40 AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF FRANCIS ARAGO. 



whom we should help off. We only wished to aid the 

 flight of the astronomer. Since it seems to be otherwise, 

 you must leave this officer here, unless you would prefer 

 to throw him into the sea." 



Damian at once informed me of the imperative wishes 

 of his boat's crew. M. Berthemie agreed with me to 

 suffer some abuse such as could only be tolerated by a 

 servant threatened by his master ; all the suspicions 

 disappeared. 



Damian, who feared also for himself the arrival of 

 Majorcan fishermen, hastened to set sail on the 29th of 

 July, 1808, the first moment that was favourable, and we 

 arrived at Algiers on the 3d of August. 



Our looks were anxiously directed towards the port, to 

 guess what reception might await us. We were reassured 

 by the sight of the tri-coloured flag, which was flying on 

 two or three buildings. But we were mistaken ; these 

 buildings were Dutch. Immediately upon our entrance, 

 a Spaniard, whom, from his tone of authority, we took 

 for a high functionary of the Regency, came up to Da- 

 mian, and asked him : " What do you bring ? " "I bring," 

 answered the commander, " four Frenchmen." " You will 

 at once take them back again. I prohibit you from dis- 

 embarking." As we did not seem inclined to obey his 

 order, our Spaniard, who was the constructing engineer 

 of the ships of the Dey, armed himself with a pole, and 

 commenced battering us with blows. But immediately 

 a Genoese seaman, mounted on a neighbouring vessel, 

 armed himself with an oar, and struck our assailant both 

 with edge and point. During this animated combat we 

 managed to land without any opposition. We had con- 

 ceived a singular idea of the manner in which the police 

 act on the coast of Africa. 



