhospitable natives. Now, 

 all the accumulated miseries endured by these 

 unfortunate travellers, and the premature death 

 of nearly a hundred persons, are to be attribut 

 ed to that spirit a*&quot; selfishness, inhumanity, and 

 hostility, which, in all ages, has prevented en 

 joyment, and entailed misery on the human race. 

 Had a principle of love to mankind pervaded the 

 hearts of die wretched Caffres, or had even the 

 common feelings of humanity been exercised to 

 wards their fellow-creatures in distress, the whole 

 of the unfortunate individuals that perished in 

 Africa s inhospitable clime, might have been con 

 ducted in safety to their friends and their native 

 land. 



My next example is taken from M. De Bris- 

 son s &quot; Narrative of his shipwreck, and captivity 

 among the Moors.&quot; 



M. Brisson was shipwrecked on the coast of 

 Barbary, on the 10th July, 1785, and, after 

 much difficulty and danger, he, along with the 

 irew, escaped safe to land. No sooner had they 

 reached the shore, than they were surrounded by 

 a crowd of savages, and seized by the collars. 

 The Arabs,&quot; says M. Brisson, &quot; armed with 

 cutlasses and large clubs, fell upon my compa 

 nions with incredible ferocity ; and I had the 

 mortification of soon seeing some of them wound 

 ed, whilst others, stripped and naked, lay stretchr 

 ed out and expiring on the sand. The news of 

 our shipwreck being spread abroad through the 

 country, we saw the savages running with the 

 greatest eagerness from all quarters. The wo 

 men, enraged that they could not pillage the 

 ship, threw themselves upon us, and tore from 

 us the few articles of dress which we had left. 

 While they went to the shore to obtain more 

 plunder, a company of Ouadelims discovered and 

 pillaged our retreat, and beat us in the most un- 

 marciful manner, till I was almost at the last 

 g.isp. My mind was so much affected that I 

 could not refrain from tears: and some of the 

 women having observed it, instead of being 

 moved with compassion, threw sand in my eyes, 

 to dry up my tears, as they expressed it.&quot; M. 

 Brisson was forced, by these rude barbarians, 

 into the interior of the country, as a captive. 

 &quot; After passing,&quot; says he, &quot; mountains of a pro 

 digious height, which were covered with small 

 sharp flints, I found that the soles of my feet 

 were entirely covered with blood. I was per 

 mitted to get up behind my master on his camel ; 

 but as I was naked, I could not secure myself 

 from the friction of the animal s hair, so that in a 

 very little time my skin was entirely rubbed off. 

 My blood trickled down over the animal s sides, 

 and this sight, instead of moving the pity of these 

 Wrbarians, afforded them a subject of diversion. 



They sported with my sufferings ; and that their 

 enjoyments might be still higher, they spurred on 

 their camels.&quot; After travelling for sixteen days, 

 during which they were exposed to the greatest 

 fatigue, and the most dreadful miseries, they at 

 length reached the place of their destination, in 

 a most wretched and exhausted condition. And 

 what was the manner of their reception ? The 

 women having satisfied their curiosity in inqui 

 ries about the strangers, immediately began to 

 load them with abuse. &quot; They even spat in our 

 faces,&quot; says M. B. &quot; and pelted us with stones. 

 The children, too, copying their example, pinch 

 ed us, pulled our hair, and scratched us with their 

 nails, whilst their cruel mothers ordered them to 

 attack sometimes one and sometimes another, 

 and took pleasure in causing them to torment 

 us.&quot; 



They were compelled to work at the most fa 

 tiguing and menial employments, and beaten 

 with severity when they did not exert themselves 

 far beyond their strength, while they were denied 

 a single morsel of wholesome food, &quot; As we 

 were Christians,&quot; says the narrator, &quot; the dogs 

 fared better than we, and it was in the basins 

 destined for their use that we received our allow 

 ance : our food was raw snails, and herbs and 

 plants trodden under foot by the multitude.&quot; In 

 this manner did these unfortunate travellers drag 

 out the period of their captivity ; some died of 

 the blows and harsh treatment they received, and 

 others died of hunger and despair. M. Brisson 

 one day found the captain of the vessel in a 

 neighbouring hamlet, stretched out lifeless upon 

 the sand, and scarcely distinguishable but by the 

 colour of his body. In his mouth he held one of 

 his hands, which his great weakness had no 

 doubt prevented him from devouring. He was so 

 changed by hunger, that his body exhibited the 

 most disgusting appearance ; all his features 

 being absolutely effaced. A few days after, the 

 second captain, having fallen down through 

 weakness below an old gum tree, became a prey 

 to the attacks of a monstrous serpent. Some 

 famished crows, by their cries, frightened away 

 the venomous animal, and, alighting on the body 

 of the dying man, were tearing him to pieces, 

 while four savage monsters, in human shape, 

 still more cruel than the furious reptile, heheld 

 this scene without offering him the least assist 

 ance. &quot; I attempted to run towards him,&quot; says 

 M. Brisson, &quot; and to save his life, if possible, 

 but the barbarians stopped me, and after insult 

 ing rne, said, This Christian will soon become 

 a prey to the flames. &quot; The bad state of health 

 of this unfortunate man would not permit him 

 to labour, and his master and mistress would not 

 allow him the milk necessary for his subsistence. 

 Such were the scenes of inhumanity and cruel 

 ty which M. Brisson witnessed, during the 

 whole period he remained in the territories of 

 these barbarous tribes. They present to our 



