Page:Adventures of Baron Wenceslas Wratislaw of Mitrowitz (1862).djvu/188

 ing it, had opposed it, and would not allow that maltreatment to be inflicted upon us, as we had not waged war against them, but had only been attached to an embassy, and were in no wise in fault; at any rate, he said, it would have been a sin to maltreat us thus. The grand vizier, not being able to revenge himself upon us in any other way, had our heads and beards shaved with a razor, and the next day all of us chained to the oars amongst the other prisoners on board the galleys.

We were conducted on board the galley, or large warboat, under the care of a vigilant guard, and Achmet, the reis, or captain, who commanded on board the vessel, a Christian born in Italy, but who had now become a Turk, immediately received us and ordered us all to be chained to oars. The vessel was tolerably large, and in it five prisoners sat on a bench, pulling together at a single oar. It is incredible how great the misery of rowing in the galleys is; no work in the world can be harder: for they chain each prisoner by one foot under his seat, leaving him so far free to move that he can get on the bench and pull the oar. When they are rowing, it is impossible, on account of the great heat, to pull otherwise than naked, without any upper clothing, and with nothing on the whole body but a pair of linen trousers. When such a boat sails through the Dardanelles, out of the narrow into the broad sea, iron bracelets, or rings, are immediately passed over the hands of each captive, that they may not be able to resist and defend themselves against the Turks. And thus fettered hand and foot the captive must row day and night, unless there is a gale, till the skin on the body is scorched like that of a singed hog, and cracks from the heat. The sweat flows