COUNTESS DE BOURK. 93 
with flints cut off Madame de Bourk's fingers to get her rings, 
fearing lest they should profane their knives if they came in 
contact with the bodies of Christians. 
What a spectacle for the unfortunate captives ! to behold 
the remains of persons so respectable exposed as a prey to 
wild beasts; and what a thousand times more afflicting, to 
the insults of the Moors, who took delight in hearing the 
sound produced by stones thrown on their bodies swelled 
with the sea-water. The steward endeavored to represent 
to them, as well as his consternation would permit, that it was 
a violation of humanity, and that they ought at least to suffer 
them to be interred ; but they replied that they never buried 
dogs. The footman having a load upon his back, a Moor en- 
deavored to make him pass by the bodies because it was the 
shortest way ; but he was unable to compel him, and the vir- 
tuous domestic, penetrated with horror, chose rather to climb 
a steep rock than to behold these melancholy objects. The 
steward, upon his return to the mountain, durst not mention 
his grief to Mademoiselle de Bourk, but concealed from her 
the horrid sight which he had witnessed. 
The Moors meanwhile divided the booty ; the richest stuffs 
were cut in pieces and distributed among the children to de- 
corate their heads ; the silver plate was sold to the highest 
bidder, and three goblets, each of which was worth at least 
twenty pounds sterling, were sold in a lot for less than five 
shillings, because, being tarnished by the sea-waler, the 
Moors, from their color, supposed them to be nothing but cop- 
per, and of little value. With respect to the books which 
they found, they regarded them as useless lumber, and were 
easily induced to resign them to the steward and the footman, 
whom they compelled to assist them in removing the pack- 
ages. The steward likewise saved his writing desk, which 
proved extremely useful, as we shall presently see. 
During the three weeks that they remained at this place, 
Mademoiselle de Bourk took advantage of the writing-desk, 
and a few leaves of blank paper which she found at the be- 
ginning and end of the books brought by the steward, to write 
three letters to the French consul at Algiers ; but none of them 
was received. Three weeks after their shipwreck they were 
removed into the midst of the lofty mountains of Couco, where 
the sheik commanding these barbarians apparently resided. 
They were escorted by twelve of them, armed with sabres, fu- 
sils, and halberts. They obliged the abbe and the steward to 
ry the young lady alternately over the rugged mountains. 
