For the time being the brothers had had enough of shore enterprises, and
confined themselves strictly to their piratical business at sea, which
prospered so exceedingly that they became exceedingly rich and their fame
and power increased day by day. As time went on and the wealth of the
brothers and partners increased, there entered into the calculating brain
of Kheyr-ed-Din the idea that the payment of one-fifth share to the Sultan
of Tunis was but money thrown away. Twenty per cent, was eating into the
profits of the firm in an unwarrantable manner, he considered, and now that
the active partners therein had established so good a business connection,
they were quite strong enough to dispense with a sleeping partner. Times
had changed for the better, and Kheyr-ed-Din was anxious to take full
advantage of the fact; if possible he determined to seize upon and hold
some port, in which, not only would they be exempt from tribute, but also
in which he and his brother Uruj should be the supreme arbiters of the fate
of all by whom it might be frequented.
Of Bougie and its stout Spanish garrison the brothers had had quite enough
for the present: they sought, in consequence, for some harbour which
presented equal advantages of situation, and their choice fell upon
Jigelli, then belonging to the Genoese, who occupied a strong castle in
this place.
Jigelli lies well outside the confines of the kingdom of Tunis, about
equi-distant from Bougie and Cape Bougaroni, some forty miles from each.
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